Vine App Now Available for Android Devices

Prepare for an invasion of six-second video clips. The Vine app is now available for Android.

Vine is the very popular app launched by Twitter at the beginning of the year. It allows users to record short videos and post them to Twitter. And until Monday, only iPhone and iPad users could get Vine.

A post on the Twitter blog announced Monday that the app will now be available for Android devices. If iOS users are any indication, it will Read More

The post Vine App Now Available for Android Devices appeared first on Small Business Trends.

How to Transition Into the Big Business of B2B

For a fledgling entrepreneur, there’s no greater feeling than building a strong customer base. But after collecting repeat business and expanding to new demographics, what’s the next client frontier?

Almost any customer product or service can be repositioned to tap into the business of business-to-business, and the big risk can reap exponential rewards.

We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs, the following question about the cubicle clientele:

“What’s your best sales tip for B2B companies?”

Here’s what YEC community members had to say:

1. Focus on Existing Clients and Relationships

“In a B2B business, your best clients and relationships will come from networking and referrals from existing clients. Maintaining your visibility at industry events, get-togethers, parties and trade shows is key. The highest-quality and most loyal clients will most often come from personal relationships, rather than traditional advertising.” ~ Richard Lorenzen, Fifth Avenue Brands

2. Realize Buyers Are Not Always Users

“B2B sales are exciting because of the scale â€" one order could be worth 1,000 B2C sales. However, there is one major difference: Often, the buyer is not the end user! While the benefits of your product to an employee are critical, an equally important part of your story must be explaining to the buyer how your product is going to make his or her life easier.” ~ Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches

3. Leave the Building

“Y Scouts, an executive search firm, was recently written up in Social Media Examiner as a B2B sales and marketing case study. The premise of their approach was to get out of the building to develop long-term relationships with their target audience. They did this through a photo tour around their value proposition.” ~ Brett Farmiloe, Markitors

4. Add Value Outside Your Product or Service

“Help build continual value by asking questions, listening and making valued recommendations for other vendor partners that can help your prospects and clients. Even consider making a sheet with your logo that lists other vendors, as these businesses might need a trusted introduction to them (bankers, IT consultants, accountants, health benefit brokers and commercial insurance). “ ~ Darrah Brustein, Finance Whiz Kids | Equitable Payments

5. Stress the Value in Your Product/Service

“Businesses place an extreme importance on value over anything else. If your product or service can make their lives easier or improve their business, then they’ll see the value in it. During your sales meeting, don’t worry so much about “wowing” them; instead, present a simple and straightforward value proposition that makes their decision easy.” ~ Charles Bogoian, Kenai Sports, LLC

6. Stop Thinking Like a Marketer

“When I first launched my B2B software startup, all of my financial modeling included marketing activities that would generate amazing results. As it turns out, it is much harder to market to businesses than consumers. The best tip I can share based on experience: Invest in outbound sales prospecting. I built a call center that makes hundreds of calls a day and have achieved incredible results. “ ~ Justin Spring, BringShare, Inc.

7. Have Numbers on Hand

“Any B2B sale is based on your client wanting to improve his own company. If you can show numbers, particularly numbers reflecting the bottom line, you’re going to make it clear why a new client should work with you. Numbers won’t be everything in the sale, but they’ll provide an easy way to clear out the more common objections.” ~ Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting

8. Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

“If you want the universe to work in your favor, you’ve got to do something different than what you’re already doing. Meet people, talk to them, share ideas, write, blog, exchange ideas and speak at conferences. Create conversations and let them foster. Most of business life is routine, and that is what you need to break from for serendipity to embrace you.” ~ Rahul Varshneya, Arkenea

9. Don’t Sell; Instead, Educate Your Buyer

“So you’ve got an amazing product and would be doing the world a disservice if you didn’t do everything in your power to get it out there, right? But here’s the thing: No one likes the “hard sell.” Instead, find people for whom the product is a fit by asking key qualifying questions. After that, offer them something free (e.g., an eBook) that gives value but also shows your product’s benefits.” ~ Matthew Ackerson, Saber Blast

10. Hook More Prospects With Bait

“Copywriting legend Bob Bly says simply adding a free bait piece to your offer (e.g., a free white paper, free special report, free software, etc.) can double your response rates to ads and mailings versus using the same copy without the free information offer. Our experience confirms Bly’s statement: The more you emphasize the offer, the greater the response.” ~ Charles Gaudet, Predictable Profits

Businesss to Business Photo via Shutterstock

New Asus Android Tablet Will Retail for Under $150

Asus is planning to introduce an economical Android tablet that could rival the Google Nexus 7 tablet, and keep the company trending upward in the tablet market. The new Asus Android tablet â€" the Memo Pad HD7 â€" was announced at an event in Taiwan earlier this week.

Probably the most attention-grabbing feature of the Memo Pad HD7 is its price tag. An 8GB model will be sold for $129. A 16GB version will sell for $149.

In keeping with newer tablets, it will have two cameras.  InformationWeek reports the Memo Pad HD7 will have a 5 megapixel rear camera in addition to a 1.2 megapixel front-facing lens to complement its 1280 x 800 screen.

DigitalTrends reports the 8GB model will likely only be available in “emerging markets.”  But the more stocked model is still a bargain at its price. The Nexus 7 with 16GB sells for $50 higher than the expected price for the comparable-stocked Memo Pad HD7.

The Memo Pad HD7 comes in four body colors:  black, white, shocking pink, and lime green.

Tablet makers have been focusing on camera technology and early reviews tend to agree that the 5 MP add-on from Asus is better than the camera situation of the Nexus 7, one the best Android tablet deals last year. In addition to the other products Asus expects to launch in July with the Memo Pad HD7, the company is likely pitching for a bigger share of the tablet and other device markets, and doing so by keeping its prices competitive.

Asus made a big splash in the tablet market in 2012, and while it did not have the top-selling device like Google, its sales of these devices jumped more than 400 percent, according to AndroidCommunity.  Asus was the fourth-leading seller of tablets in 2012.

The 7-inch tablet size has proved popular for its obvious advantages.  It’s very mobile â€" light weight and small enough to slip into a coat pocket or ladies’ purse.  The price is nice, too, with some available under $200. Yet, the screen is easier to read and use as a touchpad keyboard, than a typical 4-inch smartphone.

Small tablets are not the best choices for doing heavy-duty work such as creating documents and manipulating spreadsheets.  But they are handy devices if your tablet budget is low and you just need something to keep your business flowing (i.e., deal with email, messaging and use some apps) while out of the office for a few hours or even a couple of days on a short business trip.

This video of the Memo HD7 shows how compact and portable it is:

Image: Asus

Tech Thursday (6/6): News From Nuance, harmon.ei, and GoDaddy

It’s Tech Thursday from Smallbiztechnology.com. Each week we take a quick look at business and technology news and updates for the small business community and share them with you in a quick and simple round-up.

Nuance Introduces Dragon Notes for Windows 8 Devices

New Dragon Notes App Lets People Quickly Capture, Organize and Share Notes, Lists and Ideas, Just by Speaking

Nuance Communications, Inc. announced Dragon Notes, a new app for Windows 8 that lets people quickly speak notes, to-do lists, reminders, status updates, web searches and emails - or anything that comes to mind. Dragon Notes is optimized for Microsoft Windows 8 touchscreen tablets, including the Microsoft Surface Pro. Dragon Notes is also great for quickly capturing and organizing notes and ideas on Microsoft Windows 8 touchscreen PCs and Windows 7 PCs.

Dragon Notes is a quick and fun app that gives people a simple way to capture notes and ideas in the office, at home or on the go - keeping all those sticky notes and paper lists at bay for a more organized digital lifestyle. Dragon Notes takes full advantage of the Windows 8 touchscreen and tile interface - just tap the app and speak to save a note, share a post, send an email or search the web. Whip up a shopping list, share that great recipe via Facebook, or send an email of the action items coming out of a meeting - Dragon Notes even lets you search the Web.

For all of the press release, click here.

harmon.ie Brings Microsoft Office to BlackBerry, Google, and Apple Mobile Devices

harmon.ie 4.0 Native App Brings Secure Office 365 Experience to iOS, BlackBerry and Android Devices

harmon.ie, the user experience company for the mobile enterprise, forever changes the way people use their mobile devices to do work.  That’s because the hundreds of millions of iOS, Android and BlackBerry mobile device users have no way to effectively use Office 365 and SharePoint. This was corroborated by none other than former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates in a recent interview on CNBC.

While Microsoft hopes that iPad enthusiasts will move to Windows tablets and smartphones, industry analysts say otherwise. Analysts at the recent Gartner Portals, Content & Collaboration Summit stated that “by 2015, over 80% of the handsets sold in mature markets will be smartphones, and only 20% of those handsets are likely to be Windows phones.”

harmon.ie 4.0 offers workers, for the first time, a native app which bundles Office Web Apps to edit, collaborate and share documents with colleagues on iPads and other mobile devices. With the advent of harmon.ie 4.0, workers now have a consistent, unified user experience of Office Web Apps, SharePoint, Yammer and SkyDrive Pro, in all the places people want to work - mobile devices, the desktop and the cloud.

For more information, click here.

GoDaddy Launches Specialized Restaurant Websites

Complete Mobile-friendly Online Presence with Menus Using Website Builder & Locu

Recent surveys reveal 80 percent of individuals say it’s important to have a menu online. In stark contrast, of the nearly 340 thousand independent restaurants, only 4 in 10 have their menu posted on their website. GoDaddy and Locu are giving independent restaurants the tools they need to leverage the power of the Internet. Website Builder provides hundreds of customizable designs and many ways to change the appearance - making their digital identity exactly like their restaurant. Seamless integration with Locu provides a menu manager, letting restaurateurs quickly and easily update their menu.

“Restaurants have an ever-changing menu and they need a website that can easily keep up,” said GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving. “Website Builder with Locu was specifically designed for ease-of-use and versatility - giving restaurants complete control of their identity and menu without wasting time. GoDaddy is doing whatever it takes to help our customers cross the digital divide to take advantage of technology previously only available to the big guys.”

For all the details, click here.

Tech Thursday (6/6): News From Nuance, harmon.ei, and GoDaddy

It’s Tech Thursday from Smallbiztechnology.com. Each week we take a quick look at business and technology news and updates for the small business community and share them with you in a quick and simple round-up.

Nuance Introduces Dragon Notes for Windows 8 Devices

New Dragon Notes App Lets People Quickly Capture, Organize and Share Notes, Lists and Ideas, Just by Speaking

Nuance Communications, Inc. announced Dragon Notes, a new app for Windows 8 that lets people quickly speak notes, to-do lists, reminders, status updates, web searches and emails - or anything that comes to mind. Dragon Notes is optimized for Microsoft Windows 8 touchscreen tablets, including the Microsoft Surface Pro. Dragon Notes is also great for quickly capturing and organizing notes and ideas on Microsoft Windows 8 touchscreen PCs and Windows 7 PCs.

Dragon Notes is a quick and fun app that gives people a simple way to capture notes and ideas in the office, at home or on the go - keeping all those sticky notes and paper lists at bay for a more organized digital lifestyle. Dragon Notes takes full advantage of the Windows 8 touchscreen and tile interface - just tap the app and speak to save a note, share a post, send an email or search the web. Whip up a shopping list, share that great recipe via Facebook, or send an email of the action items coming out of a meeting - Dragon Notes even lets you search the Web.

For all of the press release, click here.

harmon.ie Brings Microsoft Office to BlackBerry, Google, and Apple Mobile Devices

harmon.ie 4.0 Native App Brings Secure Office 365 Experience to iOS, BlackBerry and Android Devices

harmon.ie, the user experience company for the mobile enterprise, forever changes the way people use their mobile devices to do work.  That’s because the hundreds of millions of iOS, Android and BlackBerry mobile device users have no way to effectively use Office 365 and SharePoint. This was corroborated by none other than former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates in a recent interview on CNBC.

While Microsoft hopes that iPad enthusiasts will move to Windows tablets and smartphones, industry analysts say otherwise. Analysts at the recent Gartner Portals, Content & Collaboration Summit stated that “by 2015, over 80% of the handsets sold in mature markets will be smartphones, and only 20% of those handsets are likely to be Windows phones.”

harmon.ie 4.0 offers workers, for the first time, a native app which bundles Office Web Apps to edit, collaborate and share documents with colleagues on iPads and other mobile devices. With the advent of harmon.ie 4.0, workers now have a consistent, unified user experience of Office Web Apps, SharePoint, Yammer and SkyDrive Pro, in all the places people want to work - mobile devices, the desktop and the cloud.

For more information, click here.

GoDaddy Launches Specialized Restaurant Websites

Complete Mobile-friendly Online Presence with Menus Using Website Builder & Locu

Recent surveys reveal 80 percent of individuals say it’s important to have a menu online. In stark contrast, of the nearly 340 thousand independent restaurants, only 4 in 10 have their menu posted on their website. GoDaddy and Locu are giving independent restaurants the tools they need to leverage the power of the Internet. Website Builder provides hundreds of customizable designs and many ways to change the appearance - making their digital identity exactly like their restaurant. Seamless integration with Locu provides a menu manager, letting restaurateurs quickly and easily update their menu.

“Restaurants have an ever-changing menu and they need a website that can easily keep up,” said GoDaddy CEO Blake Irving. “Website Builder with Locu was specifically designed for ease-of-use and versatility - giving restaurants complete control of their identity and menu without wasting time. GoDaddy is doing whatever it takes to help our customers cross the digital divide to take advantage of technology previously only available to the big guys.”

For all the details, click here.

Monitoring Your Social Media Channels From One Place is a Good Idea

Social Media Photo via Shutterstock

The social media landscape and its importance in the larger marketing strategy of business are growing all the time. It’s not just the Big 4, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+, that are acting as branding mouthpieces of B2B and B2C brands. Other social media channels are also making their presence count. Case in point being Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram.

The number of active users across different social media channels boggles the mind. As of September 2012, Facebook had 1 Billion active users and a relatively new social media phenomenon like Pinterest has over 20 million active users and counting. You know where I am heading. Businesses can no longer afford to pick and choose from the various social networks available. Each one of them has its own unique selling proposition.

While Twitter is a great platform for professional branding using personal communication, Facebook helps businesses provide a comprehensive social media message replete with pictures, videos and all kinds of textual content.  If you want to directly take your brand to industry professionals, a presence on LinkedIn is a must and Google+ is a coming together of tremendous benefits that Google brings to the table. If you are looking for sales ready users, Pinterest is the platform to beat.

Use Multiple Social Media Channels

Today you can’t do without well-rounded social media presence. All channels are interrelated and each of these channels is a touch point in your customer conversion funnel. There are social media channels that support traffic generation, while there are others that manage your business’s reputation, and there are still others that help you identify potential leads.

You can’t afford to ignore any one of them. The mix of social media channels that you prefer to work with can differ depending on your business’s niche but there is no doubt that you can’t ignore the use of multiple social media channels to drive business profitability.

Social Media Overload Photo via Shutterstock

Problem of Plenty

If you want your social media presence to deliver value, you need to be able to make sense of all the turbulence and frothiness associated with social media. Social media can offer incisive customer insights, identify critical buying behavior patterns, improve customer services and increase customer retention. But only if you are able to monitor social media and track all your social media channels and analyze and evaluate their results. You must be able to organize and manage your social accounts seamlessly to ensure the continued success of your social media presence.

The idea is to control your social work flow, identify the actionable intelligence from the word clouds and automated reports that are more of distraction than anything else. This is a huge challenge.

It’s a challenge because your business’s presence is spread across diverse social media channels. Your presence on different social networks like Facebook, Twitter etc. will be tracked using diverse metrics and will yield different results.

For example, if you are evaluating your YouTube presence, performance metrics like video views, audience retention (amount of video watched by target audience), number of subscribers, ratio of views to number of user interactions come into play. On the other hand, the performance of your Twitter presence is dependent on metrics like follower count, number or retweets, comparison with peers and others.

The sheer diversity of metrics makes monitoring a real challenge.

Does the Answer Lie in Social Media Monitoring Tools?

The simple answer is that it does.

But, there is a problem here. No, the problem isn’t the quality of the available tools but the sheer number of different social media monitoring tools available in the market. Most of us end up using different tools for different social media channels. In such cases, what we are essentially doing is using different dashboards to track different results, a recipe for disaster, if there was one.

To keep track of all the results and social data pouring in from different dashboards is a situation made in hell and something that cannot be kept up with for any amount of time. So should we use them or shouldn’t we?

Of course, we should and this isn’t a debatable point but the focus must be on using a single dashboard for keeping track of all your social media channels and monitor social media from one place.

Social Media Hub Photo via Shutterstock

Benefits of Following the Single Dashboard Strategy

Monitoring social media business metrics from a single command center allows you to take control of all your business data from one place. You don’t have to access different tools every morning to see how your business is doing. You can simply create a customized dashboard to track all the information you want.

A business analytics tool like Cyfe is a good example of a one-stop dashboard that helps you track business performance form a single place. Apart from getting brand-specific Facebook Insights data you also get access to YouTube Analytics, Twitter Analytics, Google Trends information and a range of other social and search data and all this from a single location.

As the assimilation, evaluation, and analysis of all information about your brand performance on different social channels takes from one place, you get a clearer picture of your brand presence and its engagement with its target customers at various levels. You can make better sense of all the actionable intelligence at your disposal. You spend less time monitoring social media results scattered all across the Web, and more time using this data to improve your social media presence.

It Just Makes Good Sense

You don’t have to be a genius to realize monitoring social media data using a single dashboard is way better than using different social media monitoring tools to track your social media presence. It just makes better sense.

NYC Events: Upcoming NYC Business and Technology Events (6/7 - 6/13)

Here is a listing of NYC Business and Technology Events for the upcoming week (6/7 - 6/13) that we thought would be beneficial to our small business community in the Greater NYC area. Have a business and/or technology event coming up in the New York City area that you’d like us to add to our weekly post? If so, email us at eve...@smallbiztechnology.com.

 

 

11th Annual Queens Small Business & Procurement Expo

June 7, 2013, - 8:00 AM: Con Edison Learning Center, 43-82 Vernon Blvd, New York, NY 11101

Come join us as our PTAC will once again host the 11th Annual Queens Small Business & Procurement Expo. This event has proven to be one of the most successful and highly anticipated events in the region. It will provide ample opportunities to network with a wide array of business professionals, agency representatives and prime contractors. This year, due to his consistent commitment to the growth and development of small businesses throughout the Queens and Long Island communities, Mr. Edgard Hernandez, Director PTAC, will be honored by City Council Member and Chair of NYC Council’s Committee on Small Business, Ms. Diana Reyna. A special recognition will also be provided to the President of LaGuardia Community College, Dr. Gail O’Connor Mellow, as well as three PTAC businesses who will be receiving a citation from Council Member Reyna’s office for their recent achievements.

 

The Growth Toolkit: Budgets, Cash Flow, and Forecasts

June 8th, 2013, - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM: The Bookkeeping Company of NYC, 27 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011

Are you ready for growth, but fearful of the finances? This workshop will empower you with the tools necessary to face growth head on. We will focus on creating budgets, implementing efficient cash flow management systems, and planning for the future through forecasting. Additionally, we will help you to find and evaluate the ‘right-fit’ business consultant and direct you to resources in your path towards understanding finances and growing your business. Participants will be equipped to create budgets, monitor cash flow, generate a basic forecast and determine their next best step in their business’ expansion.

 

LTB Summit 2013: The Nation’s Premier Jewish Business Summit

June 11, 2013 - 8:30 AM to 7 PM: Dyker Beach Golf Course, 1020 86th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Geared toward entrepreneurs, business owners and employees of thriving companies, LTB 2013 fills a gaping void found in our community - the lack of educational resources to help people navigate the complexities of everyday commerce. LTB 2013 will be providing you with an exclusive platform for growth; one that you never had access to previously.

Seducing the Alpha Consumer: How Brands Should Woo and Win Women.

June 11,2013 - 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM: In Good Compnay, 16 W. 23rd Street, 4th fl., New York, NY

The 2010 Census and many recent studies reveal that women control $1 trillion, or 60% of US wealth. Women in fact are the Chief Procurement Officers for the entire household including big ticket items like cars, electronics and houses. Yet marketers still speak to women like they’re 1950s stereotypes, buying cake mix and cleaning products. We at Influence Bureau are on a mission to change the game. We’ll offer insights into this dynamic and multidimensional target audience as well as share the principles of how to court her. We call it Speaking Venutian. Come if your expertise involves women, marketing or a curiosity about the forces shaping our new economic reality. Influence Bureau Co-Founders Lalita Khosla and Lubna Abu-Osba deploy 20 years experience in advertising, entertainment and marketing to shift the paradigm in how marketers speak to women. We build new brands and reinvent existing ones. Our work ranges from last year’s rebrand of Style network, to the 360° overhaul of venerable hoiery brand No nonsens

 

SCORE NYC: Starting Your Own Business: What You Need To Know

June 11, 2013, - 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM: Science Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016

This valuable seminar will give you the critical tools that you can use to address these and other important questions. From dispelling some of the “myths” about running your own business, to evaluating your readiness to launch your own company, this workshop will help you to understand what it takes to start a business, and key steps to getting started. This seminar, taught by an experienced small business executive, reviews the critical elements for successfully launching and running your business. A MUST FOR NEW ENTREPRENEURS

 

 F.A.T. Session 2: Sales/Use Taxation for 21st Century Commerce

June 11, 2013, - 05:30 PM to 7:00 PM: Marks Paneth & Shron, 685 Third Ave, Entrance on 44th, New York

Entrepreneurs will learn about the basics of sales tax nexus (i.e., taxable presence), taxability of commonly sold property and certain services rendered and “traps for the unwary” seller and buyer. Topics covered include sales tax on the “modern day” sale of computer software, cloud computing, information services; who must register as a vendor; adequate record retention; responsible persons’ liability for sales tax and ways to minimize any sales/use tax problems.

From Invisible to in Demand: Learn to Market Your Business Without Going Broke

June 13, 2013, - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM: Select Office Suite, 116 West 23rd Street, Fifth Floor, New York, NY 10011

You’ve invested a lot of time and energy building your brand. It may be great but people won’t be able to invest in you until they know about you! In this workshop we’ll outline the steps you need to take to get the word out and gather an explosive client base! In this workshop you’ll learn:

• How to boost quality brand exposure with any budget (even for free).
• Ways to build a strong brand following online with clients ready to invest with you
• Secrets to using social media to build anticipation and attract new clients.
• How to get listed in the top city directories and build local recognition.
• How to get noticed by the media and have them endorse your business

Domain Dissatisfaction: What to Do When the Good .Coms Are Gone

Whether your small business has a physical location or is online only, you know the importance of having a great website. But how much thought have you put into your website URL - more technically referred to as your domain name? A recent study conducted by Wakefield Research and funded by the .CO domain shows that many small business owners are dissatisfied with their domain and confused aout the elements within the domain name. A little extra knowledge should clear up the problem, and that’s what we intend to do in this article.

THE PROBLEM

When businesses want to create a website, they tend to look for a .com address, for example - yourbusiness.com. However, there are over 103 million .com websites, so when you search for the perfect domain name, many of your best ideas are already taken. The Wakefield Research study surveyed 500 small businesses and found that many did not get their first choice for a domain name. Almost half (49%) have tried multiple domains before settling on their current one. “Settling” is the perfect word in this case, because half (49%) are not completely satisfied with their choice, and over half (55%) believe they’ve lost business because they did not get their perfect, first choice domain name.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Your domain name is actually more customizable than you thought. Consider “yourbusiness.com” for example. When business owners think about creating their website, they focus on getting the first part perfect. But did you know that the second part - what appears right of the dot - can also be customized?

You see, what is right of the dot is called the domain extension, and .com is one of over 200 possible domain extensions. If you didn’t know what a domain extension was until now, you are not alone. According to the survey, 39% of small business owners who thought they knew what a domain extension is actually got it wrong when asked!

THE SOLUTION

Consider checking out an alternative domain extension to get your perfect domain name. Small business owners know that their web address should be easy to remember and appropriate for the industry, but there are other things to consider as well. Make sure your name is suitable for social media, accessible to mobile devices and short in length. Then do a little research on domain extensions to find the perfect option for your business. For example, the search feature on Go Daddy has over 50 domain extensions you can choose from when searching for the perfect domain name for your business.

Yes, it’s true that .com addresses are the most popular among businesses and consumers. Part of this is because it has been registered since 1985, long before many other domain extensions. But as .com addresses are running thin, other extensions are gaining steam. For example, .CO was launched as a global domain in 2010 and already has over 1.3 million domains registered, including one letter domains registered by popular businesses such as Google (g.CO), Twitter (t.CO), Overstock (O.CO) and Amazon (a.CO). If you’ve  struggled finding a good .com, it’s time you look into alternative domain extensions and find the perfect domain name for your small business.

Domain Dissatisfaction: What to Do When the Good .Coms Are Gone

Whether your small business has a physical location or is online only, you know the importance of having a great website. But how much thought have you put into your website URL - more technically referred to as your domain name? A recent study conducted by Wakefield Research and funded by the .CO domain shows that many small business owners are dissatisfied with their domain and confused aout the elements within the domain name. A little extra knowledge should clear up the problem, and that’s what we intend to do in this article.

THE PROBLEM

When businesses want to create a website, they tend to look for a .com address, for example - yourbusiness.com. However, there are over 103 million .com websites, so when you search for the perfect domain name, many of your best ideas are already taken. The Wakefield Research study surveyed 500 small businesses and found that many did not get their first choice for a domain name. Almost half (49%) have tried multiple domains before settling on their current one. “Settling” is the perfect word in this case, because half (49%) are not completely satisfied with their choice, and over half (55%) believe they’ve lost business because they did not get their perfect, first choice domain name.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Your domain name is actually more customizable than you thought. Consider “yourbusiness.com” for example. When business owners think about creating their website, they focus on getting the first part perfect. But did you know that the second part - what appears right of the dot - can also be customized?

You see, what is right of the dot is called the domain extension, and .com is one of over 200 possible domain extensions. If you didn’t know what a domain extension was until now, you are not alone. According to the survey, 39% of small business owners who thought they knew what a domain extension is actually got it wrong when asked!

THE SOLUTION

Consider checking out an alternative domain extension to get your perfect domain name. Small business owners know that their web address should be easy to remember and appropriate for the industry, but there are other things to consider as well. Make sure your name is suitable for social media, accessible to mobile devices and short in length. Then do a little research on domain extensions to find the perfect option for your business. For example, the search feature on Go Daddy has over 50 domain extensions you can choose from when searching for the perfect domain name for your business.

Yes, it’s true that .com addresses are the most popular among businesses and consumers. Part of this is because it has been registered since 1985, long before many other domain extensions. But as .com addresses are running thin, other extensions are gaining steam. For example, .CO was launched as a global domain in 2010 and already has over 1.3 million domains registered, including one letter domains registered by popular businesses such as Google (g.CO), Twitter (t.CO), Overstock (O.CO) and Amazon (a.CO). If you’ve  struggled finding a good .com, it’s time you look into alternative domain extensions and find the perfect domain name for your small business.

NYC Events: Upcoming NYC Business and Technology Events (6/7 - 6/13)

Here is a listing of NYC Business and Technology Events for the upcoming week (6/7 - 6/13) that we thought would be beneficial to our small business community in the Greater NYC area. Have a business and/or technology event coming up in the New York City area that you’d like us to add to our weekly post? If so, email us at eve...@smallbiztechnology.com.

 

 

11th Annual Queens Small Business & Procurement Expo

June 7, 2013, - 8:00 AM: Con Edison Learning Center, 43-82 Vernon Blvd, New York, NY 11101

Come join us as our PTAC will once again host the 11th Annual Queens Small Business & Procurement Expo. This event has proven to be one of the most successful and highly anticipated events in the region. It will provide ample opportunities to network with a wide array of business professionals, agency representatives and prime contractors. This year, due to his consistent commitment to the growth and development of small businesses throughout the Queens and Long Island communities, Mr. Edgard Hernandez, Director PTAC, will be honored by City Council Member and Chair of NYC Council’s Committee on Small Business, Ms. Diana Reyna. A special recognition will also be provided to the President of LaGuardia Community College, Dr. Gail O’Connor Mellow, as well as three PTAC businesses who will be receiving a citation from Council Member Reyna’s office for their recent achievements.

 

The Growth Toolkit: Budgets, Cash Flow, and Forecasts

June 8th, 2013, - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM: The Bookkeeping Company of NYC, 27 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011

Are you ready for growth, but fearful of the finances? This workshop will empower you with the tools necessary to face growth head on. We will focus on creating budgets, implementing efficient cash flow management systems, and planning for the future through forecasting. Additionally, we will help you to find and evaluate the ‘right-fit’ business consultant and direct you to resources in your path towards understanding finances and growing your business. Participants will be equipped to create budgets, monitor cash flow, generate a basic forecast and determine their next best step in their business’ expansion.

 

LTB Summit 2013: The Nation’s Premier Jewish Business Summit

June 11, 2013 - 8:30 AM to 7 PM: Dyker Beach Golf Course, 1020 86th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217

Geared toward entrepreneurs, business owners and employees of thriving companies, LTB 2013 fills a gaping void found in our community - the lack of educational resources to help people navigate the complexities of everyday commerce. LTB 2013 will be providing you with an exclusive platform for growth; one that you never had access to previously.

Seducing the Alpha Consumer: How Brands Should Woo and Win Women.

June 11,2013 - 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM: In Good Compnay, 16 W. 23rd Street, 4th fl., New York, NY

The 2010 Census and many recent studies reveal that women control $1 trillion, or 60% of US wealth. Women in fact are the Chief Procurement Officers for the entire household including big ticket items like cars, electronics and houses. Yet marketers still speak to women like they’re 1950s stereotypes, buying cake mix and cleaning products. We at Influence Bureau are on a mission to change the game. We’ll offer insights into this dynamic and multidimensional target audience as well as share the principles of how to court her. We call it Speaking Venutian. Come if your expertise involves women, marketing or a curiosity about the forces shaping our new economic reality. Influence Bureau Co-Founders Lalita Khosla and Lubna Abu-Osba deploy 20 years experience in advertising, entertainment and marketing to shift the paradigm in how marketers speak to women. We build new brands and reinvent existing ones. Our work ranges from last year’s rebrand of Style network, to the 360° overhaul of venerable hoiery brand No nonsens

 

SCORE NYC: Starting Your Own Business: What You Need To Know

June 11, 2013, - 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM: Science Industry and Business Library, 188 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016

This valuable seminar will give you the critical tools that you can use to address these and other important questions. From dispelling some of the “myths” about running your own business, to evaluating your readiness to launch your own company, this workshop will help you to understand what it takes to start a business, and key steps to getting started. This seminar, taught by an experienced small business executive, reviews the critical elements for successfully launching and running your business. A MUST FOR NEW ENTREPRENEURS

 

 F.A.T. Session 2: Sales/Use Taxation for 21st Century Commerce

June 11, 2013, - 05:30 PM to 7:00 PM: Marks Paneth & Shron, 685 Third Ave, Entrance on 44th, New York

Entrepreneurs will learn about the basics of sales tax nexus (i.e., taxable presence), taxability of commonly sold property and certain services rendered and “traps for the unwary” seller and buyer. Topics covered include sales tax on the “modern day” sale of computer software, cloud computing, information services; who must register as a vendor; adequate record retention; responsible persons’ liability for sales tax and ways to minimize any sales/use tax problems.

From Invisible to in Demand: Learn to Market Your Business Without Going Broke

June 13, 2013, - 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM: Select Office Suite, 116 West 23rd Street, Fifth Floor, New York, NY 10011

You’ve invested a lot of time and energy building your brand. It may be great but people won’t be able to invest in you until they know about you! In this workshop we’ll outline the steps you need to take to get the word out and gather an explosive client base! In this workshop you’ll learn:

• How to boost quality brand exposure with any budget (even for free).
• Ways to build a strong brand following online with clients ready to invest with you
• Secrets to using social media to build anticipation and attract new clients.
• How to get listed in the top city directories and build local recognition.
• How to get noticed by the media and have them endorse your business

Mobile incidents increase, as UK sees adware as main threat

More than three-quarters of businesses experienced a mobile security incident in the past year.

According to a survey of 790 IT professionals by Check Point, 79 per cent of respondents (72 per cent in the UK) said they had had mobile security incidents in the past year.

The report found that mobile security incidents cost over £65,000 for 42 per cent of respondents, including 16 per cent who put the cost at more than £323,000.

Despite this, 63 per cent said they do not attempt to manage corporate information on employee-owned devices, and just 23 per cent use mobile management tools or a secure container on the device.

Tomer Teller, security evangelist and researcher at Check Point, said: “Without question, the explosion of bring your own device, mobile applications and cloud services, has created a herculean task to protect corporate information for businesses both large and small.

“An effective mobile security strategy will focus on protecting corporate information on the multitude of devices and implementing proper secure access controls to information and applications on the go. Equally important is educating employees about best practices as the majority of businesses are more concerned with careless employees than cyber criminals.”

Research on mobile threats released this week by Lookout found that adware was responsible for one per cent of threats. Adware is deemed to be software that collects sensitive information about a person or device through a platform. Lesser threats were charge ware (that sends premium rate SMS messages from the phone), spyware, Trojans and mobile surveillance tools.

The findings were based on mobile threats that Lookout has catalogued from the 1st January 2013 to 16th May 2013.

Google engineer posts exploit for Windows kernel bug

A Google security engineer posted a working exploit for a Windows kernel privilege escalation vulnerability on Sunday that he publicly disclosed last month.

Tavis Ormandy, who crossed paths with Microsoft three years ago after he published details about a Windows Help and Support Center flaw before the software giant had a fix in place, initially posted the latest bug to the Full Disclosure mailing list back in mid-May.

According to vulnerability management firm Secunia, the weakness could be exploited to escalate privileges or cause a denial-of-service. “The vulnerability is caused due to an error within 'win32k.sys' when processing certain objects and can be exploited to cause a crash or execute arbitrary code with the kernel privilege," according to a Secunia advisory.

"The vulnerability is confirmed on a fully patched Windows 7 x86 Professional and reported on Windows 8. Other versions may also be affected.”

In the case three years ago, Ormandy said he publicly disclosed the vulnerability after he and Microsoft failed to negotiate a timeline for a fix. With the current vulnerability, he appears to never have contacted Microsoft.

"Note that Microsoft [treats] vulnerability researchers with great hostility, and are often very difficult to work with," Ormandy wrote on his personal blog. "I would advise only speaking to them under a pseudonym, using Tor and anonymous email to protect yourself."

Dustin Childs, group manager of Microsoft Trustworthy Computing, told SC Magazine US that the firm is investigating the issue and is not aware of any active attacks.

Ormandy is a Swiss-based researcher at Google, which last week unveiled a strict new policy that asks software vendors to respond within seven days to vulnerabilities being exploited in the wild. In 2010, after its dispute with Ormandy, Microsoft launched a new initiative that attempted to reframe the debate around vulnerability disclosure.

3 Tips for Viral Business Videos: Legitimate, Concise and Original

The Viral Video Manifesto

“The Viral Video Manifesto”, by Stephen Voltz and Fritz Grobe is THE book to read if you want to create videos that will become VIRAL online.

“The Viral Video Manifesto” is filled with examples (such as Diet Coke and Mentos experiments) of videos that have gone viral, and it explains what these videos have that made them so popular.

The book includes over 100 QR Codes that have links to these viral videos. The core of
“The Viral Video Manifesto” is about three things:

• Be legit
• Be concise (get to the point!)
• Originality rules

Being legit in your videos is simple.

Present what’s real.

Don’t cheat your viewers from viewing the authenticity of YOU and YOUR style.

Who you are should come out in the way you present the video.

For example, unless there are HORRIBLE (and I really mean HORRIBLE) errors in your video, don’t do take after take after take of the same video, because it won’t be hared for your viewers to see the staged presentation.

Secondly, open up the main content of your video sooner rather than later.

By this I mean, don’t try to pretty up the video with an unnecessarily long introduction or other extra details, but get right to the point. Just tell the viewers what they’re going to see (this is what titles are good for), and present it. By presenting content quickly, you capture the viewers interest immediately and make them less likely to click off.

Finally, according to Voltz and Grobe, originality rules.  If you want people to actually care about what you’re posting, you need to make it original.  You need to be able to create videos with a twist that others don’t have; a kind of video that will leave viewers feeling that only from you can they get that same kind of spin that they just saw.

By making these videos unique to yourself you not only give viewers a good taste of what else they may get from you in the future, but you can also create a virtual “hook” that will make them come back for more if they like what you  have to offer.

Whether you’re creating product reviews, marketing videos, or videos designed to bolster a presentation, using these three guidelines for a viral video as a benchmark for your company’s video productions is a way to ensure success. I think “The Viral Video Manifesto” is a book with an awesome game plan for creating successful videos, and if you follow this game plan(with time) you should be able to gather video views.  However, if you are short on time, this book may not be the best choice to read. Although the three tips are valuable, the majority of the book is example after example of videos that were successful as compared to videos that were not. Even though the examples are helpful, the important points of the book can be summed up into a short pamphlet or an article and you won’t have missed much.

Got Questions? Three Great Platforms For Small Business Questions and Discussions

Business owners often find themselves alone when they have small business questions to ask. Have you ever wanted some help with a decision only to find that there’s no one around sufficiently capable of giving you advice? This kind of thing happens a lot, and there are places where you can get help.

American Express just recently unveiled a new version of its “Open Forum” platform, where entrepreneurs, mentors, and small business owners congregate to discuss various issues within small business. The platform is currently in beta, so you’ll need to request an invitation.

Surprisingly enough, what would otherwise be a boring credit card company has really made a stunning effort in creating a dynamic community. Within American Express’ Open Forum, you can read thought leadership pieces from startup CEOs, read up on what other tips small business owners have to share, and share your own tips with others when they ask a question. It’s really a “you’ve got to see it to believe it” kind of deal. Perhaps one of the most pleasant parts of Open Forum is the fact that you can tie your LinkedIn account to it (a big plus, since most entrepreneurs, professionals, and business owners have accounts there anyway).

Not to get carried away with Open Forum, I’ll also direct you to two other places where you can discuss with other business owners about problems you face and seek advice:

• The Business Advice Forum - This seemingly simple forum is teeming with life. Business owners talk about sales, marketing, SEO, news, website development, and other business-related topics. Be aware, though, that not all topics posted on the forum are completely relevant to the business culture.
• The U.S. Small Business Administration Discussion Boards - This one’s quite a mouthful! The forum may not be as alive as the Business Advice Forum, but it’s full of many helpful posts that users have made to assist small business owners in the decision-making process. Feel free to pop in with a question when you have one! Their discussions include events, help with registering a business, loans/grants, self-employed businesses, government contracting, and marketing. They also have an idea exchange and a place where you can say a few words about yourself to the community. Considering that the oldest posts on the forum are from near the end of 2010, I’m inclined to think that this is a rather young forum. Give it a chance, and it will grow on you.

If you’re stuck somewhere, it never hurts to swallow your pride a bit and pop a question in one of these three venues. You’re most likely to get supportive responses from other members that have been in the same situation. You’ll never know what possibilities you have until you reach out!

Got Questions? Three Great Platforms For Small Business Questions and Discussions

Business owners often find themselves alone when they have small business questions to ask. Have you ever wanted some help with a decision only to find that there’s no one around sufficiently capable of giving you advice? This kind of thing happens a lot, and there are places where you can get help.

American Express just recently unveiled a new version of its “Open Forum” platform, where entrepreneurs, mentors, and small business owners congregate to discuss various issues within small business. The platform is currently in beta, so you’ll need to request an invitation.

Surprisingly enough, what would otherwise be a boring credit card company has really made a stunning effort in creating a dynamic community. Within American Express’ Open Forum, you can read thought leadership pieces from startup CEOs, read up on what other tips small business owners have to share, and share your own tips with others when they ask a question. It’s really a “you’ve got to see it to believe it” kind of deal. Perhaps one of the most pleasant parts of Open Forum is the fact that you can tie your LinkedIn account to it (a big plus, since most entrepreneurs, professionals, and business owners have accounts there anyway).

Not to get carried away with Open Forum, I’ll also direct you to two other places where you can discuss with other business owners about problems you face and seek advice:

• The Business Advice Forum - This seemingly simple forum is teeming with life. Business owners talk about sales, marketing, SEO, news, website development, and other business-related topics. Be aware, though, that not all topics posted on the forum are completely relevant to the business culture.
• The U.S. Small Business Administration Discussion Boards - This one’s quite a mouthful! The forum may not be as alive as the Business Advice Forum, but it’s full of many helpful posts that users have made to assist small business owners in the decision-making process. Feel free to pop in with a question when you have one! Their discussions include events, help with registering a business, loans/grants, self-employed businesses, government contracting, and marketing. They also have an idea exchange and a place where you can say a few words about yourself to the community. Considering that the oldest posts on the forum are from near the end of 2010, I’m inclined to think that this is a rather young forum. Give it a chance, and it will grow on you.

If you’re stuck somewhere, it never hurts to swallow your pride a bit and pop a question in one of these three venues. You’re most likely to get supportive responses from other members that have been in the same situation. You’ll never know what possibilities you have until you reach out!

Google Local Plus “101″ Primer With Local Search Expert Mike Blumenthal

Ever since Google introduced Google Maps, Mike Blumenthal was there to study its impact on small business.   He is one of the world’s top experts on Google Local Plus (Places), a blogger at “Understanding Google Maps and Local Search, founder at LocalU and an all around good guy.

Remarkable for the fact that he spent thousands of hours helping small business owners with their listings on Google’s Places for Business. If local search was hockey, he would be Wayne Gretzky. We are grateful that he found the time to answer some questions for us.

* * * * *

Small Business Trends:  A lot of small business owners are confused about Google Local (Places) Plus and Google+ for Business. What’s the simplest way to make a distinction between these and what does it mean for their success in Google’s local ecosystem?

Mike Blumenthal: Google has totally confused the branding of their local products. In the end, everyone will have a Google+ Page for local that will be either social or not. For the most part, the page will be managed from the new Google Places for Business interface.

One of the issues is that most businesses do not understand that their listing at Google is a search result. And that Google gives the business the privilege of adding some trusted data to that listing from either the Places Dashboard or from Google +.

Sometimes Google doesn’t trust the business provided data (or rather their algorhythm doesn’t) and they change it. But in the end, the result is the same regardless of where the data is given to Google. And the result will show up wherever Google wants to show local results; the main search results page, the Plus environment, Maps, Apps, Google Earth… wherever.

It is a time of great transition in both the product and the branding. Essentially the name Places is going away and being replaced for the consumer with local Google+ Pages.

Small Business Trends: You have seen everything that can be seen in local search. Where do small businesses usually fail? What about corporations?

Mike Blumenthal:  It is amazing to me that the most common failures I see at both levels is a failure to consistently brand your locations. Google essentially respects and honors brands at a local level with their search product. Brand is the strategy.

Google needs to see a consistent footprint for each business to highlight the brand properly. To do that, they use what we call NAP - name, address and phone - to accurately track, review relevance and ranking information about each location. Businesses both big and small seem to have a hard time keeping their NAP the same everywhere. One name, one phone number and one address always presented the same. It seems that there is always this desire to somehow improve on your NAP by using call tracking numbers or futzing with the business name.

My advice: Don’t do that.

What is shocking is that I see this with national brands, as well, and they should know better.

Small Business Trends: If you had a business that was underperforming in local search, but had no obvious issues, what 3 things would you do?

Mike Blumenthal:  1) Look for violations that would cause the listing to be de-listed or ranked lower.

2) Check for duplicate listings.

3) See if Google has changed the area being shown in the search results.

4) Determine whether the issue is organic or local in nature.

Small Business Trends: We have noticed Google giving small business owners more support recently and even opening up phone lines. Is this another experiment or their new strategy?

Mike Blumenthal:  Google seems to have come to the realization that getting the last few details correct in local can not reasonably be done by machine. I think we will see a stronger commitment going forward to providing businesses with answers to their questions.

Small Business Trends: How do you see local changing in the future? What can small businesses do to prepare?

Mike Blumenthal:  Well, the obvious change is happening now. Or at least the trend is clear now. Both couch surfing with the iPad/tablets and true mobile with smartphones are changing local. The best thing that small businesses can do is to upgrade their website with responsive design so that it handles both tablet and phone screen sizes well.

Context is everything and Google will be able to tell a lot about a person that is using their phone. If you look into the near future, I see things like universal geo fencing…. that is the ability of folks like Google to know when a person crosses into their physical space.

As for preparation for that? Be sure that you are doing local search - great website, great citation building, keeping customers happy and getting reviews, figuring out how to earn links, etc.

Small Business Trends: Do You See Google trying to monetize local outside of PPC (pay per click)?

Mike Blumenthal:  Absolutely. Their new Google for Business Dashboard is set up for them to easily add new billable functionality. Some of that has already been added in beta form like Offers.

But I see that Google could easily move into very sophisticated couponing, loyalty programs and much, much more.

Small Business Trends: What would be your advice for small businesses with more than one location?

Mike Blumenthal:  First, build a great website and get it ranking well.  Second, be sure to create dedicated and well optimized landing pages with rich snippets for each location that you reference at Google and across the Web. Third, find citation opportunities that scale. That is easier said than done.

Small Business Trends: Any advice for ranking in more than one city with just one location?

Mike Blumenthal:  Google local search is all about geography. Having a location in the city of search is critical. If a nearby city is so important, then you have two choices.

1) Open a real location in that city;

2) Really optimize your local pages organically for that location/keyword combo so that they show ABOVE the pack results. That isn’t easy and it’s roughly akin to playing to an inside straight in poker.

Small Business Trends: How do you play safe with reviews? Every article about reviews advises some sort of solicitation. Google says you shouldn’t do it. What do you say?

Mike Blumenthal:  Google has loosened up their definition of solicitation.

Don’t set up a computer or tablet device in your place of business for customers to leave reviews on site. Consider printing out a QR code or sending a reminder e-mail so customers can review on their own time.

That makes it clear that you can use email to communicate to your customers and ask for a review. Google is funny and they are not showing a lot of reviews that trigger their new review filter. It is not inconceivable down the road that they would look at speed or volume of reviews as a trigger.

I do think that businesses need to rethink the “metrics” by which they measure their success in this area. It really shouldn’t be about getting the most reviews, it should be about having the happiest customers.

A process that I like to recommend to business owners is the Survey/Review cycle. You ask every customer to go to some sort of online survey about how satisfied they were with your services on a 1 to 5 scale. If they respond with a 4 or 5 they are sent on to being asked to leave a review. If they answer 1,2 or 3 they are referred to customer service and an attempt is made to increase their satisfaction. Once they are happy, the process starts again.

This may reduce the total number of reviews but it has several very real benefits:

1. Unhappy customers are caught early in the post sale cycle, so you can intervene before they leave a scathing review online.

2. You are able to track and measure customer satisfaction over a period of time and make improvements if necessary.

3. The happy customers will be the ones that ultimately leave the reviews.

Small Business Trends:  Mike, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions.

Got Questions? Three Great Platforms For Small Business Questions and Discussions

Business owners often find themselves alone when they have small business questions to ask. Have you ever wanted some help with a decision only to find that there’s no one around sufficiently capable of giving you advice? This kind of thing happens a lot, and there are places where you can get help.

American Express just recently unveiled a new version of its “Open Forum” platform, where entrepreneurs, mentors, and small business owners congregate to discuss various issues within small business. The platform is currently in beta, so you’ll need to request an invitation.

Surprisingly enough, what would otherwise be a boring credit card company has really made a stunning effort in creating a dynamic community. Within American Express’ Open Forum, you can read thought leadership pieces from startup CEOs, read up on what other tips small business owners have to share, and share your own tips with others when they ask a question. It’s really a “you’ve got to see it to believe it” kind of deal. Perhaps one of the most pleasant parts of Open Forum is the fact that you can tie your LinkedIn account to it (a big plus, since most entrepreneurs, professionals, and business owners have accounts there anyway).

Not to get carried away with Open Forum, I’ll also direct you to two other places where you can discuss with other business owners about problems you face and seek advice:

• The Business Advice Forum - This seemingly simple forum is teeming with life. Business owners talk about sales, marketing, SEO, news, website development, and other business-related topics. Be aware, though, that not all topics posted on the forum are completely relevant to the business culture.
• The U.S. Small Business Administration Discussion Boards - This one’s quite a mouthful! The forum may not be as alive as the Business Advice Forum, but it’s full of many helpful posts that users have made to assist small business owners in the decision-making process. Feel free to pop in with a question when you have one! Their discussions include events, help with registering a business, loans/grants, self-employed businesses, government contracting, and marketing. They also have an idea exchange and a place where you can say a few words about yourself to the community. Considering that the oldest posts on the forum are from near the end of 2010, I’m inclined to think that this is a rather young forum. Give it a chance, and it will grow on you.

If you’re stuck somewhere, it never hurts to swallow your pride a bit and pop a question in one of these three venues. You’re most likely to get supportive responses from other members that have been in the same situation. You’ll never know what possibilities you have until you reach out!

Google Local Plus “101″ Primer With Local Search Expert Mike Blumenthal

Ever since Google introduced Google Maps, Mike Blumenthal was there to study its impact on small business.   He is one of the world’s top experts on Google Local Plus (Places), a blogger at “Understanding Google Maps and Local Search, founder at LocalU and an all around good guy.

Remarkable for the fact that he spent thousands of hours helping small business owners with their listings on Google’s Places for Business. If local search was hockey, he would be Wayne Gretzky. We are grateful that he found the time to answer some questions for us.

* * * * *

Small Business Trends:  A lot of small business owners are confused about Google Local (Places) Plus and Google+ for Business. What’s the simplest way to make a distinction between these and what does it mean for their success in Google’s local ecosystem?

Mike Blumenthal: Google has totally confused the branding of their local products. In the end, everyone will have a Google+ Page for local that will be either social or not. For the most part, the page will be managed from the new Google Places for Business interface.

One of the issues is that most businesses do not understand that their listing at Google is a search result. And that Google gives the business the privilege of adding some trusted data to that listing from either the Places Dashboard or from Google +.

Sometimes Google doesn’t trust the business provided data (or rather their algorhythm doesn’t) and they change it. But in the end, the result is the same regardless of where the data is given to Google. And the result will show up wherever Google wants to show local results; the main search results page, the Plus environment, Maps, Apps, Google Earth… wherever.

It is a time of great transition in both the product and the branding. Essentially the name Places is going away and being replaced for the consumer with local Google+ Pages.

Small Business Trends: You have seen everything that can be seen in local search. Where do small businesses usually fail? What about corporations?

Mike Blumenthal:  It is amazing to me that the most common failures I see at both levels is a failure to consistently brand your locations. Google essentially respects and honors brands at a local level with their search product. Brand is the strategy.

Google needs to see a consistent footprint for each business to highlight the brand properly. To do that, they use what we call NAP - name, address and phone - to accurately track, review relevance and ranking information about each location. Businesses both big and small seem to have a hard time keeping their NAP the same everywhere. One name, one phone number and one address always presented the same. It seems that there is always this desire to somehow improve on your NAP by using call tracking numbers or futzing with the business name.

My advice: Don’t do that.

What is shocking is that I see this with national brands, as well, and they should know better.

Small Business Trends: If you had a business that was underperforming in local search, but had no obvious issues, what 3 things would you do?

Mike Blumenthal:  1) Look for violations that would cause the listing to be de-listed or ranked lower.

2) Check for duplicate listings.

3) See if Google has changed the area being shown in the search results.

4) Determine whether the issue is organic or local in nature.

Small Business Trends: We have noticed Google giving small business owners more support recently and even opening up phone lines. Is this another experiment or their new strategy?

Mike Blumenthal:  Google seems to have come to the realization that getting the last few details correct in local can not reasonably be done by machine. I think we will see a stronger commitment going forward to providing businesses with answers to their questions.

Small Business Trends: How do you see local changing in the future? What can small businesses do to prepare?

Mike Blumenthal:  Well, the obvious change is happening now. Or at least the trend is clear now. Both couch surfing with the iPad/tablets and true mobile with smartphones are changing local. The best thing that small businesses can do is to upgrade their website with responsive design so that it handles both tablet and phone screen sizes well.

Context is everything and Google will be able to tell a lot about a person that is using their phone. If you look into the near future, I see things like universal geo fencing…. that is the ability of folks like Google to know when a person crosses into their physical space.

As for preparation for that? Be sure that you are doing local search - great website, great citation building, keeping customers happy and getting reviews, figuring out how to earn links, etc.

Small Business Trends: Do You See Google trying to monetize local outside of PPC (pay per click)?

Mike Blumenthal:  Absolutely. Their new Google for Business Dashboard is set up for them to easily add new billable functionality. Some of that has already been added in beta form like Offers.

But I see that Google could easily move into very sophisticated couponing, loyalty programs and much, much more.

Small Business Trends: What would be your advice for small businesses with more than one location?

Mike Blumenthal:  First, build a great website and get it ranking well.  Second, be sure to create dedicated and well optimized landing pages with rich snippets for each location that you reference at Google and across the Web. Third, find citation opportunities that scale. That is easier said than done.

Small Business Trends: Any advice for ranking in more than one city with just one location?

Mike Blumenthal:  Google local search is all about geography. Having a location in the city of search is critical. If a nearby city is so important, then you have two choices.

1) Open a real location in that city;

2) Really optimize your local pages organically for that location/keyword combo so that they show ABOVE the pack results. That isn’t easy and it’s roughly akin to playing to an inside straight in poker.

Small Business Trends: How do you play safe with reviews? Every article about reviews advises some sort of solicitation. Google says you shouldn’t do it. What do you say?

Mike Blumenthal:  Google has loosened up their definition of solicitation.

Don’t set up a computer or tablet device in your place of business for customers to leave reviews on site. Consider printing out a QR code or sending a reminder e-mail so customers can review on their own time.

That makes it clear that you can use email to communicate to your customers and ask for a review. Google is funny and they are not showing a lot of reviews that trigger their new review filter. It is not inconceivable down the road that they would look at speed or volume of reviews as a trigger.

I do think that businesses need to rethink the “metrics” by which they measure their success in this area. It really shouldn’t be about getting the most reviews, it should be about having the happiest customers.

A process that I like to recommend to business owners is the Survey/Review cycle. You ask every customer to go to some sort of online survey about how satisfied they were with your services on a 1 to 5 scale. If they respond with a 4 or 5 they are sent on to being asked to leave a review. If they answer 1,2 or 3 they are referred to customer service and an attempt is made to increase their satisfaction. Once they are happy, the process starts again.

This may reduce the total number of reviews but it has several very real benefits:

1. Unhappy customers are caught early in the post sale cycle, so you can intervene before they leave a scathing review online.

2. You are able to track and measure customer satisfaction over a period of time and make improvements if necessary.

3. The happy customers will be the ones that ultimately leave the reviews.

Small Business Trends:  Mike, thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions.

3 Tips for Viral Business Videos: Legitimate, Concise and Original

The Viral Video Manifesto

“The Viral Video Manifesto”, by Stephen Voltz and Fritz Grobe is THE book to read if you want to create videos that will become VIRAL online.

“The Viral Video Manifesto” is filled with examples (such as Diet Coke and Mentos experiments) of videos that have gone viral, and it explains what these videos have that made them so popular.

The book includes over 100 QR Codes that have links to these viral videos. The core of
“The Viral Video Manifesto” is about three things:

• Be legit
• Be concise (get to the point!)
• Originality rules

Being legit in your videos is simple.

Present what’s real.

Don’t cheat your viewers from viewing the authenticity of YOU and YOUR style.

Who you are should come out in the way you present the video.

For example, unless there are HORRIBLE (and I really mean HORRIBLE) errors in your video, don’t do take after take after take of the same video, because it won’t be hared for your viewers to see the staged presentation.

Secondly, open up the main content of your video sooner rather than later.

By this I mean, don’t try to pretty up the video with an unnecessarily long introduction or other extra details, but get right to the point. Just tell the viewers what they’re going to see (this is what titles are good for), and present it. By presenting content quickly, you capture the viewers interest immediately and make them less likely to click off.

Finally, according to Voltz and Grobe, originality rules.  If you want people to actually care about what you’re posting, you need to make it original.  You need to be able to create videos with a twist that others don’t have; a kind of video that will leave viewers feeling that only from you can they get that same kind of spin that they just saw.

By making these videos unique to yourself you not only give viewers a good taste of what else they may get from you in the future, but you can also create a virtual “hook” that will make them come back for more if they like what you  have to offer.

Whether you’re creating product reviews, marketing videos, or videos designed to bolster a presentation, using these three guidelines for a viral video as a benchmark for your company’s video productions is a way to ensure success. I think “The Viral Video Manifesto” is a book with an awesome game plan for creating successful videos, and if you follow this game plan(with time) you should be able to gather video views.  However, if you are short on time, this book may not be the best choice to read. Although the three tips are valuable, the majority of the book is example after example of videos that were successful as compared to videos that were not. Even though the examples are helpful, the important points of the book can be summed up into a short pamphlet or an article and you won’t have missed much.

3 Tips for Viral Business Videos: Legitimate, Concise and Original

The Viral Video Manifesto

“The Viral Video Manifesto”, by Stephen Voltz and Fritz Grobe is THE book to read if you want to create videos that will become VIRAL online.

“The Viral Video Manifesto” is filled with examples (such as Diet Coke and Mentos experiments) of videos that have gone viral, and it explains what these videos have that made them so popular.

The book includes over 100 QR Codes that have links to these viral videos. The core of
“The Viral Video Manifesto” is about three things:

• Be legit
• Be concise (get to the point!)
• Originality rules

Being legit in your videos is simple.

Present what’s real.

Don’t cheat your viewers from viewing the authenticity of YOU and YOUR style.

Who you are should come out in the way you present the video.

For example, unless there are HORRIBLE (and I really mean HORRIBLE) errors in your video, don’t do take after take after take of the same video, because it won’t be hared for your viewers to see the staged presentation.

Secondly, open up the main content of your video sooner rather than later.

By this I mean, don’t try to pretty up the video with an unnecessarily long introduction or other extra details, but get right to the point. Just tell the viewers what they’re going to see (this is what titles are good for), and present it. By presenting content quickly, you capture the viewers interest immediately and make them less likely to click off.

Finally, according to Voltz and Grobe, originality rules.  If you want people to actually care about what you’re posting, you need to make it original.  You need to be able to create videos with a twist that others don’t have; a kind of video that will leave viewers feeling that only from you can they get that same kind of spin that they just saw.

By making these videos unique to yourself you not only give viewers a good taste of what else they may get from you in the future, but you can also create a virtual “hook” that will make them come back for more if they like what you  have to offer.

Whether you’re creating product reviews, marketing videos, or videos designed to bolster a presentation, using these three guidelines for a viral video as a benchmark for your company’s video productions is a way to ensure success. I think “The Viral Video Manifesto” is a book with an awesome game plan for creating successful videos, and if you follow this game plan(with time) you should be able to gather video views.  However, if you are short on time, this book may not be the best choice to read. Although the three tips are valuable, the majority of the book is example after example of videos that were successful as compared to videos that were not. Even though the examples are helpful, the important points of the book can be summed up into a short pamphlet or an article and you won’t have missed much.