January 21, 2012

Thanks to Week 327 SOBs

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 8:55 am

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her to me. Thie award carries a “Liz said so” guarantee, is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and is backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Filed under SOB Business, Successful Blog | No Comments »

January 20, 2012

3 Writing Mistakes that Erode Trust in Your Small Business

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 8:08 am

Careful or Careless?

In today’s social media-driven society, where more interpersonal interaction takes place on the Internet than ever before, one of the best things a small business can do to steer themselves toward success is develop a strong Internet-based presence. From a functional webpage to well-managed accounts with top social networking sites, consumers need to access and learn about your business from their laptops and smart phones during their busy and often Internet-focused lives.

Your website should be a snapshot of your business, introducing clients and consumers to your brand and influencing them to trust in your services. Because of that, it is imperative that you avoid these common, easy-to-make writing errors that may broadcast your business in the wrong light.

Incorrect or no punctuation. A missing or improperly placed comma can change the entire meaning of a sentence, and over-zealous use of exclamation points may read as campy or unprofessional to your website viewers. Have a member of your team who is well-versed in the rules of punctuation look over any copy before you hit “publish.”
Mixing up homophones. They’re, their, there. Two, too, to. Than, then. Your, you’re. Affect, effect. When typing, especially in a hurry, it can be easy to mix up these homophones and use the wrong one. When you do that, not only does your sentence take on a new meaning, but also, people notice. For many, mixing up those words is the visual equivalent to running nails across a chalkboard.
Writing chunky blocks of text without any visual appeal. Though not a grammatical error, improperly forming paragraphs or not minding the visual structure of a paragraph can be just as irritating for a reader. We tweet in 140 characters, update our statuses in a sentence or two, and skim the book jacket before opening up to the first page: we’re busy, and we want our information quickly. When visiting a business’s website, readers don’t want to read a novel. They want quick, accessible information that gets to the point and tells them what they need to know without searching through blocks of text to get there.

The problem with these errors is that they send the message of carelessness or neglect to your readers. While we’ve all made mistakes, such as misplacing an apostrophe or writing who’s instead of whose, consumers want to bring their business to companies who take care of the details of their brand. It isn’t uncommon for consumers to even leave a webpage after finding a few of these errors.

The subconscious thought process for many consumers is that if the business can’t even proofread their webpage, why should I trust them to give me the best service possible?

To ensure your small business’s website and online content is presenting potential clients and consumers with the best possible image of itself, take care to avoid seemingly small writing mistakes and blunders. People will see how much you care about your presentation as an indicator of how you will care for them if they decide to bring their business to your company.

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Author’s Bio:
Amanda Valenti is a writer and content editor for College.com She also writes and publishes for a variety of other blogs/websites on the topics of traditional campus schools as well as accredited online colleges

Thank you, Amanda.
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Be Irresistible

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Buy the Insider’s Guide to Online Conversation.

Filed under Successful Blog, Writing | 2 Comments »

January 19, 2012

How to Set Up Your First (Or Your Next) Office

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 7:02 am

A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill

Remember when you moved into your first apartment and you realized that toilet paper didn’t magically appear anymore? That’s what it’s like when you set up your first physical office as an entrepreneur.

If you’re ready to move from your kitchen table to some real corporate space, here are some basic tips that will smooth the transition.

Consider creative space sharing – there are incubators, shared spaces, and professional suites that come pre-furnished and ready to go. For a fee, some will include a receptionist or admin support. Regus.com is one company that provides meeting rooms and pre-configured offices around the world. You don’t necessarily have to start from scratch.
Bring-your-own computer policy – you may not have to make a capital outlay for computer equipment these days. Many employees prefer using their own laptop, and it facilitates occasionally working from home. Additional considerations include:
- Look at providing larger screens or keyboards as peripherals at the office; laptops are not great for ergonomics in extended use.
- Establish a written policy of how you will handle data storage and transfer, especially when an employee leaves the company.
- Consider what sort of upgrade or maintenance you will offer for employees who bring their own device.
You might not need an expensive phone system - similar to the computer scenario above, many companies are allowing employees to use their own smartphones for business calls, with a virtual phone system. Services like Google Voice and Grasshopper allow you to have a business telephone number that’s portable across devices.
Costco (or Sam’s Club) is your friend – paper clips, coffee filters, beverages, paper, pens, snacks, all these things can be bought in bulk. They will even deliver.
Legal signage – once you have employees, you need to ensure that you’ve posted the required Federal and State signage (which varies according to location and type of business). This will include safety information, workers comp, and minimum wage requirements (see examples here: http://www.laborlawcenter.com/c-3-state-only-labor-law-posters.aspx?gclid=CPbt_Pa3160CFcuP7Qod2i4jlA)
Decor – if you’ll be receiving clients at your new location, be sure to set up a welcoming entry with a couple of chairs and a small table for coffee. This can be overlooked as you focus on your employee work environment, and you want to create a nice first impression for visitors. This is also a good place to display a little personality!

Moving from the virtual office to a “bricks and mortar” office space can be challenging, but it’s also fun. Roll up your sleeves, keep the pointers above in mind, and create a space that inspires you and your team.

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss

Filed under Business Life, Successful Blog | No Comments »

January 18, 2012

Is Mountain Dew’s Marketing Campaign too Tough for Even Mice?

matt wrote this at 10:23 am

We have all heard the stories over the years of how some soft drinks can corrode one’s teeth and other body parts.

The question now is can a soft drink like Mountain Dew actually dissolve a mouse carcass?

A current small court battle involves an Illinois man who claims he discovered a deceased mouse in a can of Mountain Dew at work three years ago after taking a sip.

From a marketing standpoint, such a claim certainly can’t be good for the soft drink maker that goes by the slogan — “It’ll tickle yore innards”. Worse yet, the man claims he forwarded the mouse to PepsiCo, the soft drink’s parent company, only to reportedly have the rodent’s remains destroyed.

Call in the experts

In order to fight the court case (the individual is seeking $50,000 in damages), PepsiCo has called in experts to say that the claim of a rodent or any other foreign body in one of their soft drink products is simply false.

The experts pointed out that the Mountain Dew drink would have dissolved the mouse, turning it into a “jelly-like substance,” had it been in the can of fluid from the time of its bottling until the time the claimant opened it, 74 days later.

According to a spokesperson with the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, he believed it was plausible that the soft drink could dissolve a mouse over a few months’ time. “But dissolving [the mouse] does not mean it will disappear, because you’ll still have the collagen and the soft tissue part. It will be like rubber,” he made clear in his remarks.

According to a 2004 study where human molars were soaked in Mountain Dew for 14 days (a period of time similar to about 13 years of normal beverage exposure, the researchers calculated) the molars’ enamel lost more than 6 percent of its volume. Meantime, molars placed in Coca Cola for two weeks lost slightly more than 1 percent of their enamel volume.

Will marketing take a hit?

While sales of Mountain Dew may not be impacted by the ongoing legal case, it does make it a little harder to market the soft drink, given the fact some may wonder what is coming out of each can.

In early 2011, a Washington State man claimed to have also discovered a dead mouse in a Monster Energy Drink product.

According to the man who filed a lawsuit, “Any time somebody talks about Monster I get a sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach. “I looked in the can and I saw the tail – the tip of the tail. And I just vomited everywhere,” said the young male, who sued for physical and emotional damages.

Needless to say, such reported incidents make it a tad more challenging for any brands to market their goods.

That being said, Pepsi has heavily invested in the marketing of Mountain Dew products over the last decade, securing some 80 percent of the citrus flavored soft drink sales nationwide.

While these two incidents do not appear to have impacted sales in a negative way, you can bet such claims will leave a bitter taste in the mouth of marketers at the respective soft drink companies.

Photo credit: bossip.com

Dave Thomas, who covers among other items starting a small business and business proposals, writes extensively for Business.com, an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.

Filed under Marketing | 1 Comment »

January 17, 2012

Even Cheap Is Expensive When the Model Doesn’t Work

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 7:16 am

What IS Reach?

Once upon a time, I subscribed to the Chicago Tribune. (I apologize to the New York Times and my friends who Yankees fans. I also live in Wrigleyville.) I subscribed to daily delivery during the period that the Tribune won 11 Pulitzer Prizes. I’m not certain that I read any of the winning articles. Though the paper came as promised, with a job in the city, my schedule often didn’t offer me the time I wished to read it. Even when it did loosen a bit, I didn’t read every word of it.

So though the paper reached me. I wasn’t exposed it. I was on their list and I would bet that I was counted in their ad fees based on circulation.

My point is that reach only meant I was paying for it.
They didn’t have my eyeballs, impressions, or attention.

The traditional model of impressions, circulation, subscriptions has always been false.

The model of impressions and circulation numbers sold ads and justified advertising costs. I was the product the Tribune was selling. I was the demographic they were basing their numbers on. The people who bought the ads knew that I was supposed to be seeing, reading, and paying attention to those ads, but that there was know way to know if I was.

They were access to subscribers — much like the subscribers to my blog.
Do you believe for a second that they got access to every subscriber? Do you supposed every subscriber read every ad in every paper. Do you read everything you subscribe to — even most? (If you do, perhaps I should talk with you about some ads in the email that goes out with my blog.)

The impression, circulation, subscription model never delivered the numbers that it sold.

Now we’re applying that model to social media.

If I pay close attention and “prune” my power network just right, I should be able to connect to the perfect 150 power people who have each also connected to another 150 power people and so on outward. A mere two generations out would be a network of 3,375,000 power people. But just to hedge the bet, perhaps I should connect to 150,000.

Thing is any message I send to my own group only gets read the same as the Tribune did … when they have time. I’m not foolish enough to believe more than that.

Reach is not a guarantee of engagement, participation or even exposure.
Reach is merely a possibility.

Andrew Smith at marcom international points out,

“For decades, PR has been seen by many marketeers as “cheap reach via editorial” – in other words, the goal of PR was to gain editorial coverage that provided the greatest number of opportunities to see – at a significantly lower cost than advertising.”

But even cheap is expensive if no one is paying attention.

How do we tell the folks who don’t want to know?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Buy the Insider’s Guide to Online Conversation.

Filed under Marketing, Successful Blog | 4 Comments »

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