You’ve started a business and created a business blog, good for you! The look of your blog is important and so is your content. But there is something else that is more important that both of those: proof reading. Business or personal, this is one thing people forget about when they sit down to blog. You can have the best designed blog with amazing content, but if your readers come across multiple spelling and grammar mistakes in your post you will lose credibility.

So you’re not a master copy editor? Don’t worry most people aren’t, but there are ways to work around issue. The most important tip I can offer here is to just take your time and not be so quick to hit that publish button. It is exciting to finish a blog post that you’re proud about, so why not take the time to put the finishing touches on it before it goes live?

Did you ever turn in an English paper without reading over it before turning it in? Wait, don’t answer that! It may have been something you actually did. To catch mistakes, it might be helpful to read what you’ve written aloud. Our eyes are an amazing thing, but sometimes they don’t catch the little things that will stick out like a sore thumb. This will more than likely catch most of your grammar mistakes and save you some embarrassment.

Are you a horrible speller? Bad spellers of the world untie! Just a small switch of a letter gives a sentence a whole new meaning; that is why it is important to catch those spelling mistakes. If you’re a bad speller, there’s not much that can be done except run a spell check. And if you’re ever in doubt that you’re spelling a word wrong, simply look it up. Dictionaries are a wonderful thing and handy tool for any blogger.

Lastly, having someone look over your post before publishing it will always help. A fresh set of eyes can go a long way. Don’t forget you’re highly connected to your post and are familiar with it, so sometimes having another set of eyes not so connected to work will catch mistakes you never spotted.
Proofreading is an extremely important part of blogging and without it you may lose your audience.

Readers may find it difficult to continue reading your posts if they don’t understand what you’re trying to say. It only takes a few extra minutes to look over your work and those minutes could make all the difference.

Having a Facebook page isn’t enough to in the world of social media. Facebook is a great social media tool, but to gain results companies must utilize the social media site correctly. A company needs to interact with customers or potential clients to get a ROI. Social media is a slippery slope for any company because feedback may come in a positive or negative light, but having the feedback and interaction is what social media is all about.

Now Facebook is making easier for customers to communicate with brands they love…or hate. Facebook is introducing “page tagging” which will allow Facebook users to tag company, brand and celebrity pages in their photos. This can do wonders to strengthen a brand and is a great benefit to any company.

Facebook page tagging is a great WOM (word-of-mouth) campaign out there. Any company and brand can benefit from this new feature by starting a viral campaign. For example, Sweet Leaf Tea could start a campaign to have customers tag pictures of how their product fits into their summer time activities. Sweet Leaf Tea would be photographed over a large geographic area with different types of people. This not only helps the company, but this could spark inspiration among customers who might want to try Sweet Leaf Tea in a new way. Also, this is a great way for customers to have their friends try out a product they never thought they would like. People will be able to see their friends enjoying a great product which can set off a chain of events.

Companies can get customer feedback at its finest. How does a company know when their product or services are taking off? There is an increase in revenue. But now companies will be able to see their success in pictures. Or maybe there isn’t something quite right about the product and customers can give feedback on how to make it better by showing your company where the product failed. Any feedback is worth it because it will help build your brand in the long run.

Free advertising. Mashable used the example of people tagging themselves or others wearing Levi’s jeans and those pictures being posted on Levi’s Facebook page. Just imagine how this could work for your company; there will be people taking pictures eating your food and tagging it or wearing your clothes or shopping your stores…the possibilities are endless and your company didn’t have to pay for it. When you can get something of good quality for free it’s always plus. And people trust the advice of others over any other type of advertising, so it’s definitely a win/win situation.

The Facebook page tagging feature will be available soon to help you build your brand. The only question is: how will your company effectively use Facebook page tagging? Remember, what works for one company may not work for another, so it’s important to find out how this feature will work for your business. There are many great campaigns to come from this simple feature using Facebook. If you need help, don’t forget Bee Succinct is always here to help.

There’s nothing more frustrating than trying to find out information about a company’s services on the internet and you find out there is no site for the company.  The internet is here and a very important tool for all aspects of life, personal and business, and if your company isn’t on the web, then you are missing out on valuable business.

If people search for your company and don’t come up with a page, it’s more than likely you’ve just lost business.  A person is more likely to give their business to a company that has a presence on the internet.  This gives the consumer time to research your company’s products and services, plus a site helps sets the tone of your business.  A site is so much more than just putting your product and/or service out there.  It’s a chance to let your future customer learn more about your company and what your company is all about.  The consumer becomes more invested in your brand and will develop a bond that will keep them coming back in the future.

A website might help build your brand and your customer base, but it will also legitimize your company. People will take your company more seriously when they see that you have a spot on the web.  A website that is done right will show the world your company is professional.

Most people think having a spot on the web is enough, but there are ways to get on the web the right way.  The biggest mistake by some small businesses is not having a domain name.  There are plenty of free services out there that get you on the web, but it’s very important to have your own domain name (www.yournamehere.com). A domain name is personal to your company and is a great start in the right direction.

A domain name also provides you will the ability to have a professional e-mail address.  I have come across so many small businesses that have e-mail addresses but they are at Yahoo, Hotmail or AOL.  Those services may be fine for your personal e-mail address, but not for business.  When seeing those free service e-mails it gives the appearance you’re not “hip” with the internet AND that you’re too cheap to get a company address.  Having a free e-mail address is a quick way not to have a potential customer, vendor, or client take you seriously.

With just $10 a year and a $3/month hosting account you can really make a big difference to your company.  Having a place on the web is very important to establishing and growing your business because it puts your brand out there.  And when your brand is out there, you never know how much more business you will attract.

If you are looking to get on the web, here are some great places to get your start.

GoDaddy.com is a great place to register your domain.  It’s fast, cost effective and an easy place to manage your domains.

I have used Surpass Hosting to host my domains for almost a decade.  The service is reliable and cheap which is hard to come by these days.  The customer service is phenomenal and they are always there to help when you need it.

Bee Succinct is built on WordPress.  It’s a free blogging software that is taking over the internet.  With plugins, your WordPress site can do anything you want it too.  And there are plenty of themes to choose from to make your web site stand out from the rest. Or if you’re not that web savvy, there is TypePad which is WordPress, but a paid version where you don’t have to worry about installation or any of the nuances of WordPress.  Plans start at $4.99 and you have use your own domain name.

We’ve all seen bar codes and know what they are for, but have you ever seen a QR code?  Chances are you have but didn’t pay much attention to it.  This morning on Market Place Morning Report via National Public Radio (NPR) these QR codes were discussed and now we finally know what’s behind those little black squares.

QR stands for Quick Response and these codes can open up more content to your employees and customers.  Smart phones these days do everything and QR codes are one more thing that bring customers closer to their product.  When the QR code is scanned with a smart phone, the user is led to more content on the internet such as a web page, video our even an audio file.

Just imagine the possibilities that come along with using QR codes.  Car companies or car dealerships can put QR codes on cars ready to be sold and can take you into a preview of what your life will be with this car before you even get in it.  Art museums or galleries can take you deeper into the world of art; musicians can link to live performance or even larger snippet of their new single.  And movie goers can learn more about their new favorite film before they’ve hit the theaters with just a click.  The possibilities are large and all it will take is a creative imagination to reach your customers.

QR codes will open up a new wave in social media, advertising and marketing for the people who use it correctly.  Chipotle has been using QR codes on menus to send customers to videos of celebrities talking about healthy eating.  The only problem with QR codes, people just don’t know what they are.  They probably have seen them before but didn’t pay much attention to them.  Or chances are, they haven’t seen them at all.  What will it take to have these codes become the forefront in marketing?  This is  start, just by getting the word out there.  People will start to catch on, but companies need to use it correctly.  Great content must grab the attention of the customer to keep them coming back and passing the information on to people they know.  After the QR code freshness wears off, the message still needs to grab the customer so content is key!

This is something every company should take into consideration because this is just another facet of social media.  If you want to read more about QR codes or the story on MMR, click here.

Wait!  Have you seen a QR code on a business card or in the store but don’t know how to use it?  Here are some apps that will help you navigate the QR code world:

• quiQR ($1.99)
• QR Reader for iPhone (free)
• Quickmark QR Reader ($0.99)

If you want to find out more about QR readers, CNET did a great write up on the QR readers.

Tonight Conan makes his return to television after being shafted by NBC, but he hasn’t been sitting idly by waiting for his return. Yes, TBS added him to their line up months ago, but O’Brien was legally bound to stay away from television for a year so instead he took his show on the road. The unique thing about this is he used Twitter to motivate and market.

O’Brien marketed his “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television” through Twitter and it sold out within hours. Conan O’Brien is a huge name and may have already had a huge following behind him, but doesn’t it say something that his only form of advertising was Twitter…and it worked!

This is just another example of how social media can work to your advantage. Maybe it’s time for your company to restructure it’s marketing plan to include the power of social networks.