Yahoo Small Business Presents: Why Is Local SEO Important For Small Business Owners? On US Sports Net!

Why Is Local SEO Important For Small Business Owners In 2017?

By: Nikolay Peshev

[video below]

Why should you as a small business owner be concerned about local search engine optimization (SEO)? Most companies nowadays rely on the internet or hire SEO professionals for attracting new customers, sales and lead generation. For those of you who don’t quite understand what SEO is, it is simply defined as a process of making your website visible on search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo. If your business has still not launched a website yet, then you are really missing out on many potential customers. You want to provide search engines like Google critical information so they will place your website in the top five spots on the results page. The job of a search engine is to take the information typed in by the user and locate the most relevant websites using those keywords in your area. Simply put, if you are not engaging in local SEO, you are not on that first page of results in your area – and your competitors are! By investing in local SEO marketing, you are staying competitive with the other companies while giving you brand name exposure 24 hours, 7 days a week and are sure to gain new customers – even while you sleep. Let’s take a look at the top three reasons why local SEO is so important for small business owners. 1. New Customers Internet marketing, including local SEO, attracts people in who are already looking for your product or service. They are already convinced of their need which is why they went searching in the first place. You just have to present yourself on the first page of search engines like Google and voila. You still have to convince them that your company is the best to purchase from, but half the battle is over. Once they come to your website, if you have invested the same tedious work to optimize the user’s experience with you by providing the content they seek, then you are well on your way to gaining a new customer. Get accurate business listings across top directories with Localworks from Yahoo  2. Brand Awareness People subconsciously trust search engine results. If Becki’s Dog Grooming is #1 on search engine results, then Becki’s must be the best. But most users do not just run over to Becki’s within the next hour to have their dog groomed! They do, however, file it somewhere in their mind or bookmark it. They go clicking around the internet numerous times before making a final decision. If your website is employing great local SEO services, how often might that user come across your company name while conducting his/her search? What if your company came up three of the five times they searched for that desired service or product? Next thing you know, they have clicked through to your website. 3. Customer Insight If your website is properly optimized, it will increase your search engine visibility, usability, and credibility, all of which increase traffic to your site. Now that you are enjoying higher numbers of visitors, Google Analytics (which every website should have set up) can track valuable information about your visitors. Find out what browser they use, what keywords, the technology they use, their geographical location, the days and times they are most active, how much time they spent on a page, etc. This information will help you discover your target market, hone-in on your advertising and determine strategies based on facts rather than just educated guesses. The better you know your customers, the better product or service you can provide, the higher the return on investment (ROI). Local search engine optimization is no longer an option for small businesses that want to be competitive and grow. Local SEO will provide visibility, traffic, credibility, branding and help you gain valuable insight into customer behavior. It is a very wise choice by thinking of investing in local search engine optimization services as it would provide exceptional ROI, business exposure and sales. As a Google Official Partner and a company rated A+ by BBB, 411 Locals served to more than 40,000 local businesses

Yahoo Small Business Presents: MLM Sponsoring Tips- How To Attract And Sponsor People into Your MLM Business on US Sports Net!

By: Tony Bernard

	How great would it be to be able to attract people into your MLM business, that wanted to succeed just as bad as you do. Well, according to the quote, "opposites attract", something on one end of the magnetic pole attracts the opposite end. Well this doesn't apply to attracting the right people into your business. If you sponsored people who were opposite of you, you'll be adding a bunch of lazy people who doesn't want to grow a MLM business. So, what I'm going to do is show you how to attract and sponsor more people into your MLM business. MLM Sponsoring Tips #1 Sponsoring more people into your MLM business shouldn't be a pain, right? You shouldn't have to twist someone's arm, or call them over and over. Doing that will ruin relationships and make you look desperate. Which is why the first MLM sponsoring tip is leadership. When demonstrating leadership the right way, people will follow you where ever you'll take them. Which is why when you twist someone's arm or pester them into joining your MLM business, you're losing the battle of demonstrating leadership. It's extremely important that you're confident and willing to lead. This creates a magnetic attraction. You'll attract and sponsor more people as a leader, not as a begger. MLM Sponsoring Tips #2 A commonly misguided myth for growing a business is to bring people into your MLM business based on the opportunity. It's much better if you find people who really love your products or service. When you're able to sponsor people based on your products, you'll find yourself attracting dozens of people. And what happens then is you're able to retain your downline. Many times, we add a bunch of people into out downline. Later, we see that they're not consuming the products and they say that they're really not wanting to grow the business. That's what happens when you add people based solely on the opportunity. After a month of them not making any money, they're gone. So, be sure you find people who really wants the product. When you do, you'll have people attracted to you and your team. MLM Sponsoring Tips #3 Another great sponsoring tip is to sort, not sell. What I mean is instead of trying to sell everyone your products, or trying to sell them on the opportunity, just sort through and find people who wants to buy your products and join you in your MLM business. If they don't want to consume the products or if they're asking how much you're making, just let them go. Don't try selling them. Get accurate business listings across top directories with Localworks from Yahoo When you're able to sort, you'll notice that people you're adding to your MLM business are just like you. You'll be different in some ways, but overall, you're all striding for basically the same goals. This will allow you to attract and sponsor dozens of people into your business who are just like you. Use these MLM sponsoring tips to attract and grow your business. And by doing so, you'll not only grow your business, but attract help you attract the right people.

Yahoo Small Business Presents: 3 Tips to Easily Close the Sale on US Sports Net!

3 Tips to Easily Close the Sale

By: Mandy Schumaker

"Sales is something you do for someone, not to someone" Bob Proctor Trying to close a sale can often times feel inauthentic, stressful and forced. And when that happens, you can guarantee that more than likely, you will not be signing on a new client. Because a forced closing of the sale is a surefire way to turn off the client and lose the sale. And because many of us feel awkward in a closing of the sale process, we often try too hard, which can be a turn off to the client. It can make our client feel like we are "pushing" them to buy something they aren't interested in buying. Remember, people like to buy, but they don't like to be sold to. Get accurate business listings across top directories with Localworks from Yahoo Here are three tips to incorporate into your closing the sales process that will help make it more of a soft close, rather than a hard close: 1-Connect with your prospect. When I think about the times I've felt uncomfortable when someone tried to sell me something, it was always when they had no idea what I was looking for or what I needed. They never asked me any questions, but instead just launched into the features of a particular product or service. You must connect with your prospect, asking them what they are looking for, how you might help them, and what they might have in mind. Taking the time (and the opportunity) to really get to know your prospect, find out what makes them tick, what they might be struggling with and what might solve their problem, is the first key to a successful closing of the sale. 2-It's all about them not you. Too often, salespeople tend to focus on themselves. Again, some of the more unsuccessful, uncomfortable sales experiences I've had have occurred when the salesperson did all the talking...about themselves. A more successful approach is to set up the sales process, so the customer has the opportunity to know as much about you and your services as possible, prior to the closing of the sale process. That way, during the closing of the sale call, you can focus strictly on them. This might be pointing your potential customer to a place on your website that has frequently asked questions, or to point them to the testimonial section of your site. That way, they have the opportunity to have at least 98% of their questions answered before they even meet with you. Then you can solely focus on their needs. 3-Celebrate. People who buy always like to be reassured they've done the right thing. So be sure to celebrate your client's decision. Let them know they've made a great decision and be sure to offer your congratulations. Making them feel great about their decision is the last important step of the closing the sale process. Using these three tips will make your closing of the sales process feel more natural and authentic and help you confidently increase your close ratio with lots of happy clients. Mandy Schumaker, President of Higher Performing People, is a former sales and management executive in the newspaper industry, who has extensive experience in executive coaching, leadership development, sales and marketing, facilitation and team building. Receive the free audio CD: "7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs" at www.mandyschumaker.com.

Yahoo Small Business Presents: Physical Office Location is The Better Marketing Strategy on US Sports Net!

Physical Office Location is The Better Marketing Strategy

By: Emily Anne

As a freelancer, I’ve considered the pros and cons of working from home vs. having a physical office location on many occasions. There are many obvious benefits to working at home versus going into work. Come to find, there are also many benefits to having a physical location, even for small businesses. Here are a few key factors that show how having a physical office location is a better marketing strategy: [Address]. Having a business address can actually play a huge role in the online visibility of your business. Local businesses with a physical location tend to show up more prominently online than businesses without. As we well know, we are in the technological decade where everything is right at the tip of our fingers. If we don’t know an answer to a question, we immediately search online for it. This is exactly what we do when it comes to business services. If an address can improve your online visibility, it’s definitely something worth checking into. [Innovation]. While people feel innovated at different times and in different ways, it is a fact that sharing ideas can make people even more innovative. If you’re working at home and not regularly communicating with your other employees or partners, it will be difficult to bring in the innovative aspect a physical workplace does. While we have video chat features such as Skype, it isn’t the same as face-to-face collaborative brainstorming. [Focus]. This one is one of the most obvious ones to me. As a freelancer working from home, I realized how difficult it could be to stay attentive in my workload on certain days. There are so many opportunities for distraction when working from home, that it can be hard to even get focused. The nice thing about having an office is that you’re very attentive on your workload once you’re in the office. [Consistent Schedule]. I noticed that my schedule was never consistent when I first started freelancing. There would be days that I would sleep in until noon and wouldn’t start work for hours after waking up. I would then stay up late and ruin the opportunity for an early rise the next day. Having an office rental gives you a set schedule, while still giving you the freedom to come into the office the days you choose. [Psychological Benefits]. Bevmax Office Centers wrote an article that I found very interesting. In the article, they discuss the benefits of freelancers renting an office. One of the reasons listed was psychological benefits. They state that getting out of the office can become a rare occurrence for some freelancers. I know from experience, that this is actually very true. When I started taking on more clients, I noticed that I didn’t set the proper schedule for myself to have much of a social life. I was constantly fighting deadlines and working into the late evenings. Going out to an office gives you the opportunity to get out of the house, have social interacts with passerbys, and also gives you the networking opportunity by being surrounded by other business offices. Get accurate business listings across top directories with Localworks from Yahoo While working from home is also important for freelancers. It’s important to consider office rentals for important team meetings and/or conferences. Getting the team together in-person can have phenomenal benefits on the overall organization. If you’re an entrepreneur who isn’t at the stage of team meetings, it’s equally important to consider a virtual office that has a physical address. Office rental agencies, such as Bevmax, offer many perks for their virtual office packages. Having a designated mailing address and a fax service is definitely one of those many reasons. https://bevmaxoffice.com/2016/12/27/5-reasons-freelancers-consider-renting-office-space/

Yahoo Small Business Presents: Turn a Post-Sale Experience in to New Business! on US Sports Net!

Turn a Post-Sale Experience in to New Business!

By: Troy Cottam

	Get 20% off Localworks with code LOCAL20. Be discovered across 60+ maps, social media, search engines, and mobile apps for less than a $1/day with Localworks! Well, you invested in the creation of a great product, earmarked a healthy budget for marketing, and made the sale. Now what? In today’s economic world it is entirely possible that even a company with moderately high sales revenue may have to consider one or all of the following: shrinking margins, loss of market share, customer attrition, or simple loss of profitability. Certain factors are completely out of the control of most businesses, things like government regulation, supplier price increases, or a drop in discretionary consumer spending. In such a world, it is ever more important to recoup the investment your business makes in acquiring a new customer or client – especially if your business is a niche market or involves large, infrequent purchases. But, in all cases, it is a truism that positive word-of-mouth and repeat business are the hallmark of most successful businesses. Unfortunately, most companies adopt a ‘Field of Dreams’ philosophy, an "if we build it, they will come" model of customer satisfaction. The ‘it’ being, of course, a high-quality product or service. No one will argue that quality and value engender referrals and repeat buying, but what happens when you’ve engaged a fleet of six-sigma gurus, created layers of stringent QA processes, and then a third-party, like a distributor, dealer, or other channel partner drops the ball? Let’s face it, mistakes in manufacturing and services occur, businesses experience loss of talent pool, or partner vendors aren’t as quality oriented as they could be, so, knowing that even an unhappy customer can be saved by a quality follow-up process, what do you do? Even more critical, how do you even uncover if there are problems or obstacles to repeat business or referrals within your sales process? Many organizations do sales follow-up, like customer satisfaction outreach, which is a laudable endeavor and exactly what this article intends to address. With that in mind, there are some important factors not to ignore when starting down this road. First factor, there are some new wiz-bang ways to reach out to people; email, tweets, and SMS. While these are viable methods, there is a catch with this kind of approach; not all consumers are connected or ‘tech-ready’, and you don’t just want to hear from a demographic slice of your market – you want as varied feedback from as many end users as possible. And, the telephone is still the most pervasive means of communication, because it has a more personal touch and more credibility with a larger segment of people. The second factor to consider is to not just engage some existing staff members with a little extra bandwidth to make an outbound effort! There are a few serious problems with doing customer satisfaction research in-house. They include competency, bias, credibility, and expense. Believe it or not, making possibly hundreds or thousands of calls, asking the same questions over and over, without sounding like a drone or worse, like an antagonist, is a rare skill. Also, asking questions and recording responses without adding bias or ‘spin’ can be difficult – especially if you are, as you should be, invested in the success of the company or are friends with peers being criticized in the resulting commentary. But let’s say you make the decision to handle the job within the company, and you’ve gone through an unbiased effort to reach out and capture experience satisfaction, and you uncover that there is a lot of positivity about your product or services that you should share with the world. How credible is it to toot your own horn, and will it be taken seriously if you do? After all, every criminal in prison is innocent, and every manufacturer’s product is the best on the market… just ask them! Additionally, one needs to consider that setting up the infrastructure, sourcing and training agents, capturing the data, and synthesizing and analyzing the results will be a considerable expense; especially if your sales volume is seasonal or you need a scalable solution. One easy way to overcome these difficulties is to outsource the work. Outsourcing call center work means a company can worry about innovation in its goods and services, instead of call center technology. (Source: Mike Hasler, "3 Signs It’s Time to Write That Call Center RFP," Blue Ocean Contact Centers.) However, during the process of vetting and hiring a big call center company that does outbound calling or other out-reach processes, you find that this kind of outsourcing can also be very expensive, and the vendor’s agents, particularly non-native language speakers, may not be subject matter experts, have communication gaps, or may have a turn-over rate approaching 300%! So, what is the answer? Times are tough, competition is fierce, customer satisfaction and retention are even more important than ever, but you don’t want to possibly damage your customer or client relationship by putting too much distance between you and the end-user communications. The answer is to enter a partnership with a smaller, more invested contact center that is more concerned with quality than volume and more committed to not only helping you deal with problems, but also helping you promote the good news. In short, you use a small contact center, because the benefits of a smaller, strategic service bureau are agility; a smaller provider has less bureaucracy and responds quicker. Less expense; a smaller firm has less overhead, less corporate governance to satisfy, and will take on smaller, strategic jobs and charge less. Even if a larger bureau is cheaper, there is focus; in order for a large firm to be so cost effective, they will generally pool your calls into a general call queue, or the agents they employ must utilize tens and possibly hundreds of scripts in a given shift, or may even be overseas and use English as a second language. A smaller contact center group typically has five or less clients, so the agents can focus on your customers and quickly become subject matter experts. They usually also have Agents based in the US who won’t be as prone to miscommunication as ‘off-shore’ workers. A greater command of English and familiarity with American culture means greater satisfaction with customers and fewer complaints than foreign call center workers. (Source: NPR, "Outsourced Call Centers Return Home," August 25, 2010). Then there is responsiveness; managers of smaller centers generally have a more involved relationship with the entire Agent staff and are more personally involved in your business, meaning critical information flows outward to your consumers faster and more seamlessly. Finally, and just as important, is motivation; generally speaking, a small vendor that loses an account feels a much deeper impact than a 200-seat house would, and is therefore more motivated to be an engaged partner in your customer retention efforts. A smaller, strategic contact center can be a true partner and can act as an extension of your customer service division or department. In the end, what will best serve your sales channel is an easy, affordable means for unhappy and happy customers or clients to talk to you, so that the investments your business makes in talent, product quality, advertising, and sales don’t just mean the benefit of a single sale – you want a process creates repeat business, and even more importantly, referral business. It is harder to turn a profit today, and you can lower costs until you are cutting into muscle, or you can find ways to increase your ROI by effectively listening to your current customers, generate a positive buzz about your brand, gain customer loyalty, and uncover what works and does work about your product lines as well.

I'm a freelance Excel guru based in Wellington, Florida. I've been in business since 2000 and work mainly with outsource vendors. While I specialize in spreadsheets and VBA, I now also do work in Access and SQL. If you need specific help in the outsource contact center arena, do not hesitate to contact me at troy.cottam@telcarecorp.com.

Yahoo Small Business Presents: Know The Dangers Of Spamming

Know The Dangers Of Spamming

By: Graham Burt

Advertise Yes But Do not Spam There is a big difference between advertising and spam and it is unfortunate that a high percentage of new internet business owners do not realize the distinction between the two. This is critical because while an interesting, adequately written Internet marketing campaign can help to entice new clients and have existing clients stay with you, spam is liable to distance both new clients and existing clients. This can be exceedingly harmful to profit margins for a business owner. Email campaigns can be remarkably effective tools in the business of Internet marketing. Email campaigns may incorporate mailing regular e-newsletters containing useful information as well as advertisements, short instructive email courses or emails giving discounts on goods and services. Trusted clients who opt into your email list may probably not label these emails as spam and may buy other goods and services from your business as an upshot of this marketing procedure. In addition other internet users who have specifically requested more details about your products and services normally also find this kind of advertising to be useful. Get 20% off Localworks with code LOCAL20. Be discovered across 60+ maps, social media, search engines, and mobile apps for less than a $1/day with Localworks! On the other side of the coin, email recipients who did not ask for information are liable to see your emails as spam. Making use of email addresses is a deceiving approach and using such addresses to send out a hoard of emails will nearly always be considered to be spam. Take heed that if you are reported for spam on a regular basis, you are likely to endanger your business. Having said that, most companies will allow you to explain your actions and let you off with a warning, however there are some who are much stricter and will just close your account. So it is in your best interest that you learn as much as possible about the laws of Spam. Most mail providers have built-in spam filters and will automatically block certain words thus stopping your marketing email getting through in the first place. It is worth while purchasing a software program that can check your emails before you send them so that your efforts do not get wasted. Lastly, Focus Groups provide a marvelous possibility for business owners to promote their business. By taking part in a discussion you will unearth a big number of Internet users who probably have an interest in your market. You could consider including a link back to your website in your signature or posting the link when it is fitting to the dialogue. In all events, care should be taken to carefully study the Focus Group guidelines to certify you are not carrying out anything improper. Replying to every Focus Group you stumble on and posting a message containing a link to your website at a time when it is not relevant to the discussion is liable to be construed as spam by other members. If they start to look at your posts as spam, they are not likely to look in on your website via the links you post and more likely the administrators will exclude you from their Focus Group. Banner ads are one of the utmost favorite marketing strategies which go along with an Internet Marketing program. These ads emerge at the top of websites and are displayed across the width of the website It is vital to recognize how they can be overused and be labelled to be spam. Randomly placing your banner ad on a few websites which are expected to captivate visitors similar to your target market is streetwise marketing, placement of your banner ad on any website which will advertise the ad heedless of the target audience can be construed as spam. Graham Burt is a very experienced Internet Marketer because he learned from the experts.. It is well known that 95% of new online business entrepreneurs fail due to a lack of knowledge.

Yahoo Small Business Presents: Automatic Ebook Writing Software Released on US Sports Net!

Automatic Ebook Writing Software Released

By: Curt Dalton

SANE-GEN (Automated Niche eBook Generator) Get accurate business listings across top directories with Localworks from Yahoo  SANE-GEN, an Automated eBook and Report Generation Tool capable of retrieving the latest, most talked-about information pertaining to any chosen niche market, and then professionally crafting "Free Reports", eBooks and customized Opt-in Pages (or "Squeeze Pages") for the said niche market, at the very click of a button, is the latest robust addition to the already powerful arsenal of Internet Marketing tools that The Internet Time Machine has boasted of since early 2010. Internet Marketers all over the world are always looking to deploy products in existing or new and trending niche markets. The task of deploying a new product or building a subscriber base for a new or existing niche market consists of the following basic steps on the part of the Internet Marketer conducting the project: 1.Finding the Niche Market itself, a task that requires weeks, months and possibly years of market investigation.2.Researching the Niche Market to establish Consumer Demand and Product Supply, levels of product saturation (are there already some or more than just some products out there catering to this niche market), Advertiser Competition, Search Volume (are people looking for the product on search engines) and MOST IMPORTANTLY, "Mentions Volume", i.e. Are people actually talking about the niche market, and as a result, indirectly forming social groups of consumers who are going to need products in this niche market.3.Keyword Research for the niche market decided upon, and the development of products to suit niche consumer demand.4.And finally, development of promotional materials such as Introductory Reports and subscriber opt-in pages attempting to convince niche consumers of how they can benefit from the products developed in Step (3), providing these Introductory Reports, more popularly known as "Free Reports" in the Internet Marketing world, as proof of concept as well as a statement of benefits to the consumer as a result of subscribing to the program. The Internet Time Machine has set itself a place in Internet Marketing history by not only providing its members with access to a complex Text Analytics & Market Classification Platform in the form of The Internet Time Machine Platinum User Interface, that studies over 60,000,000 sources of consumer data online (e.g. Blogs, Forums, News portals, Public Mailing Lists, IRC Channels, Polls, etc.) and discovers new trending niche markets based on what people are talking about and the inherent "sentiment" of all consumer conversations that are discovered by the ITM every day, and provides carefully analysed "Niche Keywords" as a result. This allows Step (1) above to be executed by Internet Marketers in record time. The ITM brings information pertaining to new niche markets TO its users, allowing them to immediately dive into Steps (2) and (3) using those niche keywords, and develop products for the trending market in question. A procedure that previously took, on average, many months to achieve, was reduced in January 2010 to simply logging into the ITM and selecting Niche Markets of one's choice, when The Internet Time Machine was officially launched and made available to the public. Step (4) however, is what requires a lot pain-staking effort on the part of Internet Marketers and Copy-Writers. Reports need to be written on most occasions to allow niche consumers to see the benefits of the new products that have been developed. This means that a lot of content needs to go into these reports that has nothing to do with the product features, but discusses the actual need for a product in the niche market itself. Well-written, subject-driven, precise content in a Free Report is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL. It's what makes or breaks the path of a prospect to the product Sales Funnel. The content in a report speaks on the subject, brings various different points of view, problems, case studies and proposed solutions to the reader, and it is only when this task has been achieved, can niche consumers be convinced of how the product(s) developed by the Internet Marketer could benefit them, how much it costs to acquire them, etc. THIS is where SANE-GEN comes into the picture. SANE-GEN accomplishes (7) by taking the most relevant titles and sentences from the selected content pieces, something Internet Marketers would otherwise do manually and spend days completing the report. Though the focus of this narrative has been on the creation of "Free Reports", SANE-GEN can also be used for the purposes of quickly creating eBooks for any chosen niche market. -- SANE-GEN is undoubtedly the most powerful asset in any Internet Marketer's arsenal of tools, and allows anyone to set the tone for a product launch, by making it extremely fast to produce the PRE-LAUNCH promotional materials. As of July, 2010, all Internet Time Machine Platinum and Gold Members will have Free Access to SANE-GEN, which is also going up for sale to the public at $499.99 USD per download in the 4th Week of the month. Your Gold and Platinum membership to The Internet Time Machine also include SANE-GEN software use as well as our in-house email list builder SECPON.

Curt Dalton Founder http://www.theinternettimemachine.com/beta/site/index.php

Yahoo Small Business Presents: Business Blogging Tips: Top 10 Topics to Blog About on US Sports Net!

Business Blogging Tips: Top 10 Topics to Blog About
By: Sarah Carter

	Business blogging has many advantages. Blogging gives your company a chance to engage with your customers in a less formal setting than on your company website. A blog serves as an online platform for you to let your customers and potential customers in on some behind-the-scenes details about your company, highlight new products, announce special promotions and more. It can also be great for your SEO efforts. However, just creating a blog won't do anything; you need to actually write in it, a lot. Many companies blog weekly or even daily, which means you need some great content to keep your readers interested. Are you dealing with writer's block every time you sit down to compose a blog? Here are 10 great topics to help you get started. Get accurate business listings across top directories with Localworks from Yahoo  • Summarize an industry-related news story. At the end of your post, link to the original news story and say something like "read the full article here." If you do this often, people will start to think of you as a resource for the latest updates in the industry, which means they'll check back often to stay in-the-know. • Put the spotlight on an employee or current customer. This allows others to get to know people who use your product or service as well as your employees. It humanizes the company which makes it easier for people to trust and relate to you. • Share details about a recent company event. Whether you want to make an announcement about when, where and why the event is happening or share photos and details about how the event went, your business blog is a great platform to do so. • Post a video. Create an entertaining video that pertains to your company or industry and post it on your blog with a short summary paragraph. If you can, make it funny, people are more likely to share a funny video with friends. Funny and entertaining videos will also help keep your brand in people's minds. • Write a how-to post. How-to's are one of the most popular blog entries. Did you know that 80% of people who visit a blog are visiting it for the first time? This is because they were searching for information (such as how to do something) that they found on the blog. Once they're reading on your blog, they're more likely to search through your other entries, then hopefully your website. • Describe little known 3rd party products that work well with your product. This is useful information that your target audience (customers or potential customers) would be interested to know. • Answer a common customer support question. This will not only help your customers but it also shows them that you genuinely care. Potential customers will see this and instantly gain more trust in your business. • Highlight a product or service. If there's a particular product or service you are promoting this month, feature it on your blog. Include a photo and let your readers know how this product or service makes their life easier, healthier, happier, more successful, etc. Local SEO service provider, Local Splash, is headquartered in Santa Ana, California. Its proprietary technology and process secure high local search engine placement for single-location businesses and national chains with a local presence. To learn more about Local Splash and its local Internet marketing services, visit www.localsplash.com.

Yahoo Small Business Presents: Youtube Partners, Accidental Entrepreneurs

Go Viral and Make a Living What do shopping haulers, Nigahiga, and the Khan Academy, have in common?  They are all accidental YouTube entrepreneurs. They started out as individuals sharing videos on YouTube just for fun or for a small group of friends and family.  As their videos gained viewers, followers and fans, YouTube made them part of the YouTube Partners program.  The popular video bloggers, or vloggers, turned their past-time into a money making venture. Shopping Haulers Shopping haulers are one of the fastest growing trends on YouTube.  Teenage girls and young women show off their purchases to the whole world on sites like YouTube, giving vicarious thrills to millions of fans.  While some Shopping Haulers are addicted to spending the allowance on designer goods, others are savvy shoppers who share their methods of hunting good bargains and reviewing the quality of consumer goods. According to consumer psychologist Kit Yarrow, "Haul videos are the perfect marriage of two of Generation Y's favorite things: technology and shopping."  Many Shopping Haulers have become young tycoons. Blair Fowler, a teenager from Tennessee, who, along with her older sister Elle, is an icon of fashion hauling. In one video, she sits in on bed framed in medium close-up and shows off a new dress.  Believe it or not, the video has gotten nearly a million views in just a few months on YouTube. Not only do the more popular Haulers share the ad revenue that YouTube makes, they are also getting sponsors from big retailers, like Tide, Forever 21 and TJ Maxx that see an opportunity to market to the vloggers' followers and friends. Ryan Higa, a.k.a. "Nigahiga" In January 2011 at age twenty-one, Ryan Higa became the most subscribed to person on You Tube and held that distinction until June of the same year.  Ryan started experimenting with his family's camcorder when he was 14 years old.  He quickly realized that he had a knack for making people laugh. Higa started putting short videos on YouTube just so he could share them with his friend in Hilo, Hawaii.  Higa does comedy sketches with his friends, lip synching to pop songs, movie parodies, sometimes he will just talk to the camera about various subjects?feminism, awkward moments.  Characteristic of the top YouTube stars, Higa reads the comments his viewers leave and tries to cater to their opinions when choosing subject matter. His channel name, Nigahiga, is a combination of "Niga", which means "rant" in Japanese, and his last name, "Higa". After becoming a YouTube partner, Higa used his income to study filmmaking at UNLV. Khan Academy Salman Khan, a former hedge fund analyst turned online tutor, his Khan Academy Channel started when he began tutoring his cousin in New Orleans.  The evolution to online videos came, Khan says, when it became difficult logistically to manage his work and the kids' soccer practice.  Soon, his videos had gained a huge following. By the end of 2009, the Khan Academy Channel was making about $3,000 a month, mainly through advertising.  Khan was also getting about $1,500 a month through donations.  The money went to Khan Academy Inc., a not-for-profit organization. Covering a wide variety of academic subjects, Khan Academy is being integrated into a few public schools' curricula.  In 2010 Khan Academy ceased to accept advertising. Also in 2010, Google announced it would give the Khan Academy $2 million for creating more courses and for translating the core library into the world's most widely spoken languages, as part of their Project 10. Conclusion So, if you can't get a job at the store, open your own store.  Or better yet, open your own YouTube Channel.  To become a YouTube Partner, start with doing something you love to do.  Your passion coupled with good content will add value to your postings and that will attract viewers, followers, and fans. Linda Gordon is a life long aerobics enthusiast and writes about health and fitness. She enjoys collecting workout videos. You can check out her latest finds at fitness DVDs and cardio dance workout trends.

Yahoo Small Business-Get Noticed! 5 Tips for Marketing Your Idea at a Trade Show

One of the best places for small business owners to make connections and market their ideas is a trade show. The right trade show can provide you with an “in” to kick start your business. For business owners with a great invention, it’s hard to beat attendance at a good trade show.

Your trade show attendance isn’t just about making connections, either. It is also a chance for you to attend helpful sessions on a variety of strategies and techniques that, when applied, can boost your business. However, attending a trade show requires planning, since most trade shows  cost money.

Nicole Lininger, the Director of INPEX, the largest trade show for inventors in the United States, believes that it’s important to prepare for any trade show. She also works for InventHelp, the sister company to INPEX, to help small business owners and inventors prepare for trade shows.

“The goal is to connect inventors and entrepreneurs to companies," Lininger says. "If you have an idea, you can market it at a trade show, connecting with decision makers that can potentially help you advance your product.”

If you want to make the most of your next trade show, Lininger offers five tips that any inventor or small business owner can use to make the most of any trade show:

1. Prepare an Elevator Pitch

“You need to be able to talk about yourself in a short, concise manner,” says Lininger. Any business owner needs to be able to describe what he or she does in 45 seconds or less – about the time you have on an elevator ride. Craft a pitch that is straightforward, and clearly describes your business, product, or invention. Do your best to make it attention-grabbing. If you can’t explain what you do quickly and clearly, work on your concept until you can.

2. Bring Someone With You

This is about dividing and conquering. If you are attending a trade show as an exhibitor, this is especially important. “You don’t want to be the only person in your booth,” says Lininger. “If you have to go somewhere, it’s good to have someone else in the booth so that attendees can speak with someone.”

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Whether you need to attend a meeting, or whether there is an informative master class that you wish to learn from, you need to feel comfortable about leaving your booth.

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3. Offer Giveaways

“Giveaways are always good,” says Lininger. “A promotional item with info about you and your company is something that others can take with them, and remember you.” Not only will a giveaway draw more people to your booth if you are an exhibitor, but the item you choose can help you stand out in another’s memory. This works even if you aren’t exhibiting. A giveaway is a perfect way to break the ice, and create an impression in a potential partner’s mind. “If you already have a product sample, that’s the best giveaway,” says Lininger. “You can demonstrate your product, or pass out a few.”

4. Use Business Cards Effectively

Don’t forget that business cards are still a big part of the trade show experience. Lininger says that many small business owners, inventors, and purchasing representatives still pass out business cards at INPEX and other trade shows. It makes sense to run off business cards of your own. When you collect a business card from someone, quickly jot down information on the back. “As you collect business cards, jot down notes on the back,” suggests Lininger. “Make a note of the people you need to follow up with, or who you promised a sample to. You want to be able to follow up quickly, and keep your promises.” This also works on an electronic level. You can use apps like Evernote to snap images of business cards and people, and then attach notes so that you remember your connections, and so that you can form better partnership with them later.

5. Attend Informative Classes and Sessions

When it comes to INPEX, Lininger says that there is the possibility to buy a pass to educational sessions. “You can get a pass to seminars and presentations before the floor opens,” she says. Many other trade shows and conferences offer this option as well.

If you are an inventor or small business owner who isn’t quite ready to exhibit, this can be a good way to learn, as well as to network. For those who are wary of paying to attend a show right now, check to see if there is a public access option. INPEX opens its doors to the general public on the final day, and this can be just the right opportunity to walk the floor and get a feel for the show. Lininger also suggests that you can get more tips by following trade shows like INPEX on Twitter. (INPEX is @Invention_Show.) There are numerous online resources that can help you get ready for any trade show.

Plan ahead, and your trade show experience can be the perfect place to market your idea to potential partners and buyers.

About Miranda Marquit

Miranda is a financial journalist. Her work has appeared in a number of publications, online and off, and been mentioned by the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, NPR, and Consumerist. Miranda is a contributor to U.S. News & World Report, and writes at the blog Planting Money Seeds. She is also a panelist for the Money Mastermind Show, a LIVE web show that airs every Wednesday at 10 p.m. Eastern.

Yahoo Small Business Presents: Business Networking 101 on US Sports Net!

Business Networking 101

By: Vanessa Fardi

We have seen the word a million times in articles, magazines, blogs, even Facebook, but it is very likely we do not have the slightest idea of what "Networking" actually means. We might relate it directly to Facebook and we definitely know it is an important tool when it comes to doing business. But, do we know its actual objective? Networking can be defined as the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions, and it specifically refers to the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or business. Now that we finally know what it means, how do we get it done? Should we just go to parties, meetings, benefits and events, talk to people about our company or business, exchange business cards and be sociable? Yes, that is exactly what a networker does. The main idea is to make new contacts with the objective of forming mutually beneficial business relationships. That is it! Now you are an expert on the subject.

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There is another aspect we have to consider, why go ahead and do business networking? Some entrepreneurs and business owners actually think business networking is a more cost-effective method of getting new clients than advertising or public relations. Business networking can be conducted in a local business community, or on a larger scale on the Internet. Social networks play a very important role for companies nowadays. Even law firms and oil companies have Facebook and Twitter in order to attract more clients and be able to get the word out there about what they do. Social networks make companies more approachable to the general public and potential future clients. That is the reason why the position of Community Manager has boomed over the last five years. If it is not on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or LinkedIn, your company literally does not exist.

To be the greatest networker known to man, just follow these simple, yet life changing, tips:

-Always be honest. No one likes a liar.

-Carry your business cards with you at all times.

-Try to meet at least five or more new people at an event.

-Be friendly.

-You will need to give to be able to receive. The business relationship works both ways.

-Go get them!

Vanessa Fardi / NEUVOO
Email: vanessa@neuvoo.com

Yahoo Small Business-A Safe Workplace: Keeping Your Business Secure

By Laura Sherman | Small Business

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Presented by ADT
Securing your office spaceAs the owner of your business you probably also wear the hat of chief security officer. As such, it’s important to keep the Boy Scout motto in mind and always “Be Prepared!” If you use common sense and a little planning, you can keep yourself and your business safe.
One very basic principle for any business is to secure all doors and windows before you leave the building. This may seem like a no-brainer, but employees have been known to forget from time to time. It is also wise to lock yourself inside the building if you or your employees need to work late into the night.
Since criminals tend to case out a building before breaking in, be sure you know everyone who steps foot inside your office. Post a “No Solicitation” sign and enforce it, only allowing people associated with your business to enter.
Having an alarm system is not only a good idea but a good investment. You can purchase a quality alarm system with a motion detector for only a few hundred dollars. Proudly post the signs that come with the system, letting would-be thieves know you are protected. You can monitor the alarm yourself or hire a company to monitor it for you.
Employee access
If your small business has a number of employees, only give trusted, long term employees keys to the building. Consider spending a little more to invest in a lock mechanism where all copies of the keys must be authorized by you and locksmiths won’t make copies without authorization. And if anyone loses a key to your building, spend the money to have the locks rekeyed.
If an employee is terminated, take proper precautions to protect your business. Each employee should have a unique password for the alarm panel and computer access, so you can easily delete their codes when needed. Otherwise, a disgruntled ex-employee could become security risk.

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Safe safety
If you have any confidential client information or valuable assets you must keep in your office, you’ll need a good safe. Keep in mind that if you don’t follow some common sense rules, even a safe can be easily broken into. Here are some basic tips:

• Find a good spot for your safe, keeping it out of sight. Place it so that it isn’t visible from any window or areas accessible to clients.
• Don’t put your safe against a wall shared with another business or the outside. If that wall is smashed, the safe can be pulled out from the other side.
• Use random numbers for the combination, ones that aren’t linked to dates associated with your business or life. And never write the number down. Memorize it.
• Invest in a heavy safe with thick walls. And if possible, bolt it to the floor.
• Limit the number of people who can access your safe to the bare minimum. Ideally, you would be the only one with the combination.

Cyber security
Your computer passwords are the high tech padlock holding off would-be cyber criminals from hacking into your vital accounts and databases.
Lists of the most common passwords are  lists are commonly posted on the internet. “123456” and “password” war back and forth for the top spot. Needless to say, these aren’t good choices. Neither are other popular choices, such as “qwerty,” “baseball,” or “dragon.”
Although the best passwords have no pattern, most people don’t want to memorize a long string of random characters. If you fall into that category, here are a few tricks you can use to create a secure password that isn’t hard to remember.
Consider turning letters into numbers. For instance, the number 1 can be substituted for an “L” or the number 3 can be put in place of an “E.” Zero works for “O” and 5 can take the place of an “S.”
Next, it’s a good plan to insert a few capital letters randomly within the word. And remember, the longer the code the harder it is to crack. Finally, if you add a few random characters to the mix, your password becomes even harder to guess.
For example, say your pet turtles’ names are Samuel and Melody. Following these simple rules, SamuelMelody could become #5aMu31m310Dy&.” That’s a hard password to hack.
Another good technique is what is called a passphrase. Instead of just a word or two, simply pick out a memorable phrase from something you like. A line from a favorite poem or anything else memorable, the more unique the better. Here is a line from a Christina Rossetti poem that would be a good example (except that now I have used it here it isn’t anymore). Don’t forget to run it together. “Theuplandflocksgrewstarvedandthinned.” Why is this good? Because length makes it much harder to crack a password.
Most cyber security expects would advise that you avoid using the same password for different accounts. That way, if someone does hack into your Twitter account, they won’t have access to your bank information and email account as well.
A technique combining everything we have done so far is to take some piece of the site name, like the last five letters of its name and combine them with your usual password in some way. Using the passphrase from above this might be after the first two words. Your password for facebook would then be “Theuplandebookflocksgrewstarvedandthinned” and for Yahoo it would be “Theuplandyahooflocksgrewstarvedandthinned”.
Some sites ask you various security questions to ensure you are really you. If you don’t use real answers for these questions, a hacker will have a tough time impersonating you.
For example, if you’re asked for your mother’s maiden name, select the name of your first pet instead. Keep in mind though, this only works if you keep that name a secret. In other words, don’t chat about Spot on Facebook.
Passwords are important for all your devices, too. If your laptop, phone, or tablet gets stolen, all your contacts and personal information could be easy to access.
Antivirus and Malware protection
In February 2015, The New York Times reported that a band of hackers stole hundreds of millions of dollars from over a hundred banks around the world. How did they manage such a theft? It was through simple malware, opened by unwitting bank employees.
Modern malware can not only record every single keystroke entered on a computer, but they can take screenshots as well. The cyber-bank robbers had the luxury of time, as they sat back and learned the intricate procedures of the banks involved.
On a smaller scale, what could a cybercriminal do with the personal information stored on your computer? Certainly, they could gather all your passwords and transfer money from your bank accounts into theirs. They would also be able to tap into any confidential client information, as well as other sensitive data.
So, how do you handle this threat?
Install anti-malware and anti-virus software on all your computer systems immediately! And be sure to update the software regularly to keep on top of any new advances in malware. Also, don’t open any attachments you receive from an unknown source.
Back up important files and documents
All your important information needs to be backed up. If your computer has a meltdown, or any other emergency occurs, and you don’t have your files backed up, it can be disastrous, particularly for a business.
The most secure method for backing up your files is to use an external drive in addition to a cloud system, so that all bases are covered. It also doesn’t hurt to put important files on a thumb drive or an alternate computer.
Some people purchase a fire-resistant safe for their hard drives, protecting the data from any mishap that might occur.
If your company has a server, you’ll need to take extra precautions to secure that system as well. Keep the door to the server room locked and change the password for the network monthly.
Keeping your building, assets, and computer systems secure doesn’t have to be time consuming or cumbersome. If you follow these few simple suggestions, you will avoid becoming an easy target and will keep your business safe.