IT security and compliance professionals are constantly looking to improve their career, seeking increased responsibilities at their current employer, and keeping an open mind to new opportunities.
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IT security job market is hot but tricky, expert says
The IT security job market is one of the trickiest job markets in IT - both for job seekers and for employers.
A third of Stabuniq Trojan infections are at US banks
An information-gathering Trojan has successfully compromised servers at a number of US financial institutions.
According to researchers from Symantec, of roughly 40 IP addresses infected with the Stabuniq Trojan, 39 per cent belong to financial institutions who are mostly based in Chicago and New York.
Symantec software engineer Fred Gutierrez, said: “These financial institutions had their outer perimeter breached, as the Trojan has been found on mail servers, firewalls, proxy servers and gateways.
“Compromises are limited because Stabuniq's creators seem to be targeting specific people and entities.â€
Symantec's research also found that half the infected IP addresses were home users, while 11 per cent were companies that deal with internet security (due, perhaps, to these companies performing analysis of the threat).
The Trojan apparently spreads through targeted emails or via compromised websites that serve malware through exploit kits. “Over the past year, this threat has only been found in small numbers and has not been widespread, suggesting the authors may have been targeting specific people and entities,†Gutierrez said.
Twitter launches archive tool
Twitter is offering its more than 200 million users a chance to keep a digital scrapbook of all their tweets.
The tool, announced this week, is designed to make it easier for people to review all their activity on Twitter's trend-setting messaging service.
When it's available, the downloading option will appear at the bottom of each user's settings menu.
Twitter, which is based in San Francisco, said it may take a several weeks, or even months, before everyone gets the feature.
After a records request is made, users will receive an email on how to download their personal archive. For Twitter's earliest users, the records date back to 2006 when Twitter started.
Twitter users already have been able to peruse their past tweets by navigating to their personal profile page. But going that route is more cumbersome because it requires scrolling down a page that can sometimes be slow to display additional tweets.
The company said that users who download their entire histories should find it easier to search for particular tweets and organize the messages by month, for example.
The new tool also should serve as a reminder that a copy of everything people have tweeted still resides on Twitter's computers.
Other widely used services, such as Facebook's popular social network, also have been creating digital portraits of people's lives as more content gets posted on their sites.
Facebook gives its more than 1 billon users the option to download everything they have shared on the service. It has become easier this year for Facebook users to look at their past musings and photos as the service converted people's profiles into a timeline that sorts content by the month it was shared.
Path, another social network founded by former Facebook executive Dave Morin, is also trying to position itself as a treasure chest of memories.
A new feature released Thursday in an update to Path's' mobile app allows users to search their past posts on devices running on Apple and Android software. The content can be quickly retrieved by typing in their names' friends, a specific event or time of year, or just a phrase encapsulating a vacation highlight, such as "hiking in Kauai".
-AP
Domino\'s Pizza Founder Sues Over Healthcare Mandate
Business owners face many obstacles in a changing world. Looming healthcare regulations in the U.S. have upset business owners and entrepreneurs on grounds of everything from cost to religious convictions. These challenges are par for the course and something all entrepreneurs must face. How you overcome obstacles will determine your success growing your business in the long run. Here are some of the many difficulties business owners must face and some advice on overcoming them.
Challenges & Change
Tilting at windmills. Domino's founder Tom Monaghan, though no longer involved in the pizza chain he helped create, is suing the federal government because new healthcare regulations will force him to provide contraception coverage for employees of a Michigan office complex he owns, despite the fact that he says doing so is against his Catholic faith. Meanwhile, David Overton, CEO of the Cheesecake Factory and other entrepreneurs wonder about impact new healthcare legislation will have on their businesses. Huffington Post
Happy New Year. Healthcare law or not, every year brings new challenges to small business owners and entrepreneurs. The best way to handle them is to spend some time at the end of each year contemplating the changes that might be coming, says Glenn Muske, Rural and Agribusiness Enterprise Development Specialist at the North Dakota State University Extension Service. Make a habit of examining coming challenges and changes likely to impact your business at least once a year. Small Biz Survival
Rising Above It
Critical mass. No matter what line of business and regardless of changes in regulations or markets, all entrepreneurs face one common obstacle at one time or another. That obstacle is naysayers and critics more eager to tear down your brand than to give any relevant feedback. In fact, strategic marketing consultant Steve Miller is of the opinion that genuine feedback is in such short supply, he's not certain he even believes in the phrase “constructive criticism†anymore. Ignore the critics and do what's best for your business and your customers. Two Hat Marketing
Mutiny on the bounty. There are times it doesn't pay to ignore what others think. This may be the case if bad morale is rampant among your employees. In fact, if your employees aren't happy or doing their best, it may be your fault, says marketing specialist and copywriter Shannon Willoby. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to turn your business culture around. The way your employees feel about you and your company makes a big difference in their productivity and ultimately in your success. It's time to address it. Scott's Local Business Corner
Time to go. Of course, the worst case scenario in the situation mentioned above occurs when employees become so fed up that they walk out the door. Bernd Geropp acknowledges there are times when your employees leave you for career improvement and better opportunities. At times like these, you should be happy for them and wish them well. Unfortunately, all too often, there are other motivations involved. High turnover at your business can cause considerable challenges. If there is a way to retain your people longer, you owe it to your company to examine it. More Leadership, Less Management
Lofty Goals
I can see for miles. Perhaps the best way to create a company culture designed to overcome obstacles is to adopt a company vision. A vision can bind your team together giving them a common goal and a clear path forward, says business adviser Brad Farris. Here are some broader benefits you and your business can derive from developing a clear and compelling vision. EnMast
Don't be a copy cat. The digital revolution has brought about some unpredicted results. Digital technology has made it easier to duplicate and disseminate information than ever before in human history. Arguably, the best result of this revolutionary change has been the lowering of barriers for those seeking to publish content on many subjects at little or no cost, and the rise of the information entrepreneur. The worst result may be the cheapening of that content because of how easily it can be copied by others. This has given rise to another challenge, how to create unique value in a cookie cutter market. ClickNewz
We\'re Cutting Back To Ho-Ho
I have three employees â€" me, myself, and I. Well, actually, I just had to let me go for sleeping on the job.
I'm all about efficiency.
I've got blogs and tweets scheduled weeks in advance, photoshop actions to take care of even the smallest repetitive tasks, and keyboard shortcuts to insert all manner of boilerplate response in my email.
But as much as I love efficiency, I just can't agree with this cartoon.
Happy holidays!
Tamara Gruzbarg of Gilt: Using Analytics to Give Customers What They Want
They say that knowledge is power.  Nothing could be truer when it comes to the world of business.  Customer analytics insights can pack a powerful punch when it comes to your marketing efforts by creating a personal connection.  If you know what your customers want, you can give it to them.  If you give your customers what they want, they feel a personal connection with you. And that personal connection brings them back to you, time and again.  Tune in as Tamara Gruzbarg, Senior Director of Analytics and Research at Gilt Groupe, joins Brent Leary for an in-depth discussion on this concept.
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Tamara Gruzbarg: I have been working in the area of data analytics for over 15 years. I started my career in financial services, big banks, credit cards, and retail banking.
For those who don't know Gilt.com, we are just five years old. We are one of the pioneers in the Flash Sales Space online in the U.S. and we have new sales starting every day at noon. We have a limited inventory of sought after brands in women's and men's apparel, home goods, kid's stuff, gourmet foods, etc.
My role at Gilt is to lead the customer analytics and research team to figure out how can we get so personal with customers that they will say:
“I shop at Gilt because Gilt gets me!â€
Small Business Trends: Can you fill us in on how many people actually visit the site?
Tamara Gruzbarg: We have over 5 million active members. These are people that come to the site on a regular basis. We have a pretty large group of people that we are in constant contact with. We send them emails around new sales that we are starting, and we figure out what makes it for them.
Small Business Trends: I would assume that having 5 million active folks must provide a lot of information you can capture about them?
Tamara Gruzbarg: We know a lot about people that come to the site because it is a membership site.
On top of all the transactional information, we know what you purchase, when, and what type of brands you like. How frequently you visit and when you visit. And what areas of the site are most interesting to you.
Small Business Trends: How has this wealth of information changed the way you go about doing what you do?
Tamara Gruzbarg: Big data is a new term and a not so new term. At the end of the day, you'll try to get your hands on as many data elements as possible to figure out what the right thing is to do for the customer at every given point in time.
In order to be able to utilize it, you have to have pretty solid infrastructure.  We have a great, scalable data warehouse here at Gilt.  Built and maintained internally so our data engineering team can collect all of this disparate information from different sources â€" visitation, browsing, and emailing information.
We send so many emails. We are interested in the fact that people are opening, clicking our emails. When they are interacting with our emails, all of this information is available in our data warehouse.
Last obviously, transactional information, preferences, wait-listing and demographic information. All of this is in our centralized data warehouse location. We have various tools that allow us to access the data warehouse and perform different kinds of analysis.
Small Business Trends: Recently, Accenture came out with their customer survey study finding 48% of respondents think a tailored experience is critical to a strong customer relationship.
Tamara Gruzbarg: For us, it's absolutely mandatory. We don't have any excuse not to be personal.
For example, we send out our daily sales reminder email. We have to provide you with enough information that will entice you to come to this site. When you have around 40 new sales starting every day there is no way we're going to send information about all 40 sales into one email template.
We have this personalization algorithm we're constantly developing and improving to help us figure out what the right sales to put in front of you every day in your email are, and also on the site.
Small Business Trends: What are some big challenges in creating those personalized experiences?
Tamara Gruzbarg: I think one of the most interesting questions is:
“How do you find the balance between 100% personalized vs. having this opportunity to introduce your customers to something new?â€
Gilt is a curated site, and we pride ourselves on our ability to find new and exciting designers people might not necessarily know. When you are 100% personalized, then you are only basing your recommendations based on historical behavior information. You basically don't have this opportunity to offer something new.
Small Business Trends: What are you measuring to see how successful these campaigns are?
Tamara Gruzbarg: Conversion is one of our biggest and most important KPIs, because we are in the business of selling merchandise and making money. In addition to that, we pay attention to what we call engagement metrics:
- Are people engaged with our emails, through open rates and click rates?
- How frequently they are visiting the site?
Then, we are actually following customer behavior throughout the channel to see where the potential drops-offs are happening. This information gives us an idea for site experience improvement.
We also have a referral program and we are very much interested in our existing members inviting their friends to join the site. Because through a lot of analysis, we figured out that our referral channel is one of the most profitable acquisition channels for us.
Small Business Trends: Ca we talk results?
Tamara Gruzbarg: We are consistently seeing double digit incremental return on investments (ROI) with the types of tools we are developing using big data analytics.
Small Business Trends: Has social media changed things?
Tamara Gruzbarg: Social media is definitely a very interesting area and something we pay a lot of attention to. We are not currently integrating social media data at the user level, if you will. Â So we cannot really go into the data warehouse and say that this person has so many friends on Facebook and this is this person's interest on Facebook.
We are using data analytics in conjunction with social media when we monitor the sentiment about Gilt on the Web.
Small Business Trends: How about mobile?
Tamara Gruzbarg: Mobile actually influences a lot of how we are looking at our standard KPIs. More people are interacting with us on mobile. So they might see an email in their email box, and then go to launch their Gilt app right away, which would not translate necessarily to open rate or click rate. But definitely would translate into conversation and revenue.
Small Business Trends: Where can people go to buy something from Gilt?
Tamara Gruzbarg: You can go to Gilt.com. Register, and quickly receive an invitation and start purchasing right away.
This interview is part of our One on One series of conversations with some of the most thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This interview has been edited for publication. To hear audio of the full interview, click the right arrow on the gray player below. You can also see more interviews in our interview series.
How to Become a Masterful Company
In his book, High Tech, High Touch Customer Service, Micah Solomon talks about using social media to provide stellar customer experience. He also outlines the profile of a “masterful company,†those that go above and beyond in the area of customer service.
Using a few of his 12 characteristics of a masterful company, I want to show you how you can become one.
Make Customers Feel Welcome…Before They Arrive
It's one thing for your staff to greet customers when they walk in your door, but what are they doing to welcome them before that? Your website, social media channels, blogs, telephone and email all provide you with opportunity to connect with future customers and make them feel welcome before they ever step foot in your store.
Remove Barriers that Might Mar a Customer's Experience
If you have a physical store, this means making sure you're in an easily accessible location, that it's easy to find parking and that people don't have to hunt to find you. If you're based online, that means having a simple-to-navigate website and minimizing the steps to complete a sale.
Anything that might make a customer abandon his shopping cart (physical or virtual) should be removed.
Your Employees Should Show Genuine Interest in Customers
This can be a challenge when you're hiring disgruntled teens at minimum wage, but having a staff that honestly loves working at your company is key to drawing in customers. People can tell when employees don't like where they work, and it affects their experience.
Create Processes to Anticipate Your Customers' Needs and Desires
This requires thinking like a customer and determining what they really want and need. Â Then creating processes around those needs.You can do this by empowering all of your staff to observe customers and take the necessary steps to amending negative situations.
If those occur again, you have a process in place to make the customer happier faster.
Know that Each Customer has Unique Needs
While your customers may share certain characteristics (just take a look at your demographics), it's important to keep in mind that no two are alike. While you may be tired of giving the same speech about your current sale every time a customer walks in the door, realize that this is the first time this customer has heard it.
So say it with renewed vigor every time.
Make “Something Extra†Standard
I always say that setting expectations lower gives you the opportunity to surprise and delight a customer when you over deliver. Solomon says that giving a little something extra should be a part of your customer service culture.
That little additional boost may be all that separates you from your competition â€" and customers know that.
Never Stop Improving Customer Service
Even if you're known for having stellar customer service, you can never, ever rest on your laurels and decide there's no room for improvement. A masterful company continues to innovate how it addresses customer service solutions (i.e. adding Twitter support).
If you continue to strive to be better â€" you'll be a masterful company too!
Florist Greeting Photo via Shutterstock
Social Media Marketing For Dummies: A Smart Book
I mean every month, it seems that someone has come up with a new way to manage social media marketing, or a new social media marketing platform. In the last couple years alone, we've seen the advent of Pinterest, Google+ and Facebook making major changes in their platform â€" who can keep up with it all?
Social Media Marketing for Dummies Brings it all Together
Not to worry. Jan Zimmerman and Debora Ng have come to our rescue with what looks like a virtual social media bible for 2013. Social Media Marketing All-in-One For Dummies is a GIANT book! It's at nearly three inches deep and over 700 pages of updated social media strategies and how-to's that newbies and experts alike will find useful.
On the front cover of the book is the boast “9 books in 1.† I think the best way to describe the book, might be to just dig right in and show you what those are:
- Social Media Mix â€" It makes sense to start with a strategic overview. With the number of social media tools increasing on what seems like a daily basis, this section will help you set the stage for your strategy so that you can choose what works best for you.
- Cybersocial Tools â€" I've not heard the word “cybersocial†yet, but this section will familiarize you with helpful tools that will have you managing your social media marketing like a pro.
- Blogs, Podcases and Video â€" The baseline for any social media marketing strategy is having a destination to drive your community to. This section discusses the most common kinds of foundation content in detail and how to get started quickly and easily.
- Twitter â€" Learn how to use Twitter as a marketing tool; what it's good for and what it's not good for. You'll also learn about Twitter Chats â€" which are a great way to build engagement.
- Facebook â€" With most of the world participating on Facebook and spending so much of their day there, it makes sense to use this platform for your marketing. This section will teach you the best way to leverage Facebook for your marketing.
- Google+ â€" Google+ is a relatively new platform that has had somewhat of a slow start. If you're still not sure how to use Google+ as part of your social media marketing strategy, this will walk you through the weeds.
- Pinterest â€" This is another new platform that has just taken off like gangbusters. It's simplicity is what makes it such a flexible â€" and sometimes confusing tool for marketing. Don't discount Pinterest until you've read this section.
- Other Social Media Marketing Sites â€" Yes, there are more social media marketing channels out there than the basics. Learn how to use Daily Deals, Social Gaming and mobile platforms to drive your marketing.
- Measuring Results; Building on Success â€" You should get this book just for this section alone! If you've been using social media marketing in your business, but haven't been sure about what's working and what isn't â€" read this section.
About the Authors
You might wonder what kind of marketing expert has mastered all of these tools? It's Jan Zimmerman!
Jan has been a business owner for over 30 years. Her previous companies provided a range of services including video production, grant writing and linguistic engineering R&D. In 1994, she founded Sandia Consulting Group and has spun off Watermelon Mountain Web Marketing. It's this kind of broad-based experience in traditional marketing and her experience with B2B clients that have given her the experience and expertise to share this information in a way that will resonate with pragmatic business owners.
Her co-author is Deborah Ng, who grew a successful blog into the number one community for freelance writers. Deborah also has significant social media experience from being the community manager for several major online brands.
Why add yet ANOTHER social media marketing book to your library?
Granted, I received a review copy of Social Media Marketing for Dummies. But what can I tell you â€" it's one of the benefits of reviewing books! This is a book I would have bought for myself and I'm hanging on to it. If I've given or loaned you a book that I've reviewed before, don't even think about asking me for this copy. It's MINE.
I'm hanging on to my copy because I use all these social media marketing tools for my business and with my clients as well. Even if you see yourself as a social media expert, you're going to want this book because you'll find these little insider tips and tricks that will save you tons of time in your day.
Social Media Marketing for Dummies is a fantastic resource for any small business that is looking to leverage the power of social media to get and keep customers.
Close An Inactive Business Before the End of the Year
However, closing your business doesn't just mean shutting down your website or storefront and calling it a day. You'll need to formally close your LLC or Corporation. Otherwise, you can still be on the hook for filing your dead business' annual reports, filing state/federal tax returns, and keeping up any business licenses.
All of these will take time and money â€" and savvy entrepreneurs don't like to pay any more than they absolutely have to.
If you've already stopped doing business and are 100% certain you're retiring this business, it's better to wrap things up before the start of the New Year. By dissolving your business while it's still 2012, you'll be free from any obligations in 2013 and have a clean slate to focus on whatever's next.
Follow these steps to close your business the right way:
1. Dissolve the Legal Entity (LLC or Corporation)
If your business is operating as an LLC or Corporation, you'll need to formally dissolve the legal entity. This entails a few things:
- All business associates need to vote on closing the business. If shares were issued in a Corporation, two-thirds of the voting shares need to agree to dissolve the company. If no shares were issued, then you need the approval of the Board of Directors. Recorded the final vote in the meeting minutes.
- If you're operating as an LLC, realize that specific rules vary by states and you should review the dissolution requirements in your state's Limited Liability Company Act.
- After the vote, you'll need to file an “Articles of Dissolution†or “Certificate of Termination†with the Secretary of State's office wherever your LLC or Corporation was established.
2. Meet any of Your Obligations (i.e. Pay Your Bills)
All company debts must be satisfied in order to properly close your business. In most cases, an LLC or Corp needs to settle its debts before any money or assets can be legally distributed to the members. If your business doesn't have the resources to pay its debts, talk with an attorney to determine the best course of action.
3. Cancel Your Business Licenses and Permits
Contact the county where your business is located and cancel your business license, as well as your seller's permit or any other permits you hold. Be active about cancelling these things, because you could still be assessed fees and taxes if the county doesn't know your business is no longer in operation.
4. Close your Business' Federal and State Tax Accounts
Maybe your business isn't making any money anymore; this alone doesn't mean you're done with the IRS. You'll need to close your Employer Identification Number (EIN), as well as file final federal and state tax returns. You can make your return “final†by checking the box indicating that this will be the final return.
If applicable, you'll need to make sure your company's payroll withholding taxes are current. Otherwise, you (or other members/owners) may be personally liable for any unpaid payroll taxes.
5. Talk to Your Network of Vendors and Contractors
You've probably already discussed shutting down your business with any customers or clients (or maybe your inactive business hasn't had a client in months or years!). You should also talk to any contractors, vendors, freelancers, suppliers, or anyone else that has participated or helped you in your business. Don't just go dark and make them wonder why they haven't heard from you in months.
While this particular business may be closing, you've built up a valuable network of business resources that you can leverage for your next project. By being considerate and open with your network, people will be more eager to join you for future businesses.
Final Thoughts
Walking away from a business is never an easy decision. However, closing a poorly performing company can free you for the next big thing.
Be sure to close your business just as carefully as you opened it. Otherwise, you can be on the hook for added fees and obligations.
Locked Door Photo via Shutterstock
Check Out Our Final List of Contests for 2012
At this time of year especially, a little help is appreciated. Here's our hand-picked list of small business sweepstakes, contests and awards. Â Check them out!
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Ongoing
Dell has launched a $100 million Innovators Credit Fund, with the purpose of helping entrepreneurs “maximize potential for innovation, speed to market and job creation.†The credit fund will offer both funding and technology resources with IT support, depending on what each start-up needs.
To be eligible, you must have already received some angel funding or venture capital before you can apply. Start-ups can get up to 10% of its current funding or up to $150,000 with limited credit terms. See website for details and application.
Multiple Contests & Entry Dates
Toshiba, Intel and Staples have teamed up to help small businesses share their stories and win thousands of dollars in new technology. Throughout 2012, they will award $10,000 technology makeovers to American businesses and free Intel-powered Ultrabooks to the people who support them.
Categories include Powering Knowledge, Powering Innovation, Powering Service, Powering Products, and Powering Good. See website for details and entry guidelines.
Enter by December 31, 2012
Do you have a great idea for an Infusionsoft App, integration or plug-in that will enhance the Infusionsoft user experience? Then you have a shot at being crowned the Kick Apps Champion in the Battle of the Apps 2013. First prize is $10,000. See website for details.
Enter by December 31, 2012
Shopify has teamed up with four world-class entrepreneurs to help you build a million-dollar business in just months. Come up with a product to sell, open your online store and pick a mentor. The Shopify community and your mentor will give you great advice and guidance along the way. At the end of the competition, the four stores that sell the most over a two month period will each win a $50,000 investment from their mentor.
Enter by January 1, 2012
This competition will award one million dollars in grant money to help entrepreneurs with early-stage capital and continue the burgeoning growth of St. Louis as an innovation hub for startups.
At the core of the competition, Arch Grants will award $50,000 to 20 startups. Recipients will demonstrate innovation in product or service, scalability, and a commitment to St. Louis. Arch Grants will take no equity and will provide winning companies with access to business mentoring, free legal and accounting services, pro bono marketing and cloud computing services, collaboration with local universities, access to local investors, and the chance for a $100,000 follow-on grant.
2013 National Small Business Week Awards
Enter by January 3, 2013
The U.S. Small Business Administration is accepting awards for:
- National Small Business Person of the Year (chosen from among state award winners from each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam)
- Phoenix Awards (recognizing outstanding accomplishments during disaster recovery)
- Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year
- Small Business Subcontractor of the Year
- The Dwight D. Eisenhower Award for Excellence (recognizes large prime contractors who have used small businesses as suppliers and contractors)
- SBA 8(a) Graduate of the Year (for recent graduates of the SBA's 8(a) contracting program)
- Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Excellence and Innovation Award (nominations of SBA-funded SBDC Service Centers)
- Women's Business Center (WBCs) of Excellence Award (nominations of SBA-funded WBCs)
- Veterans Business Outreach Center Excellence in Service Award (nominations of SBA-funded Veterans Business Outreach Centers)
Enter online. Â Or send your nomination directly to your local SBA District Office (find an office here).
Enter by January 11, 2012
The Washington Business Journal is seeking your nominations for our sixth annual Minority Business Leader Awards, which will honor 25 of the region's most successful and influential minority executives and business owners.
Learn more about the requirements and submit a nomination at WashingtonBusinessJournal.com/nomination.
To find more small business events, contests and awards, visit our Small Business Events Calendar. If you are putting on a small business contest, award or competition, and want to get the word out to the community, please submit it through our Small Business Event and Contests Form (it's free).
This list of awards and competitions is brought to you by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.
Please note: The descriptions provided here are for convenience only and are NOT the official rules. ALWAYS read official rules carefully at the site holding the competition, contest or award.
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How To Be A Social Media Ninja: Best Dojo Success
But that bias is given freely with true pleasure and respect. Â The trust behind it is beyond worthwhile, because Melinda's valuable insights are so beyond worthwhile. She has helped many small businesses grow, buoyed by her twitter chat mantra:
“To end small business failure by helping you succeed as your own boss.“
That mission has yield tremendous results. While SmallBizChat, her popular small business Twitter chat, has highlighted some very interesting businesses from various industries, Melinda's insights has appeared in national media such as the New York Times as well as marketing partnerships with storied brands such as Pitney Bowes, Federal Express, and American Express.  In addition, Forbes Magazine named Melinda Emerson #1 Woman for Entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter.
Melinda shares her best social media tips in a new brief e-book, How To Be A Social Media Ninja: 101 Ways to Dominate Your Competition in Social Media. While so many professionals state what they think business needs, Melinda states what really works.
Melinda's tactics and suggestions in Ninja share the best quality she applies in all her consultations and presentation â€" a discerning eye for business development. The end result is true grit ideas that are brief enough to apply yet substantial enough to incorporate into a small business plan. She reminds readers that success with social media is reserved for those who have an active strategy:
“Do not be overwhelmed with social media, just make sure that you know where your best target customer hangs out online so you can be part of the conversation.â€
There are 101 ideas, some which are understandably ubiquitous, such as using a blog and “always look to display value.† Yet Melinda's approach produces unique twists through noting the ancillary steps needs to succeed. For example, she notes the usage of an image library:
“…adding pictures adds a huge amount of depth to your blog…try to start out with a library of 50 or so images to give yourself some options.â€
Another tip suggests having a calendar to plan your content:
“It's important to build an editorial calendar to keep track of your content. It will also help you brainstorm topics in advance.â€
A nice touch is a segment on preparing a website for mobile access:
“If you are building a website from scratch, look for a Web developer who understands responsive design (RWD). Responsive Web design is a concept that can expand, contract, rearrange, or remove content based on the user's device and screen….Using RWD can make your website easier and cheaper to manage, while giving mobile users a better experience.â€
I liked the nods to analytics and links. Small businesses usually ignore search engine optimization, but tips such as paying attention to links for a blog can blend social media and SEO maintenance. Facebook Insights is also mentioned, as well as a few tools Melinda uses to keep on track. The tips serve to remind the reader to plan well, and to provide a few starter tips as well.
How to Be A Social Media Ninja is a short guide, 40 pages, with the tips explained in short paragraphs. This book does not elaborate on large processes or organization in a way like the book Empowered  does. But for readers seeking efficient thought starters, imagine the suggestions as a fine collection of reminders of what should happen to execute social media well.
Readers interested in furthering social media can combine the tips with Power Friending. Other social media books that this book compliments include The Strategy Book, The Impact Equation, Social Marketology, and the aforementioned Empowered.
All in all, though, as a standalone guide, How to Be A Social Media Ninja certainly earned its black belt.
WordPress Introduces Unlimited Scalable Business Blogging Platform
Deciding where to host a website or blog can be tricky since there are so many different options available. From professional publishing providers to simple hosted blogging platforms, the range of products available ensure that there's something out there for businesses with all different budgets and needs.
Now there's another new option available for businesses looking for a professional blogging platform without all the added cost of a full online publishing suite. Automatic, the company behind WordPress, recently announced a new version of WordPress that fits somewhere in between the free WordPress.com and WordPress VIP, which starts at $3,750 per month and is used by large clients such as CNN.
WordPress.com Enterprise costs $500 per month and includes a managed hosting service with unlimited traffic, bandwidth, storage, support, and WordPress.com's VideoPress service. The service is made to scale with businesses as they grow, allowing them to customize sites with Javascript and handle a lot of traffic.
Unlike the WordPress.org self-hosting option, Enterprise customers have their sites hosted by WordPress.com, so they don't have to worry about maintaining the sites themselves. Since they're hosted by WordPress itself, Enterprise sites automatically update with the latest software patches and security updates.
Users of WordPress.com Enterprise will also have access to the full selection of approved plugins and customizable design options.
The photo above shows the Enterprise dashboard, which includes a checklist of items that a site administrator should consider prior to site launch, including website customization and adding WordPress plugins. The options along the left side of the page include many of the same ones that are included with other versions of WordPress.
Automattic is hoping that this new version fills a void in the market between professional hosting options and the free ones aimed mainly at individual users. But at $500 a month, this option is still fairly expensive when compared to some other managed hosting options.
And WordPress.com Enterprise has a lot of competition both from products aimed at professional content creators and free or less expensive options like Tumblr, which are being increasingly used by businesses and brands.
However, WordPress is a trusted name that many companies already rely on, so depending on needs and budget, this new Enterprise option could be one that many businesses consider.
Helping Women Business Owners Access Capital
However, women business owners still face several challenges when it comes to growing their businesses and accessing capital.
According to the latest data:
- Only 3 percent of all women-owned firms have revenues of $1 million or more compared with 6% of men-owned firms. (Center for Women's Business Research)
- Women-owned firms with revenues of $1 million or more are more likely to access commercial loans or lines of credit than other women-owned firms (70% vs. 28%). Despite the success of larger women-owned businesses, they continue to lag behind their male counterparts in using commercial credit (56% of women vs. 71% of men). Larger, faster-growing women-owned firms are more likely than other firms owned by women to use credit. (Women Impacting Public Policy â€" WIPP)
- Of the WIPP women business members who sought outside funding in 2011, only 45% of businesses were successful after two attempts.
Access to growth capital is a critical factor in growing a successful business. However, as the statistics show, even when women business owners seek financing, they don't always get it. Critical factors to ensuring that women get the funding they need often comes down to awareness and education:
- What funding sources are available?
- What is the process of securing capital?
- Who can help?
While there aren't any specific loan programs for women business owners, there are a number of government-backed and business loans that women business owners can take advantage of and resources in your community to help you secure them. Here are two worth getting to know:
Women's Business Centers
With a nationwide network of more than 110 offices, Women's Business Centers (WBCs) operate with the mission to “level the playing field†for women entrepreneurs, who still face unique obstacles in the world of business.
Specifically, they can help guide women through the process of finding and applying for loans, guidance on how to bid on government contracts and offer regular training seminars on financing topics. Some also provide access to alternative capital financing programs.
FACT:Â Government data proves that businesses that receive assistance from WBCs have significantly better survival rates than those that don't receive similar support.
Women Accessing Capital Program
Another resource for women business owners is the Women Impacting Public Policy's Women Accessing Capital program. The national program is designed to educate women business owners on all steps of accessing capital, from understanding and evaluating funding sources, creating a strong application for capital, to maintaining and managing growth.
Specifically, program participants get information that can be immediately applied to advancing their businesses. Look out for events, webinars and courses that provide the necessary tools to competitively seek the appropriate type of funding, obtain much needed cash, and then manage a financed firm, to help small business owners take their businesses to the next level.
Check out the events calendar on the main WIPP site for upcoming activities.
Hand and Woman Photo via Shutterstock
A Collaboration Company That Answers Your Support Phone Calls and Is Easy To Use.
Recently I was introduced to Centroy. It's got a lot of built in features â€" file sharing, CRM, collaboration, chat and more.
What really impressed me was that their spokesperson said one of their distinguishing features was that they answer the phone when customers call and they are fanatic about being easy to use.
So many online services hate when customers call and are built by geeks that don't know to make software for non-techies.
There are at least dozens of these online collaboration and communication services on the market â€" Centroy is one of many. When choosing a system that works for you, it's important to think of the FEATURES they offer, which features YOU NEED, what is the USER INTERFACE LIKE, how well does it integrate into your work flow and the cost is negligible for most of these services.
What I like about BatchBook is that you can email the system to add names to the contact database. ASANA has a similar feature to add projects to it's database. Other services let you use an RSS integration to add their calendar to your own calendar.
Here's a more about Centroy from their vice president of business development on what makes them different:
Centroy is easy to use (our competitors alienate users with a complex user-experience). Â
Our belief is that the core features (file share, project management, wiki, etc) widely discussed among the more established player are commoditized. That's not to say the features are not important, but the technology of say ‘file sharing' is very much a checkbox. Sure, we also promote encryption, workflow, time-stamping files, etc. But we think the competition is missing the point. The features mentioned above matter nill if users don't adopt them because they're too confusing to users.
We have a lot of former 37signals customers who fill our ear on this subject. The dirty little secret in the collaboration market is that it suffers from anemic user adoption.
This was a big reason we got into this space a couple years ago. We saw an unmet need.
I don't want to downplay the features side because we have more features packed than most our competition. But it's really secondary to us.
First it has to be rock solid secure.
Then it must be easy, as in Facebook-familiar easy.
If users open the app with a confused look, companies will soon find they're going to spend a whole bunch of time and money on a complicated interface that users won't adopt. Making it easy is where we shine. It's a subtle, but huge differentiator for us.
Centroy lets companies brand as their ownâ€"their logo, their colorsâ€"to make it look like an extension of their website.
Most collaboration tools focus on internal collaboration. Our focus is on business-to-business communication. Small businesses are trying get an edge on competition. They don't need to “collaborate internally†with software (just go walk 10 feet down the hall…).
Bloated corporations need bloated Sharepoint for that. What small businesses DO need  is to “collaborate externally†with customers, clients, partners, suppliers.
It's do or die on cash flow for SMBs. And driving stronger relationships with customers through collaboration tools is a great focus. We allow our customers to nice branding capabilities to make Centroy look like an extension of their website. Our support team does this for customers within 10mins of sign-up. Their logo, colors, even their favicon.
We don't promote ourselves in our software. We want our SMB customers to feel empowered and look good with their clients. They really like that!
Centroy actually picks up the phone when a customer calls. Service is an absolute standout
We believe a problem among many of our competitors and other B2B web app vendors is a reluctance to speak with customers. They'll give out their chat tool and email address, but usually not a phone number. even if they do, you're likely to go to voice mail.
But again, sometimes it's the obvious things are most important to customers. People like calling up their vendor when they have questions. It's amazing how surprised our customers are to reach someone on the phone. They're thankful for it. Sure it's a measurable cost investment, but we believe it's more than justified through a better customer experience, higher retention rates, and overall faster user adoption and roll-out of customers. Customers give us great feedback. Most of our internal meetings are centered around what customer have told us. Real customer service is a lost art in the cloud space. We're exploiting that.
Centroy focuses greatly on security and compliance.
One of the biggest inhibitors of signing on with any web app company is the obscurred security of what's behind the curtain. While we target mostly SMBs, we're proud our of our enterprise-class security requirements. Highest-grade 256-bit SSL encryption, Password protection (of course..), Super-granular user permission roles, automated browser time-based logout, workflow history, change-based revisions roll-backs. SAS70 TypeII operations, synchronous replication across 2 geographic datacenters.
Telecommuting Is An Art & Science: Get It Right A Boost Remote Worker Productivity
In growing Smallbiztechnology.com I also hire and manage remote workers, mainly through Elance.
The more responsibilities you assign a remote worker the more important it is to ensure that you have systems and policies in place to ensure their work is as optimal as possible. It's not just about the technology, but also about how you communicate, the metrics for their work, how often you communicate and more.
Cisco's a leader in this space and one of their partners, Burwood Group, offers some tips on telecommuting below:
- Provide remote workers with a good camera or Telepresence unit. The better the equipment, the more real the experience can be for both the end user and the customer.
- Help remote workers setup as good of a connection as you can without taking the internet provider into account. Even if you have awesome equipment, if the connection is poor, the experience will be as well.
- Make sure the connection is secure. Home offices are not as secure as the company office. Take precautions to make sure the exchange between the user and customer is just as secure from the workers' home environment as the workers' office environment
- Ensure the equipment is simple to use. The easier the equipment is to use, the better experience for the user.
- Â Train users on teleconferencing etiquette. Users need to be aware of their environment when teleconferencing from home. To make the most of the experience, the environment should be quiet, well-lit and visually appealing (no clutter, other people, neutral colors). The user also needs to make sure they are presentable on camera. They should dress in the company dress code and behave appropriately. Remember, people can see you.
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