Casual Articles - Internet and Businesses Online

Business is Down!
If you don't really know the answer to that question, you may be destined to waste a great deal of money over the next few years. Most restaurant operators spend large amounts of money each year on both advertising and marketing and often receive little or no measurable increase in profits. If you don't want to join the ranks of restaurants that seem to be making contributions to their local newspapers and radio stations rather than investing in building sales and profits, it would be good to understand the difference between advertising and marketing, and use them both to your best advantage.An advertising campaign is a component of your overall marketing plan. An advertising campaign uses media to promote a specific product, idea, or an event in your restaurant over a finite time frame. Depending on your budget and your target market, an advertising campaign can be delivered to prospective customers using television, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards, the Internet, direct mail, e-mail, faxes, and probably some other media that I haven't thought to mention here.Marketing on the other hand, is the total plan that you are using to promote your product and services. Advertising is part of your marketing plan, but advertising is only effective if the other facets of your marketing plan are in place. These other facets of marketing would include but are n

to show readers how knowledgeable you are on your subject. When your readers see how much information you have to share on a subject, they'll recommend your blog to others who are interested in the subject. These are the kinds of readers you want. Just remember, some of your readers will know as much about the subject as you do. So check your facts before posting.

Limitless
Corporate blogs can be configured in endless ways to serve endless roles. They can stand alone, be part of a website, or be part of a larger network of blogs. Because the technical aspects of a corporate blog are limitless, so too are the uses for the blog.

Manageable
Blogs reduce the technical side of web publishing to such a degree that anyone can blog, regardless of their web experience. Blogs are so manageable, in fact, that even a large web presence built on blogging technology can be managed by a single individual. In this way, blogs are only an initial burden on the IT department. Once a blog is setup, it can be managed by the author alone.

Non-invasiv

Maine's Economic Recovery; Market Sectors for Economic Growth
I would like to discuss the issues concerning Maine and it’s economy. For this most important discussion we are going to focus on jobs and money flow. Well first we should discuss tourism in the coastal areas. They are not breaking any speed records in Kennebunkport or Bar Harbor, but things are doing a lot better now that the late winter is over, that was a bad one, not the worst but relatively tough. If you check into the area around Cape Cod or Plymouth Rock, you will see a little better than last years numbers. But then again everyone in Boston wants to ditch that traffic as downtown area is worse than Denver’s Cluster Fustermuck. Also it is much closer to NYC or NJ for the weekend.In Bar Harbor things are okay, ferry has full loads to Nova Scotia as does Portland Maine’s ferry departure point. Portland has much foot traffic down town and around the port and boardwalk. Along the Hwy 1 and the offshoot 1As we see good weekend traffic, yet take your self off the main drag inland and within 5 miles you find all those towns a little deprived of cash flow. Along the 95 we are seeing slow return to economic viability for many small businesses and basic industry, which have made it through the rain. The late Strawberry Crop was pushed into summer harvest and causing increased water use, but they had a good snowmelt in the region.Maine business community is strong hearted and even though much of the major pur

Corporate Blogging Alphabet - What Is It?
I built this alphabet to showcase what I think are the benefits and best practices of corporate blogging. Not all of these entries will apply to every individual blogging scenario, but they all apply to corporate blogging in general. So here you have them, corporate blogging benefits and best practices ... from A to Z.
Accountable
Accountability applies to corporate blogging in two primary ways. With single-author blogs (such as CEO blogs), the author can inspire trust among readers by "owning" his or her commentary. But companies also assume a certain level of accountability for all blogs under their umbrella, regardless of disclosures to to the contrary. So blogging accountability must be carefully considered at both the individual and corporate level.
Believable
Used properly, a corporate blog or CEO blog can make a company more believable. And in the low-trust, post-Enron world of corporate skepticism, a little believability goes a long way. Use your blog to tell an honest story in a passionate way.
Candid
A common mistake in corporate blogging is when organizations use the blog as "website, part two," shoveling press releases and other corporate literature onto the blog. To achieve the believability mentioned above, a corporate blog must take on the candid, heartfelt voice of the author. Sure, it takes courage to do this (and probably a set of corporate blogging guidelines), but your readers will reward you by becoming advocates.
Direct
Corporate blogs are direct. You write your message, click the "Publish" button, and your words are directly viewable across the Internet. This removes intermediaries from the corporate communication chain. There are no journalists or editors to put their own spin on things. The message goes from the author directly to the audience. Never again will your message be diluted or mis-aligned (unless you do that yourself).
Enthusiastic
In my opinion, only enthusiastic bloggers should be allowed to represent the company. Half-hearted commentary stands out like a purple elephant in the corporate blogosphere. This kind of commentary does more harm than good, whether it comes from the CEO, the communications chief, or Joe Employee. Enthusiasm comes across in blog posts -- and it's contagious.
Flexible
One of the great things about blogs is the versatility with which they can be used. A corporate blog, for example, can be used internally or externally. It can be a news channel, a customer-feedback forum, an educational tool, or a combination of these things.
Google-friendly
And Yahoo-friendly, and MSN-friendly, etc. A corporate blog can help you increase your search engine visibility in a number of ways. For one thing, a blog gives you an easy way to expand your website with new content. If you blog daily for a year, you've got 365 new pages of topical content (and 365 new items for people to find through search engines). Blogs are also more "social" than websites, so in time a well-written blog will acquire links from other blogs. This kind of link popularity does wonders for your search engine ranking.
Happening
Nine times out of ten, a corporate blog is more "happening" than its website counterpart. Blogs are easier to update than a regular website. And when you update a blog often with quality content, it becomes an active resource that people are more inclined to revisit.
Informative
When you keep your customers well informed on new products, services or "behind the scenes" company happenings, you increase the likelihood of future business from those customers. Corporate blogging is a simple but effective way to keep people informed.
Jargon-free
Generally, corporate blogs are not the place for corporate speak. At least, not a customer-facing corporate blog. Save that language for your annual report. Business blogs evolved from online diaries, single-author sources of information and insight. Much of this plain-speak expectation carries over to corporate blogs, so the potential power of blogging for business purposes lies within the blog's frankness, not its jargon.
Knowledgeable
Use your corporate blog to show readers how knowledgeable you are on your subject. When your readers see how much information you have to share on a subject, they'll recommend your blog to others who are interested in the subject. These are the kinds of readers you want. Just remember, some of your readers will know as much about the subject as you do. So check your facts before posting.
Limitless
Corporate blogs can be configured in endless ways to serve endless roles. They can stand alone, be part of a website, or be part of a larger network of blogs. Because the technical aspects of a corporate blog are limitless, so too are the uses for the blog.
Manageable
Blogs reduce the technical side of web publishing to such a degree that anyone can blog, regardless of their web experience. Blogs are so manageable, in fact, that even a large web presence built on blogging technology can be managed by a single individual. In this way, blogs are only an initial burden on the IT department. Once a blog is setup, it can be managed by the author alone.
Non-invasive
The Psychology Of Choosing Promotional Items For Trade Shows
Attending a trade show can seem like Christmas – all those wonderful booths and exhibitors giving away free goodies. Attendees flit from booth to booth and pass on hints of who’s giving away the good loot. In all the hustle, bustle and excitement, it’s easy to be overlooked by the crowd in favor of a flashier, cooler or louder exhibitor. How do you get potential customers to stop by your booth – and stay long enough to become a customer?The answer lies in choosing the right promotional items and gifts and tying them into your overall theme. According to one trade show publication, people attending a trade show are 52% more likely to stop by your exhibit if you have an appealing promotional gift to give them. Keeping that in mind, how should you go about choosing great promotional gifts AND using them to their best effects?Here are some key questions that will help you to choose effective promotional items for your trade show exhibits.1. What gifts will fit your company or image? Pens, key rings and little trinkets are a glut on the market at trade shows. Besides being ‘what everyone else has’, they seldom have anything to do with your business. Choose items that complement your main business – USB flash drives for a software company, for instance.2. Can you imprint your contact info on them? Since one of the major reasons for your promotional giveaway is to encourage your potentia
a passionate way.
Candid
A common mistake in corporate blogging is when organizations use the blog as "website, part two," shoveling press releases and other corporate literature onto the blog. To achieve the believability mentioned above, a corporate blog must take on the candid, heartfelt voice of the author. Sure, it takes courage to do this (and probably a set of corporate blogging guidelines), but your readers will reward you by becoming advocates.
Direct
Corporate blogs are direct. You write your message, click the "Publish" button, and your words are directly viewable across the Internet. This removes intermediaries from the corporate communication chain. There are no journalists or editors to put their own spin on things. The message goes from the author directly to the audience. Never again will your message be diluted or mis-aligned (unless you do that yourself).
Enthusiastic
In my opinion, only enthusiastic bloggers should be allowed to represent the company. Half-hearted commentary stands out like a purple elephant in the corporate blogosphere. This kind of commentary does more harm than good, whether it comes from the CEO, the communications chief, or Joe Employee. Enthusiasm comes across in blog posts -- and it's contagious.
Flexible
One of the great things about blogs is the versatility with which they can be used. A corporate blog, for example, can be used internally or externally. It can be a news channel, a customer-feedback forum, an educational tool, or a combination of these things.
Google-friendly
And Yahoo-friendly, and MSN-friendly, etc. A corporate blog can help you increase your search engine visibility in a number of ways. For one thing, a blog gives you an easy way to expand your website with new content. If you blog daily for a year, you've got 365 new pages of topical content (and 365 new items for people to find through search engines). Blogs are also more "social" than websites, so in time a well-written blog will acquire links from other blogs. This kind of link popularity does wonders for your search engine ranking.
Happening
Nine times out of ten, a corporate blog is more "happening" than its website counterpart. Blogs are easier to update than a regular website. And when you update a blog often with quality content, it becomes an active resource that people are more inclined to revisit.
Informative
When you keep your customers well informed on new products, services or "behind the scenes" company happenings, you increase the likelihood of future business from those customers. Corporate blogging is a simple but effective way to keep people informed.
Jargon-free
Generally, corporate blogs are not the place for corporate speak. At least, not a customer-facing corporate blog. Save that language for your annual report. Business blogs evolved from online diaries, single-author sources of information and insight. Much of this plain-speak expectation carries over to corporate blogs, so the potential power of blogging for business purposes lies within the blog's frankness, not its jargon.
Knowledgeable
Use your corporate blog to show readers how knowledgeable you are on your subject. When your readers see how much information you have to share on a subject, they'll recommend your blog to others who are interested in the subject. These are the kinds of readers you want. Just remember, some of your readers will know as much about the subject as you do. So check your facts before posting.
Limitless
Corporate blogs can be configured in endless ways to serve endless roles. They can stand alone, be part of a website, or be part of a larger network of blogs. Because the technical aspects of a corporate blog are limitless, so too are the uses for the blog.
Manageable
Blogs reduce the technical side of web publishing to such a degree that anyone can blog, regardless of their web experience. Blogs are so manageable, in fact, that even a large web presence built on blogging technology can be managed by a single individual. In this way, blogs are only an initial burden on the IT department. Once a blog is setup, it can be managed by the author alone.
Non-invasiv
Customers Are Like Vampires
No, customers aren't bloodsuckers (well, maybe a few are!) and they don't come out only at night. According to legend, vampires don't come in until they are invited. And that's true of customers, too.You may think you've invited your customers. After all, you put up signs identifying your store, got a web site, placed ads, sent press releases, networked, put out fliers, etc.Those things can let your customers know you exist, but to be effective they should include invitations to customers. That doesn't mean sending actual invitations, it means creating a reason for them to come, and communicating that reason to them. We're talking about giving customers a 'call to action'.First, make sure you know what you want them to do. Do you want them to contact you for more information, pay a visit, make a first purchase, make larger or more frequent purchases? Once you know what results you want, you can tailor a call to action which inspires that reaction.Are you trying to build traffic at your physical or online location? Your communication might focus more on reasons for people to visit, and less on buying.Have traffic that you're trying to convert to sales? Encourage them to make a purchase by offering a limited-time discount, or something free with a purchase. Offer a guarantee.Want business from customers you haven't seen in a while? Entice them. Let them know what's new. A hair
lephant in the corporate blogosphere. This kind of commentary does more harm than good, whether it comes from the CEO, the communications chief, or Joe Employee. Enthusiasm comes across in blog posts -- and it's contagious.
Flexible
One of the great things about blogs is the versatility with which they can be used. A corporate blog, for example, can be used internally or externally. It can be a news channel, a customer-feedback forum, an educational tool, or a combination of these things.
Google-friendly
And Yahoo-friendly, and MSN-friendly, etc. A corporate blog can help you increase your search engine visibility in a number of ways. For one thing, a blog gives you an easy way to expand your website with new content. If you blog daily for a year, you've got 365 new pages of topical content (and 365 new items for people to find through search engines). Blogs are also more "social" than websites, so in time a well-written blog will acquire links from other blogs. This kind of link popularity does wonders for your search engine ranking.
Happening
Nine times out of ten, a corporate blog is more "happening" than its website counterpart. Blogs are easier to update than a regular website. And when you update a blog often with quality content, it becomes an active resource that people are more inclined to revisit.
Informative
When you keep your customers well informed on new products, services or "behind the scenes" company happenings, you increase the likelihood of future business from those customers. Corporate blogging is a simple but effective way to keep people informed.
Jargon-free
Generally, corporate blogs are not the place for corporate speak. At least, not a customer-facing corporate blog. Save that language for your annual report. Business blogs evolved from online diaries, single-author sources of information and insight. Much of this plain-speak expectation carries over to corporate blogs, so the potential power of blogging for business purposes lies within the blog's frankness, not its jargon.
Knowledgeable
Use your corporate blog to show readers how knowledgeable you are on your subject. When your readers see how much information you have to share on a subject, they'll recommend your blog to others who are interested in the subject. These are the kinds of readers you want. Just remember, some of your readers will know as much about the subject as you do. So check your facts before posting.
Limitless
Corporate blogs can be configured in endless ways to serve endless roles. They can stand alone, be part of a website, or be part of a larger network of blogs. Because the technical aspects of a corporate blog are limitless, so too are the uses for the blog.
Manageable
Blogs reduce the technical side of web publishing to such a degree that anyone can blog, regardless of their web experience. Blogs are so manageable, in fact, that even a large web presence built on blogging technology can be managed by a single individual. In this way, blogs are only an initial burden on the IT department. Once a blog is setup, it can be managed by the author alone.
Non-invasiv
The Big Uneasy: Clearing the Clouds of Guess
People often come to me to assist them with developing their brand because they are unable to accomplish the business success they desire. They're experiencing what we call the Big Uneasy--the state of being when things are hard. They are stuck in an idea, unable to make it happen, and dreams are unfulfilled. Life is heavy, there's a lack of flow... the Big Uneasy has taken over.Knowledge is needed to alleviate the discomfort-- to grow your business, to make the right decisions. In our information-rich world of today there is a multitude of help available.Multi-day, multi-speaker and multi-vendor events have become the norm. More help is coming to the rescue everyday. These essential events open people up to a greater world of possibility-- as well as something else that can be debilitating-- the clouds of guess.Yes, you heard me right, the clouds of guess.The breeding ground for the clouds of guess is amongst the amazing speakers sharing valuable experience and powerful tools at many multi-day events and the wonderful people seeking to grow and fully participate in success. I recently discovered this excruciating phenomenon on the speaking trail with my own company.Like experiencing the marine layer as it gradually rolls in at dusk from the ocean, during the first day of the event the clouds were nearly undetectable--masked by the crowd's
p>Happening
Nine times out of ten, a corporate blog is more "happening" than its website counterpart. Blogs are easier to update than a regular website. And when you update a blog often with quality content, it becomes an active resource that people are more inclined to revisit.
Informative
When you keep your customers well informed on new products, services or "behind the scenes" company happenings, you increase the likelihood of future business from those customers. Corporate blogging is a simple but effective way to keep people informed.
Jargon-free
Generally, corporate blogs are not the place for corporate speak. At least, not a customer-facing corporate blog. Save that language for your annual report. Business blogs evolved from online diaries, single-author sources of information and insight. Much of this plain-speak expectation carries over to corporate blogs, so the potential power of blogging for business purposes lies within the blog's frankness, not its jargon.
Knowledgeable
Use your corporate blog to show readers how knowledgeable you are on your subject. When your readers see how much information you have to share on a subject, they'll recommend your blog to others who are interested in the subject. These are the kinds of readers you want. Just remember, some of your readers will know as much about the subject as you do. So check your facts before posting.
Limitless
Corporate blogs can be configured in endless ways to serve endless roles. They can stand alone, be part of a website, or be part of a larger network of blogs. Because the technical aspects of a corporate blog are limitless, so too are the uses for the blog.
Manageable
Blogs reduce the technical side of web publishing to such a degree that anyone can blog, regardless of their web experience. Blogs are so manageable, in fact, that even a large web presence built on blogging technology can be managed by a single individual. In this way, blogs are only an initial burden on the IT department. Once a blog is setup, it can be managed by the author alone.
Non-invasiv
The Credibility Factor
Far too often, salespeople view themselves as company employees when they would be much wiser (in my humble opinion) to view themselves as business owners: whether that business ownership means ownership of a territory, ownership of a vertical market or any other combination that relates to their current sales position.The good news is this: As soon as that salesperson starts acting like a business owner they start to truly understand the importance of obtaining and maintaining credibility in the eyes of their potential clients, and how gaining that credibility can make all of the difference in the world in relation to their sales success.And so, if a sales professional wants their prospective client to not only seek out their knowledge but also to pay more to work with them, that same salesperson should really take the extra effort required to prove to that prospective client that they are worthy of being considered an industry expert and as a sales professional they will also bring value to the potential business relationship that could exist between the buyer and seller.But how do sales professionals become experts in the eyes of their clients? Here are some time tested strategies.1) Write an article for a magazine, website, newspaper, etc. 2) Start an industry based newsletter 3) Teach a college course 4) Appear on a radio show 5) Record an industry related
to show readers how knowledgeable you are on your subject. When your readers see how much information you have to share on a subject, they'll recommend your blog to others who are interested in the subject. These are the kinds of readers you want. Just remember, some of your readers will know as much about the subject as you do. So check your facts before posting.
Limitless
Corporate blogs can be configured in endless ways to serve endless roles. They can stand alone, be part of a website, or be part of a larger network of blogs. Because the technical aspects of a corporate blog are limitless, so too are the uses for the blog.
Manageable
Blogs reduce the technical side of web publishing to such a degree that anyone can blog, regardless of their web experience. Blogs are so manageable, in fact, that even a large web presence built on blogging technology can be managed by a single individual. In this way, blogs are only an initial burden on the IT department. Once a blog is setup, it can be managed by the author alone.
Non-invasive
Corporate blogs "pull" readers to the message, rather than "push" the message to the reader. People can sign up for a blog in total privacy, simply by pulling the blog's RSS feed into their feed reader. In this way, corporate blogs are non-invasive for readers. The readers come to the blog -- the blog is not thrust upon them, like other forms of corporate communication. As long as blogs adhere to this non-invasive, respectful approach, they will be held in higher esteem than other communication channels like email.
Operational
Corporate blogs are more than simple communications tools. With their versatility and ease of use, a corporate blog can server operational roles. This might include internal collaboration (like an intranet) or outward instruction (like an interactive Q&A forum). Blogs can be an active part of your organization's daily operations.
Purposeful
The key to a good blogging experience is to have a purpose. Sure, you can plunge right into corporate blogging and figure out your purpose as you go. That's part of the appeal. But your blog will be more effective (and easier to produce) if you have a blogging plan and purpose. Maybe your blogging purpose is to educate readers on what goes on behind the scenes at your company. Maybe you want to increase your visibility on the Web. Or maybe the CEO wants to share his ideas on the business to foster interaction. Fill in the blanks as needed, just be sure you have a purpose behind your blogging efforts.
Qualitative and Quantitative
When corporate blogging is done well, it has both a quantitative and qualitative affect. Because blogs are easy to publish, they help you increase the quantity of content on your website. This increases your blog's value to readers, as well as its visibility to search engines. If the content is also useful and informative to your key audience, the blog adds quality. A well-managed corporate blog can enhance your web presence by adding both quantity and quality.
Reusable
Blog content can be reused for a variety of purposes. For example, if you expand on a blog post (or compile several blog posts), you can create articles that you can syndicate online. This will help you grow your web presence and even more. This is one of the strategies I teach through my blogging guide mentioned at the end of this article. Another example of reusing blog content -- Seth Godin's book Small Is the New Big is simply a compilation of his blog posts over the last few years.
Straightforward
Okay, so this is somewhat repetitive of ‘C' for candid. But it's worth repeating. The most popular of the corporate and CEO blogs reached their level of popularity by being straightforward. And here, I'm referring to both the design and the content of the corporate blog. Blogs that are "overly designed" don't really look like blogs at all. They look like corporate websites, which (I believe) takes away some of their candidness and authenticity. The same is true of blog content. Blog postings that are straightforward and candid will generate more trust, interaction and "buzz" among the blog's readers than thinly-veiled corporate speak.
Thoughtful
The best corporate blogs are thoughtful. I don't mean thoughtful in the sense of "kind," although kindness goes a long way on the Web. I mean thoughtful as in "full of thought." Blogs with a lot of "fluff" don't fare well in the corporate blogosphere. So be sure you put some thought into your blog's content.
Usable
Your corporate blog should be easy to navigate and read. In fact, any blog should be easy to use, or any website for that matter. Web readers and researches are skilled at hopping from site to site. They don't need much of a reason to bail out on you, and they'll do just that if your blog is hard to navigate. Review a list of the most widely read blogs on the Internet, and you'll find they have something in common -- they all have simple designs with high levels of usability.
Voluntary
You should blog because you want to, not because you think you have to. If you start a corporate blog just because people say you should, it will lack the heartfelt enthusiasm that's a hallmark of great blogs. (See ‘E' for enthusiasm above.)
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Casual Articles - The Corporate Blogging Alphabet

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