Enhance Your Knowledge

7 Best Marketing Ideas For Small Business

2013-01-30T02:21:00.000-08:00

1. Marketing Ideas For Small Business - Who, What Why, How, Where And When

Rudyard Kipling's six honest serving men are great guides through the marketing minefield. Who are you going to sell to? What is your ideal client like? What do they need? Why do they need it? When? How will you provide it and where? Narrow each of these answers down and focus on where your ideal customers hang out. Now you have a clear idea where you should put your marketing messages and how to communicate it most effectively.

2. Marketing Ideas For Small Business - Good Is No Longer Good Enough

You going to need to be outstanding in some way to get noticed in today's crowded marketplace. The Impact Equation by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith define this as 'contrast'. One way of being outstanding is instead of thinking about marketing as a separate activity, provide the best customer service as a marketing strategy. This means making yourself stand out by going the extra mile for your customers. This sounds daunting, but it can be done by breaking down your customer buying experience into stages, and working out the best way to communicate with the customer at each stage. Write down the process to ensure your approach stays consistent as your business grows.

3. Marketing Ideas For Small Business - The Question Is 'How Much Do You Want To Grow?'

You need to be focused and you need a marketing plan. First list your existing customers and work out for each the amount of current sales for the coming year. A month by month approach works well. Now comes the fun part. How much do you plan to earn from new customers? Your new customers should fit your ideal customer profile. How many of these new customers do you need each month to reach this goal? How much will they spend? You have already worked out where they hang out. Now you are focused on how you are going to achieve your marketing plan.

4. Marketing Ideas For Small Business- Leave Your Ego At The Door

Your best marketing strategy is to put your customers first. It's all about them. Make sure that you focus on them in all your communications. What are your needs? How can I help you? They are really not interested in you, only what you can do for them. In his book '7 Secrets Of Highly Effective Marketing', Richard Lomax talks about 'direct response marketing', which means that before you invest any time or money in a specific activity, you must ask yourself: "How are we going to accurately measure the response?" Simple measuring mechanisms include a unique phone number to ring, a promotional code or a web page for people to visit.

5. Marketing Ideas For Small Business - How To Get Your Prospects To Come To You

Part of your best marketing strategy involves branding yourself as an expert in your niche market. You are an expert, your customers need to believe that too. Then they will start coming to you. In his book 'Growing Your Service Firm', Robert Craven writes that an expert has 7 characteristics and how to develop them. This involves focusing on your unique USP which will make you stand out and then writing, speaking, knowing the right people, possessing a good website and database, having an expertise or an 'ology' and making the best use of testimonials and endorsements.

Following this through to your online presence also requires effort. This is good news for small business as once you have established your website, many of the methods are free.

6. Marketing Ideas For Small Business - Being Simply Irresistible

You need to make it so absolutely irresistible for a targeted new customer or client to buy from you for their very first time, that they will find it impossible not to. Does that sound expensive? Not when you consider the lifetime value of that loyal customer. How are you going to keep them?

7. Marketing Ideas For Small Business - 'Best Friend Forever' Policy

Just like a close personal friendship or partnership, you must respect and nurture your relationship with your customers if you hope to harvest the best results from it. Be their trusted adviser. Communicate good news, and keep in touch just like you would with a best friend. This will make it impossible for your customers to want to look elsewhere for the services or products you offer.

6 Tips to Avoid Getting Sick While at the Office

2013-01-23T01:26:00.001-08:00

Exercise Common Courtesy

This may seem like common sense but most people seem to forget that when they are sick others can get sick as well. If you find yourself sneezing or coughing at work, remember to cover your mouth to avoid spreading germs. The best way to cover your mouth would be to find a tissue nearby, but if you are out of those or have a sneak attack cough, use your arm or instead of your hand. It is easy to forget after that you need to wash your hands and may find yourself continuing on with your work.

Stay at Home

Everyone knows the uncomfortable feeling of working in the same room as someone who is coughing a lung up or sneezing like they are having an allergic reaction. Your first response is to tell them to go home, but being the polite individual that you probably are, you usually have to suck it up and continue on with your work day or have to pop an Airborne in your water. If you feel like you might get people sick while you are working it is probably best to stay home. Most companies offer full-time employees sick and vacation days for a reason, so be certain to utilize that time off to rest and get yourself better. As the doctor always says, it is better to get rest and relax rather than trying to work through the normal work day's stress and long hours. If you don't have sick time, ask your boss if you can take a few hours off or have a half day at work. He/she will most likely understand as everyone has been in your position before.

Don't Touch Your Face

This tip is perhaps the easiest to forget but is also the easiest and fastest way to get sick. Touching your face is one of those unconscious movements that you do not even realize you are doing because it has become such a habit which is why it is essential to try to make a conscious effort to avoid it. It may be tempting to want to rest your face on your hand as the day drags on but when germs get in contact with your mouth, eyes, or nose, you may as well get prepared to call in sick the next day.

Keep Your Workspace Clean

This is often easier said than done, however it is important to make a conscious effort to keep your workspace clean and tidy. The keyboard and your mouse come in contact with numerous individuals throughout the work week and it is easy to forget that these people could have easily forgotten to wash their hands after they sneezed or even worse used the restroom. Use a Lysol wipe to sanitize your keyboard, mouse, desk phone, and desk space at least once a week to avoid unwanted germs. Even if you do not share any of your office accessories with your coworkers it is still possibly to reinfect yourself with prior illnesses and germs you may have unknowingly been on your hands while working. Instead of using the old excuse that you are, "too busy", make some time on a Friday to clean when you are anxiously staring at the clock avoiding your work to fill it up with cleaning. Time will go by faster, promise.

Wash Your Hands Frequently

Your hands are the main carriers of germs and viruses, which is why they are the most important to keep clean. Form a habit (it only takes 21 days!) of washing your hands every time you eat food, after you use the restroom, after touching other people's possessions, handling garbage, and blowing your nose. If you want to be extra cautious, prior to washing your hands get your paper towel pulled down and ready to use. Then proceed to wash hands for at least 20 seconds making sure to rub your hands together well. After, use your paper towel to not only wipe your hands but to turn off the faucet as well.

Exercise, Get Sleep, and Eat Healthy

You hear it from your doctor every time you visit them that eating healthy, getting a full eight hours of sleep every night, and exercising are the main deterrents of illnesses. It is advisable to get at least one hours of exercise in a day to maintain a healthy lifestyle, even if that means going on a short walk during your lunch break or spending an hour at the gym after work. The British Journal of Sports Medicine found in a study of 1,000 adults up to the age of 85 that people who are physically fit have fewer colds and, when they do get sick, have milder symptoms. Drinking eight glasses of water and eating a balanced meal are also advised. Pretending to be allergic to vegetables and fruit no longer applies once you are over the age of 5 so keep that in mind when selecting your meals for the day.

Follow these tips above and you may find yourself getting sick less often, or at the very least being more immune to your sick coworkers.

Ten Missteps That Could Cost You Your Business

2013-01-12T02:16:00.001-08:00

Misstep #1. Getting Rich Quick: When you hear about a young, slick entrepreneur with a simple idea that brought him/her seemingly overnight riches, it is easy to get caught up in the moment and think you can do the same.

What did it take that person to get there? Short-changing yourself of the journey to success is the quickest way to achieve overnight failure. Stay within your financial means and plan for the future. Rome was not built in a day and neither will your fortune.

Misstep #2. Starting a Business While Employed with a Potential Competitor (or its staff): Starting your business involved in a lawsuit can mean disaster. Confirm all non-compete agreements are reviewed and calendared. It is good to be ambitious, but an impulsive move can land you in hot water.

Misstep #3. Diverging From Your Business Plan: When you formulate a business plan, funding is reliant on your abidance to it. Do not let your ego get in the way. You may open yourself up to accusations of negligence by straying.

Misstep #4. Legal Mistakes Can be Solved Later: The moment when you get a lawyer to solve your legal problems is probably too late. Make sure you have done your due diligence and have the proper resources in place to properly guide you how to start a business the right way.

Misstep #5. Being a Weak Leader: Your employees took a chance on you because they thought you had the resources to grow the next great American business. Do not let them down. Make the tough decisions and put the interests of the business and its employees at the forefront. Be open and approachable without bending on your convictions, let your leadership qualities shine through.

Misstep #6. Being 100% Business 100% of the time: Recognize that your business passion is not necessarily someone else's. People have lives to live just as you do and when your business becomes all-consuming, you negate the needs of others. Make your business a place that others want to work, frequent and promote.

Misstep #7. Having no Mission or Purpose to the Business: Share your vision with your employees. Have a clear mission statement and definitive goals for the future. Let your business partners and employees contribute to it.

Misstep #8. Negotiating Venture Capital Based on Valuation: Are you going public? Did you do the proper due diligence? Venture capital firms want to see that you have empirical evidence of the need for your niche. Fulfill that and you will be sought by those who want to share in your vision.

Misstep #9. Incorporate Late in the Game: In order to save money, some startups take shortcuts. If you truly think you have a unique product or service to offer, save the money and incorporate appropriately. "Flying under the radar" brings long-term heartaches and could cost you money in the future. Get good professional advice to protect yourself and your employees.

Misstep #10. Lastly, hire an attorney versed in business law and intellectual property protection: Hire an attorney from the outset and you may avoid some of the legal pitfalls. Lawyers are for those who plan ahead. You have insurance for your home, car and personal belongings well before disaster strikes. Why not do the same for your business which provides you and your employees a livelihood?

Top 10 Excuses for Leaving Work Early

2013-01-10T01:23:00.001-08:00

1. Illness

Being sick is the best excuse and always works for most employees. Inform your boss that you are having a terrible stomachache or headache and, need to see a doctor immediately.

2. Children

Often people leave work early because their child is in trouble. They have met an accident and need to be taken to a hospital without delay. Besides, your baby-sitter might be leaving early today, so it is required that you reach home as soon as possible.

3. Home Emergencies

You are at work and all of a sudden you receive a call from your neighbor stating that your water pipe has broken. The water has flooded your home and is about to enter their home. The reason sounds quite genuine and your boss will never insist you to stay at work.

4. Snow Storm

If the weather is stormy, you can use it as a good excuse to leave work early.

5. Additional Time to Reach Airport/Important Venue

The weather is really bad and you have to catch a flight in the evening. You need to leave early so that you can reach the airport on time. (Here, you can think of your own destination where you have to reach the following day, bearing in mind the weather is bad.)

6. Guests Are Arriving In Time

Your maternal cousin and his wife (or any other relative) are visiting. Due to some reasons they are arriving earlier than you have expected them, and this is why you need to go home early.

7. Dentist Appointment

You have been miserable for the past two days because of pain in your canine/molar tooth. You made an appointment with your dentist who is usually very busy. Losing this opportunity means no further appointment in the next few weeks.

8. Special Occasions

Your best friend (or any other important person in your life) is getting married the next Saturday. They live on the outskirts of town and that's why you need to leave work at least 5 hours early.

9. Special delivery

You have booked new furniture and it has to be shipped today. The company is about to 'deliver' your order in the next few hours, for which your presence is mandatory.

10. Death

One of your relatives has died and you have to be at their funeral. It will prevent your from further wrangle and you can get a day off easily.

7 Advanced LinkedIn Tips: Monthly To Do List

2013-01-06T02:37:00.004-08:00

1. Make a list of 10 Thought Leaders

Identify 10 thought leaders in your industry who share high quality content which is valuable to your clients. Include friends and partners who will help you by cross promoting. Connect with them on LinkedIn, follow them on Twitter, join their Google or Triberr groups. Set up a process to review their content and re-post to your network.

2. Refresh Your Monthly LinkedIn Goals

What are your LinkedIn lead generation goals for this month? How did you do last month? Now is a great time to review goals, and fine tune strategies and metrics. What get's measured get's done.

3. Identify 3 Industry Leaders

Create a list of the top 3 leaders in your industry that you would like to meet. If you're in sales, these could be prospects. If you're looking for a job, it could be employers. If you're a business consultant think about non-competitive joint venture partners. Make a list, and then go learn about them. LinkedIn and Google are great places to get started.

4. Review Social Dashboards

Evaluate the effectiveness of your current social dashboards. Are you using them effectively? Do you need to refresh settings, or adjust posting criteria? Is the expense a worthwhile investment? If you are not yet using a social dashboard consider signing up for one. My favorite is Hootsuite. It's easy to use, will post to a multitude of accounts and is less than the cost of a cup of designer coffee every month.

5. Download LinkedIn Connections

Do it now. It only takes two minutes. Go to your LinkedIn contacts list and at the bottom of the page, you'll see "Export Connections". Export to outlook and save as a .CSV file. It can be opened in Excel. Why is this important? Connections are a business asset. LinkedIn has closed profiles without notice so protect your asset. While this is unlikely, disasters are equally unlikely yet you still buy insurance. Think of this as free insurance: set up a reminder to download your list.

6. Protect Your LinkedIn Asset

Download your LinkedIn profile. You've worked hard to craft just the right message, and gathered details from the past like years graduated, papers published, and accomplishments. Log into LinkedIn and go to your profile view. Just to the bottom right side of your profile photo is an edit drop down menu. Look for the 'export to PDF' choice. Click on it and it will save to your machine.

7. Update Your Profile Summary

Go to your profile summary and read it from a client's view point. Is it compelling? Does it inspire you to reach out and connect? Is it memorable? Do you feel like it's written exactly for you the reader? Is it written in first person? Can you easily find their contact information? Update based on information you learned during the last month about your industry, or clients. Did you lead a webinar? Teach or take a class? Help a client achieve an amazing goal?

5 Keys to Growing Your Business Through Marketing

2013-01-05T00:59:00.006-08:00

The first key is to understand your current customers very well. Who are they? What is it about your product or service that they like? Why do they choose your particular product or service over another? Is there something unique about what you do or what you offer that keeps them coming back? In reality, your customers have a need that you are meeting. Understand what that is and you will be able to find other people with the same need.

The second key is to identify your target market segments. Based on who is already doing business with you, you can target specific markets that would be good candidates. You can use demographics, geographic area and psychographic information (attitudes, aspirations, and other psychological criteria) to create these segments. If you sell to other businesses, then it would be important to include size of company based on revenue or employees and industry sector. For instance, you may be targeting green builders in the states of Oregon and Washington that have designed or built LEED certified projects. If you are introducing a new product or service, you will want to consider early adapters vs. laggards. Keep in mind that you should come up with multiple segments that could be possibilities.

The third key is to prioritize your target market segments according to the easiest ones to reach. They may not be the largest segment, but if it's easy and inexpensive to build awareness with them, you will have a higher return on your investment. Then you can move on to the next one. It may be that you can reach them directly, which is even better. Whenever you have the opportunity for direct contact with potential customers, you can design more effective marketing to talk directly with them.

The fourth key is to create a strategy for reaching the identified target segments. If there is not the opportunity to contact the segment directly; you will need to review ways the people or companies in the segment take in information. You want to again find the least expensive ways to get your company's products and services recognized by the market segment. This could include traditional media, social media, electronic media, publicity or others. It could even include partnerships with other companies that have direct access to the market segments you are trying to reach. Then take that information and create a strategy that can be executed over a defined period of time. This would include the creative and messaging as part of the strategy that will resonate with the intended audience.

The fifth key is to execute your strategy effectively. Once you have a strategy in place, it's important to execute over a defined period of time. Remember that marketing takes time to be effective and allow expectations to match. Otherwise, you may be disappointed.

Effective marketing is an ongoing effort. It's an investment and it will take time to see a return on the investment. You may need to pivot your efforts as you see the results of the different segments you are targeting. But, if you continue to work through these keys, you will be successful at marketing and successful in business.

10 Best Ways To Make Money Online

2013-01-03T02:55:00.001-08:00

Infolinks - If you have a website or blog that has good content on any specific topic then you can get your site or blog registered with Infolinks. They provide in-text advertising to their members. You must have seen content text links to different sites in different article directories; they are nothing but in-text advertising. It is a great source of earning money online.

Build a Niche Store - It is another simple yet powerful tool to make some quick money online. It provides an opportunity to create content based online stores and make money with eBay affiliate program. It is very simple and people are earning a lot from it.

Adbrite - With Adbrite you can sell some vacant space on your website or blog for text advertisement and earn good money from this deal.

Amazon Affiliate Program - Being an Amazon affiliate marketer you may either send direct visitors to the Amazon or create a shopping section or a store on your site or blog and easily earn money online. In any case Amazon takes care of your visitors and provides high conversion rate and great commission.

Amazon Seller - If you are creative enough to manufacture any specific item which has great demand in the present market then you can easily become Amazon seller and start selling your items online to earn more profits out of them.

Yahoo! Merchant Solutions - If you want to create an online store and sell your products or services then you can always trust on Yahoo! Merchant Solutions. They provide good services at low investment.

Azoogleads - It is similar to Adbrite. Provide some space of your website or blog for Azoogleads advertisers and earn money. Azoogleads has a good number of well known advertisers which provide great opportunity to earn good money.

BidVertiser - It is another great source to earn money and know the real value of your website's advertisement section. Place ads through BidVertiser and earn money with PPC program. You will always see the highest bid for your website advertisement space which gives you an opportunity to earn big.

Blog - Apart from creating websites and earning money through different online sources, you have always a chance to create your own blog based on your interest, update it regularly, plan and place good ads, and earn steady money for long time.

Commission Junction - It is another world renowned affiliate program site which provides great opportunity to all website and blog owners to come and join for free. Once you are registered with Commission Junction, you can choose from the thousand merchants and display their ads on your website. Based on different performances and terms laid down by merchants, publishers get a good chance of earning money online.

Why Communication Skills Are So Important In Business

2013-01-02T02:51:00.001-08:00

Communications skills encompass not only your interaction with customers, but also with your fellow co-workers and employees. Effective management also comes about as a result of effective communication, so to use your skills to their best advantage you need to ask yourself a few questions about how you communicate with those around you.

What's YOUR Personal Communication Style?

Are you forthright and unafraid to voice your opinion, or are you more empathic, picking up on the unspoken communication 'tells' of others and responding accordingly? To find out how effectively you're getting the message across, you need to discover what type of communicator you are, and whether your method is helping or hindering you.

What Are The Building Blocks Of Powerful Communication?

How do you garner the right response from the person you're talking to? Are you laying a solid foundation from which to build a good, long-term business relationship, or are you jeopardising that future by using the wrong shaped communication blocks?

Are You A Listener Or A Talker?

Good communications in business, whether you're talking to a client or an employee, is a two-way street. Dominating the conversation may seem to get the results you want in the short term, but be too forceful and again you could be jeopardising your longer term relationship and, consequently, the success of your relationship.

What Do You Want To Achieve?

To ensure your business communications are effective and not just 'wasted words', having a clear goal in mind is essential. Without that, you can say plenty... but mean nothing.

Are You Making Mistakes Along The Way?

We all believe that we're capable communicators, but a simple phrase incorrectly delivered can make all the difference to a successful outcome. Do you know how to recognise your communication mistakes? And what are the common pitfalls in the communication process that can scupper a successful business deal or sour relationships between management and staff?

When you step back and look at how important the art of good communication in business really is, you can understand why so many people fail! If you think you could benefit from a little verbal 'polishing' to ensure you get your message across then don't be afraid to consider brushing up your skills with dedicated communication skills training.

Market to Your Customers Senses

2012-12-31T00:33:00.000-08:00

You can really ramp up the effectiveness of your marketing by playing to your customers' senses. Have your website, printed brochure, email communications, and TV commercials talk about how your product looks, sounds, smells, and feels.

A lot of top car sales people will start a test drive with a customer by saying "mmm I never get tired of the smell of a new car." The sales person who rides in new cars all day never really notices the smell, but she knows the customer probably hasn't been in a new car in several years. The new smell is associated with the fun and excitement of a new purchase. So the savvy sales person wastes no time in pointing out how the product smells.

You could say the same thing about everything from baked goods to plastic items that still smell new from the manufacturing process.

The Web has dramatically increased every business's ability to show how a product looks. You can have 10 to 15 photos of the product taken from every angle and focusing up close on all the major details. This method of promoting to sight is especially evident on eBay. I'm always more likely to buy the product that has lots of clear photos rather than the one with a single blurry shot made with a cell phone in low light.

Does your product make a sound? Point out how the hum, purr, roar, or highly calibrated whir is the sign of premium craftsmanship. Your ad can talk about the sound and how it gets attention, how others will immediately know you've bought quality.

Point out how the product feels. Is it soft, firm, heavy, light? Which of these things are associated with quality in the minds of your prospects and customers. Many people value heavy cars. A better vacuum cleaner should always be lighter. Skin can be both soft and firm.

What if you sell a service? You can still market to senses effectively. Computer repair probably focuses on convenience and reliability. But the repair firm could also talk about the sounds a distressed computer makes and the stylish look and feel of new computers. In this case add one or two references to the senses mixed in with the usual features and benefits of your service.

We humans get all our information about the world around us from our senses. It only makes sense to refer to these constant sensations when trying to paint a positive picture of your product or service in the minds of prospects.

Make a short list of the positive ways people describe your product or service. Make sure a few touch, taste, smell, or sound references are included. Use those descriptions in your marketing copy. Your copy will work much better to capture the attention and imagination of your audience.

When marketing gets attention and gets people personally involved, it sells. The more a person is involved in your marketing, the more they buy and the sooner the buy.

6 Reasons Why Businesses Fail

2012-12-30T01:09:00.003-08:00

1) Starting the business with the wrong objectives

You should never start a business for the sole reason of making a lot of cash quickly. There is also a misconception that if you start your own business, you will get more time to spend with your family and that you will always answer to yourself. However, this is unlikely to be the case.

You should start a business because you've got a deep passion for what you want to do and strongly believe that your products and services will respond to the needs of the consumers. You should have a firm understanding of why your product is unique and why people will buy from you and not from your competitors.

2) Lack of proper planning

Success in business can be achieved by careful, systematic and strategic planning as well as hard work and determination. Most small businesses fail due to a lack of proper business planning. A good business plan needs to be realistic and accurate. It should contain all aspects of the business such as the unique selling proposition, competition, workforce needs, potential challenges and solutions, financial details and so on. You should prepare detailed and realistic estimates of revenues and costs for three years. Determine if it will all be worth the effort several years down the road before you invest your time and money and your friends and family's money.

3) Poor Management

Many studies indicate that poor management is the major cause of business failures. Most businesses often lack the proper expertise in vital areas such as marketing and sales, finance, human resources, procurement, production, etc. You need to put the right management team in place; a team that has the ability to study, plan, organize and control all aspects of business operations. Recruitment can be an onerous, expensive and time consuming task. If you have open or weak areas in your management team, consider the use of contractors/consultants to strengthen weak areas or fill vacancies. There are many benefits to using consultants both financial and effectiveness related.

4) Insufficient Capital

Most business owners tend to underestimate the amount of money required to run a business and end up operating with insufficient funds. Others may also expect unrealistic profits from the sales. Remember, the customer determines the price not you.Therefore, it is important to establish the actual amount of funds you will require to start and run your business. In the case of very early stage pre-revenue companies, it is important that the management team maintain their focus on the first release of a saleable first version of the product. You need revenue to survive. In my experience it always takes longer and requires more funds to do anything. Don't try to 'boil the ocean' with your first version of a product. Focus on getting those first cheques coming in the door. I have seen many CEOs doom their company to failure as they chase all opportunities that come their way. Instead of focusing and delivering high value to the segment that they initially targeted. They end up doing nothing well for a broader market.

5) Lack of a Proper Website

With the rapid increase of internet users today, you need to register a strong online presence to operate a business. In a recently released survey, (January 2012), Cisco found that 74 percent of consumers turn to the web to conduct research before making a purchase in store. The findings place a premium on digital content marketing campaigns that can help answer shoppers' questions and point them in the direction of a brand. At the start of a business, a professionally designed website is recommended to enable users to find you and get well acquainted with your products and services. Those of you that saw the movie "The Dirty Dozen" will likely remember the line spoken after the soldiers were inspected by a visiting officer: "Very pretty, General. Very pretty. But, can they fight?" Your Website has to make a good impression and look professional that's a given, but having a good looking website isn't enough. It also has to be functional and do its job of making the market aware of you and your products. Creating and maintaining a website is complex and time-consuming. Unless this is your strength and/or your line of business, get help!

6) Overexpansion

Overexpansion is often triggered by the failure of business owners to balance between success and how quickly a business can be expanded. To avoid this business failure, the expansion of a business should be gradual and steady. Many bankruptcy cases are often triggered by rapid expansion. Once you capture a solid customer base, use your success to set the right expansion pace.

I hope that this gives you some food for thought when evaluating your plans for your company regardless of where you are in the process.

How To Get The Most Targeted Website Traffic Through Article Marketing

2012-12-29T00:37:00.004-08:00

Most people confuse blogging and article marketing mainly because both involve writing for a specific purpose. However, article marketing differs from blogging in so many aspects. For one, blogging refers to directly posting in your own website for your potential and existing pool of readers.

Article marketing, on the contrary, is done through producing quality content for other websites that may or may not be relevant to your online business. Upon posting of your content, you would just be placing a link that would direct your readers to your own website. There are different ways through which you can achieve article marketing. Here are some of them:

1. Guest-blogging

Being a guest blogger in a website that has a fair share of traffic is a great way to do article marketing. Through posting your content and link on a page that is often visited by many Internet users, you get to reach a market that is not normally within your range of regular readers. You can post a link to your website in the articles that would be published. It would help you increase the probability of having more people visit your site and eventually purchasing your products.

2. Submitting entries to article directories

Consider being a consumer in search of a particular product. When you look it up online, search engines like Yahoo! and Google would give you results that mostly pertain to articles about that product. These articles may include those that you have marketed and posted in other websites or in directories. Having quality content in article directories is an advantage because search engines can easily find your posts. However, you need to be more careful in submitting articles to these directories to avoid other writers and search engines from syndicating and duplicating your posts.

3. Posting in sharing sites

Articles in sites that are focused in revenue-sharing are also great for marketing and directing website traffic. Your articles are included in a roster of search engine results, which would consequentially improve your site statistics. You can create numerous links to your website in the articles posted in these sites and therefore increase the possibility of people being redirected to your page. Moreover, your articles are protected in that other writers would not gain permission to duplicate or syndicate your material. This is because some of the income from the ad banners posted in the sharing sites would be given to you. Definitely, you would have to be the legitimate owner of the article.

Six Ways to Use Membership Programs As a Marketing Tool

2012-12-28T00:20:00.000-08:00

At some point in your life, you were probably a member of some type of group or organization. As a child, you might have been a Scout, regularly attended a local church or belonged to a fraternity or sorority in college. As an adult, you may be a member of a professional organization, belong to a certain type of fitness center or even hang out with different Meet Up groups. However you choose to spend your time, chances are you are hanging out with people who share interests that are akin to yours.

In business, some companies are using membership marketing as a way to keep clients engaged and reward them for their loyalty. Here's how you - as a business owner - can take advantage of a membership program.

Build a community around your ideal clients. People like to associate themselves with like-minded people. So if you can create a way for these members to communicate with each other and share ideas, they can nurture the relationship within your organization. Colleague become comrades and friends, and the relationship blooms over time.

Be very specific in your messaging. When you have a group of like-minded individuals, you can tailor your messages to them. Speaking their lingo and understanding their day-to-day triumphs and tribulations demonstrate your compassion and understanding for what they are trying to accomplish. After all, you were most likely in their shoes at some point in time.

Create programs specifically for your tribe. You're also able to create tools and resources to provide on-going education to help them learn and grow. Because you are focused on a particular audience with a specific set of interests and needs, you can take advantage of gaining metrics around where they need the most help. Then you can put more effort into building programs that will help them become more accomplished and successful.

Give reason to gather and celebrate. Bringing your clients together for special events creates a tight bond. Like most associations, tradeshows and conferences are a way to bring the membership together and provide value-added education, inspiration and training. These events eventually become a much anticipated gathering year after year.

Keep door opens for new members to join. As your membership grows, word will get around about your organization. Outsiders will have their interests peaked, and they, too, won't want to be left out. Open your doors to new members on a regular basis to breath new life into your membership.

Vendors and suppliers can be leveraged for strategic partnerships. With a growing community, you bring strong value to the table in terms of your client base. You can create special member perks by partnering with vendors and suppliers who cater to your industry. Whether it is a discount on office supplies, equipment or business travel, you add value to the membership by allowing them to take advantage of special offers from approved vendors.

How To Get Business Referrals Quickly

2012-12-26T01:12:00.002-08:00

Quick Referrals

There are a few methods that with the proper investment should begin to return referrals almost immediately.

Contests

Contests are one of the quickest ways to drive traffic and possible referrals to your business. However, if you are looking to gain them quickly, offering something a bit above and beyond your usual contests rewards may be required. Go top-notch. Take one of your best selling or costliest product or service and advertise your contest with that as the prize. Big reward contests bring consumers running.

There can be contest drawbacks. Often, when a large reward is offered many of the consumers who register may have no interest in your product. This doesn't have to be an all-inclusive negative however since just having your company or product's name on the minds of others is still a great way to generate interests from those who do have a need for your offerings.

Free Samples or Gifts

Investing in the opportunity to give away a valuable free gift will bring in referrals in droves. Do not forget to use this type of opportunity to gather as much relevant information, including demographics, from those who are signing up to receive a free gift or sample. Like contests with generous rewards, this is the perfect way to learn how to get business referrals quickly.

When and where possible always take your business's name or a short URL to any free product or sample you offer. This will help keep your company's name or its brand on the minds of those who receive the gift. In this way, even if you have those who are taking advantage of a free offer on a product they may otherwise never purchase, you have still branded your company as one with the possibility of more free offerings in the future. This can also help increase social networks and your social network reach.

Sponsor an Event or Entertainment

Sponsor an event or entertainment such as an arts and crafts fair, a beneficial conference or concert or other event that will provide a source of joy while advertising your business. If you are looking for great community events to sponsor consider some of the pet health or adoption clinics or other charitable events. Not only can this type of networking referral system benefit your business in increased consumers, but it can also expand on your collaborative business networking referral options.

Take the time to brainstorm with employees or consumers about which of your products or services would make the best free gift or sample, as well as any events that your business can participate in to help brand your name.

4 Ways You Should Be Measuring Your Marketing

2012-12-24T23:51:00.003-08:00

Here are 4 metrics to regularly measure to maximize the effectiveness of your ad dollars.

1. Unique Visits to your website - With 9 out of 10 people visiting your website before reaching out in any way (Google), it is a vital gauge to the success of all the other marketing. If unique, direct traffic is low, it's time to make some adjustments in branding/advertising efforts. If you don't have Google Analytics or another tracking software implemented on your website, call your website provider.

2. CPM Cost per thousand- This formula allows you to uniformly calculate the cost of your advertising across multiple channels and media. This has given me great negotiating room with advertising vendors in the past.

CPM=((total ad placement cost/audience size)*1000)

3. CPL Cost per lead- This number helps motivate marketers and sales managers alike. A marketer should set goals for what the target lead cost is to keep ad dollars in check, while a sales manager is educated on how important each and every lead is to the organization's growth and well-being.

CPL=(total ad cost/total number of leads)

4. Acquisition Cost- And the crux of lead generation is this: the sale. Failing to measure how much each sale costs could be incredibly expensive. After all, if you're spending tens of thousands on advertising, shouldn't the sale far outweigh the cost to acquire them, so you're not simply funding a media agency's New Year's party?

Acquisition Cost = (total ad cost/revenue)

It may seem easier to skip measuring all aspects of your marketing, but doing so will hurt your business in the long run. The bottom line is obviously important, but understanding the importance of the other marketing measures will help you run a more effective marketing campaign.

7 Ways of Attracting New Customers to Your Online Store

2012-12-24T01:57:00.000-08:00

1. Get Email Subscription:

Email subscription and email marketing is a powerful tool for acquiring new customer base as well as tracking the potential customers. Do not use your email marketing strategy only for the existing customers but based on you possible customer base, run successful email campaign and let visitors subscribe for your newsletters. Once a new visitor subscribe to your newsletter, you have greater chance to convert her as your regular customer.

But there is one pit fall! Getting subscribers is comparative easier than retaining them. Be very choosy and professional about your email marketing. Otherwise you'll find most of your subscribers would happily un-subscribe from your e-store.

2. Enlist your Products to Shopping Comparison Sites and eBay:

You have quality products with competitive prices and they are not found anywhere except in your store! That would be a sad story. Your loyal customers pick you up every time they buy your products and that bring good business for you. Yet, the other world is unaware of your good products and ends up by selling someone else products. Reach to this other world customers (and believe me there are millions of these customers) and let them find your products offering. Enlisting in Shopping Comparison sites, eBay, Amazon will increase your product visibility to the world and would bring more new customers.

3. Pay per Click Advertising:

Search engine like Google is dominating the search world! Whenever a customer searches for something, the pay-per-click advertising is shown to them as recommendation. Thus lots of new customers are clicking those ads to actually buy products. Moreover, advertising are shown based on your preferences and relevancy of the searchers' search key words. Thus you can run a goal oriented advertising campaign in search engines like Google, and in social networking platform like Facebook.

Have clear goal and vivid execution in mind after the advertisement is initiated. Track the advertising results and adjust or fine tune the campaign as required.

4. Social Media Marketing:

Social Media Marketing is an effective tool for the small and medium business owners despite the recent controversy and success rate of the social media stores. Millions of people are using social networking sites and updating them about your product offering is important. With the social media marketing you can grow a completely new customer group and promote your business. Give special prices, special holiday shopping offering and create pages, conversations on your products.

Social Media can take many forms and you should accept every opportunity offered from creating a Business page on Facebook, promoting products on Google +, updating twitter and blogs.

5. Special Offer:

Virtually all the customers are attracted to the discount, SALE free offering for the products they are buying. A special discount or a Sale allure customers to purchase products more than they initially plan to purchase. However your offering should be highlighted both in the store front as well as the other places you have access.

6. Promote in YouTube:

YouTube is the second largest search engine that has far more search volumes than the Bing & Yahoo. People are prone to explore the products visually and promoting your products in YouTube would definitely add more customers to your customer list.

7. Wish List, Gift coupon and Gift Registry:

Offer your customers to create Wish List, Coupon and Gift Registry from your site that they should be able to share with their friends, family members and co-workers. Thus a single customer can share your products to many others. The shared persons then visit your store and some of them loves your products offerings and become returning customers.

How to Breathe New Life Into Your Old Business

2012-12-23T00:23:00.008-08:00

If you compare today with 10 years ago, you'll notice there are a whole lot LESS small businesses around. It's been difficult beyond difficult for many to keep going given the gigantic drop in sales nationwide. Your business dream may have been one of the millions that was shut down.

I know this is the case because so many of the sites I wrote copy, press releases, and articles for are no longer around. These were successful businesses or projects with tons of possibilities.

Now the economy is again rising with new ways to profit and succeed. It may be time for you to breathe new life into your old business. Remember, with so many businesses and websites gone, there is a need for new products, services, and ideas from people with the energy to do it right and make it exciting.

Here are 5 ways to bring back a failed business so it earns strong income in the new economy:

1) Start over from the ground up. Bring back your business organized so it is smaller, cheaper, faster, and able to turn on a dime. That puts you miles ahead of those big businesses that lead your industry. They're stuck with big bills and a big organization that is hard to change.

2) Refocus and go after a different niche in your industry. This may be a new and growing niche that has appeared since you shut down.

3) Organize your business so you can work it part-time. You can work it on evenings and weekends while you keep your day job. Work your business while you continue to run another businesses that is still paying the bills. Plan your new business so you can work part-time even when it becomes successful. You will live a fuller life and won't burn out, giving your business one more reason to keep making good money year after year.

4) Go back over your old email lists, sales orders, and other contacts. Are your old customers still around? Contact them and let them know you're back! Everyone loves to hear from an old friend. When you see a new business take off fast, it's usually because the owner has a following from previous efforts.

5) Breathe new life into your attitude. The recession left many of us with a bad taste in our mouths. Remember how you felt back when you were enthusiastic about starting a new business. Rekindle your enthusiasm. Even if you have to get creative and invent reasons to believe you will succeed, DO IT! Belief is almost always the true key to success.

Because you tried to start a business in the past you now have experience that people can't get any other way. If your business was once successful, you also have experience that very few people have.

Real Time Information - A Brainy Way to Improve Your Business

2012-12-21T23:16:00.001-08:00

Nowadays, due to the advent of high speed internet, the world has become not only smaller but also faster. A single day would not pass by without our activities being shared as real time footage or streaming. From making money transactions to booking tickets, hotels etc., it is all done using real time information. This has led to the change in the value of money and the pattern of sales within a few hours. Thus it becomes the job of the mangers to have their company in equilibrium with the continuously changing trends and having themselves to be adequately updated to cater the need of their clients.

The rate at which a company can efficiently improvise on its frequently changing data is the key to their success. The more sluggish they are, the more losses tend to occur. In the event of finding a solution to this issue and to stay in par with the competitors, the companies can adopt real time business strategies.

The key role of this strategy is to reduce the time taken by the companies to improvise on the changing trends. It can be achieved by controlling the latency period of the data analysis and the subsequent conclusion to be formulated so that quick decisions can be undertaken.

But this strategy faces a lot of challenges. When the companies work to improvise on the changing trends of data, it is vital to include all the available information such as queries, support discussions, analysis using statistics, forecasting etc. Moreover these factors must be mined and updated in real time. To design such a system, it takes a lot of effort and there can never be a fool proof perfect system due to the constantly changing trends.

The following basic precautions can help in making this system to work efficiently.

1. There should be no compromise in the quality of the data involved. Efficient data mining is the key step in getting a successful real time information system to be integrated with your company.

2. Make sure to process the data in an efficient manner so that the quality of its analysis would be in par with the quality of the data mined. This is essential in competing with other companies.

3. Make sure to have highly efficient software that would bring the aforementioned steps into one stream. Due to the constant changes in trends, it is vital to bridge the constantly changing data to the existing analysis.

Five Reasons Repetition Is Key to Marketing Your Health Care Practice

2012-12-21T00:49:00.000-08:00

Here are five reasons why your health care practice needs to subtly and routinely repeat your marketing message in your newsletter marketing program.

1. It reinforces your message in the minds of your patients and referral sources.

Your patients won't know you are dedicated to their health unless you show them. An ideal way to do that is through a newsletter marketing program (which can also be a great way to show referring health care providers that you appreciate their referrals).

Sending newsletters filled with useful and helpful information lets them know you care about them.

2. It helps your patients remember you.

Once you start repeating your message in your newsletter marketing, patients and referral sources are more likely to remember you. After all, you've been in touch with them regularly, reinforcing your message to them in your newsletters.

The next time they need the expertise of someone in your field-or have to refer a patient-they're going to remember you and what you stand for.

3. They associate your core values with you.

Let's suppose the marketing message you've been repeating in your e-mails is about your exceptional care of patients.

The next time they need to see someone in your field, they'll remember you for your message and values and naturally choose to come to you.

After all, which patient wouldn't like to receive exceptional care?

4. They learn to trust you.

Whose advice would you trust more? The friend who e-mails you regularly, or the acquaintance with whom you only exchange Christmas cards?

When your patients or referral sources need a specialist in your field, they're going to turn to you. Why? Because they trust you. You're the friend who's been e-mailing them regularly, demonstrating your knowledge and showing them you care.

5. They establish you as an authority in your field.

Repeating your marketing message doesn't mean saying the same thing over and over again. It means saying it in as many different ways as you can.

If you've been doing your newsletter marketing right, your newsletters would be filled with helpful articles that inform and teach your audience about health issues in your field.

Just doing that will establish you as an expert.

4 Ways You Should Be Measuring Your Marketing

2012-12-19T02:13:00.003-08:00

Here are 4 metrics to regularly measure to maximize the effectiveness of your ad dollars.

CPM=((total ad placement cost/audience size)*1000)

CPL=(total ad cost/total number of leads)

Acquisition Cost = (total ad cost/revenue)

We have a saying around our office... "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it." If your office takes this message to heart, you will better manager your business and experience growth. It is time to go forth and start measuring the results of your marketing efforts.

Email Marketing Basics - 7 Keys to Success

2012-12-15T05:26:00.002-08:00

Tip #1: Keep it Simple

Sure, you can spend hundreds of dollars on fancy email template design and rack your brain for creative subject lines - but it's probably not money or time well spent. Most email marketing services offer customizable, ready-to-use templates that provide a clean, polished look. And when it comes to subject lines, research proves that clear, direct subject lines consistently outperform cute and creative ones.

Tip #2: Build Your List

It's simple math: subscribers x response rate = results. And while it can be difficult to generate a massive uptick in your response rate, it's fairly simple to grow your email list by offering a good sign up incentive such as a valuable white paper, report or coupon and promoting your list in every way possible including email footers, web pages, conferences, trade shows and social media.

Tip #3: Offer Value

Whether it's important information, a shopping discount code or even a laugh, be sure each email you send offers something of value to your readers. If your subscribers aren't benefiting from your emails, they'll be sure to tune you out.

Tip #4: Make it Personal

Typically, an email from a person performs slightly better than an email from a business. For example, an email from "Santa Claus" would be better than an email from "The Up North Toy Factory".

Tip #5: Stay on the Radar (Within Reason)

If you maintain an email marketing list, be sure to use it at least once a month. If too much time goes by between emails, subscribers may forget who you are or why they signed up for your list. On the flip side, if you're sending more than once or twice a week, your subscribers may opt out as the annoyance factor rises.

Tip #6: Experiment

Email marketers often ask questions like "What subject line is best?" and "What is the best time of day to send?" The answer: it depends. What works well for one list may not work well for yours, so most email programs offer something called an A/B split. This tool divides your list into two groups so you can test various factors, such as the best day of the week to send or the best subject line. Just remember to test one factor at a time and keep an eye on your results. When done consistently, testing will lead to the constant improvement of your email marketing efforts.

Tip #7: Know Your Goals

Once you know your email marketing goals, you'll be better able to tailor the content of your emails. For example, if you want to increase brand engagement you might offer polls or incentives for following your company on Facebook. If you want to generate new leads for a software program, send out an invitation to download a white paper on a related topic. Perhaps most importantly, setting goals will help you determine the results of your email marketing program and pave the way for future success.

Common Problems in Your Business

2012-11-06T03:05:00.000-08:00

There is always going to be the possibility for problems in any business. In some cases, these potential problems are going to come from outside sources and are going to be more physical in nature. In other cases, however, it is going to be necessary for you to protect your business from a technology threat. Here are some tips that can help to keep your business as safe as possible in a world that is facing a new trend of problems than what it did just a few short decades ago.

Perhaps the most important thing that you can do within your business to establish security is to have a code of conduct available for all of your employees. This should be in the form of a document that is made available for everyone that works for your company. It is going to be up to you to decide how much information is going to be provided and how much of the conduct of your employees is going to be regulated. You should also put consequences in place as a deterrent to breaking these rules. Typically, this is something that is going to help to introduce what is expected of your new employees when they are first hired as well as to review with individuals that may not be sticking with the regulations as they should. It is a good idea for you to review this code of conduct on a regular basis, refreshing the minds of those that work for your company during regular business meetings.

Do you handle secure documents? It doesn't matter if you do check writing or if you are handling medical documents for your customers, it is important for you to handle those documents properly. In some cases, you will need to shred documents regularly using an outside service that guarantees the security that they offer. In other cases, it may be possible for you to use a cloud service and handle all of those documents electronically. Operating through remote servers also gives you the opportunity to work remotely and to share documents, depending upon the software that is available.

If you print checks, there are going to be specific items that are needed to ensure that they are printed properly and that the security is properly in place. Having the right type of ink for magnetic ink character recognition is of vital importance. It is also important for you to limit access to the printers as well as the printer paper. This can either be done through the network or preferably, by purchasing a printer that has a locking tray.

Finally, it's a good idea for you to establish levels of computer access among those who are working for your company. In some cases, it may be necessary for full Internet access and access to all parts of the network to be granted but not everybody is going to have those permissions. When you limit the ability of some of your employees to access the Internet via their computer, you're limiting the potential problems that can occur. Make sure that any passwords that are established for this purpose are secure and are changed regularly to provide the highest level of security possible.

Top 10 Tips for Business Networking

2012-11-02T06:31:00.000-07:00

1. Keep your contacts fresh

In order to maintain your contact list and keep you in the forefront of their minds, mailing them a week before seeing them at event after months of silence won't do. Touch base with your network and be a constant reminder to them how important and helpful a contact you are.

2. Be prepared

It is a cardinal error for any businessperson whether they are a director or entry-level employee to be without their business cards. Always carry a number of business cards with you, as you never know whom you might meet, how you can help them and how they can help you.

If you don't have any corporate cards, consider having a batch printed with your essential details on them. A personally produced card looks a lot better than no card at all.

In addition you should make sure that your cards are accessible. It doesn't look very professional to have to rummage through your pockets for you card, or worse flick through a number of other people's cards before you get to your own.

3. Select your events carefully

It is important that before you attend any event you check that it is appropriate. If you are looking for a certain sector to network with, it is vital that you target your networking.

4. Check the list

The delegate list is your bible. Before you arrive, request the delegate list. If it is unavailable pick one up as soon as you arrive and study who it is you want to talk to. Networking should be strategic.

5. It is easy to be interesting

When you first enter a room remember, most people are in the same position as you and will be receptive to any conversation. Enter conservation with confidence and be the questioner: people like you to be interested and that makes you interesting. Win people over with the sincerity of your interest and your enthusiasm for their topic of conversation.

6. Attention and retention

Once you've begun engaging with new contacts, it is vital that you take in what they are saying and use it to develop your networking experience. Introducing your new contacts to other contacts with real details will make you a worthwhile and memorable new contact. Don't suffer the embarrassment of forgetting your new contact's name whilst introducing them to someone else.

7. Give don't take

Networking is all about mutual benefits. Do not go in on a selling offensive; go with the mentality that you can help others and that is why you are there. People will be more positive in receiving you.

8. Mingle

Try to see as many people as possible whilst spreading your business card far and wide. But remember new contacts may have their sights set on certain other delegates so try not to monopolise people's time.

9. Follow up

Post-networking is almost as important as making the contact in the first place. Remember to follow up with an email at the very least. To make these new contacts into contacts for life, consider dropping them a telephone call or even a handwritten note. Emails can get lost in the inbox following an influx of spam.

10. Social networking v traditional?

Social and traditional networking shouldn't be at war. Use your online presence to support and reinforce your networking position. Activity on LinkedIn can be very beneficial for research and keeping up to date with contacts both old and new.

5 Tips for Growing Your Realtor Business

2012-07-18T02:13:00.002-07:00

1. Develop a clearly differentiated brand. Your clients have no shortage of choices to assist them with their real estate needs. To survive, your Realtor business must stand out in their minds as the best choice. A brand tells your clients who you help and why you're the best choice for them. We recommend this tool for help in creating a unique and compelling small business brand.

2. Invest in a professional, credibility building website. We've written extensively about Realtor tools like a real estate agent website elsewhere, so be sure to take a look and follow this advice. It took me 10 years and thousands of dollars to learn those lessons - not some book or magazine article - so save yourself the hassles and follow the checklist!

3. Spend time on your marketing every day. When clients ask me how many hours they should be spending on marketing, I want to say, "All of them!" Unless you have clients coming out your ears, you should focus every spare minute on attracting more of them. If you have a marketing plan, which can look like a simple to do list, you will always know what to do when you have available time. If your Realtor business includes other agents, they need to understand your expectation that they, too, work on marketing at every available moment.

4. Make testimonials a focus of your marketing. One of the most persuasive pieces of your marketing will be the testimonials of your delighted clients. Imagine having an entire page of videos, or photographs of handwritten notes you've received, in which clients rave about your Realtor business. This is easy to create if you set up systems for capturing client testimonials.

5. Get involved in your community. The best way to do this is to choose a few good organizations, some business related and some civic, church or school-related. In the ones where you're most passionate, take a leadership position. One agent I know was the president of her local networking group. She was top of mind every week and made a big impact, which led to her getting a large number of referrals, including from me!

10 Client Site Security Tips

2012-07-12T07:29:00.003-07:00

1. Never leave equipment unattended

Laptops, phones, disks, memory sticks etc., should be taken with you, locked away securely or, in the case of laptops, locked to something solid with a Kensington style lock if they have to be left unattended.

2. Use encryption

Encrypt laptops, external disk drives, USB sticks to protect the data on them whilst on the move. This will help to protect your data should you lose an item of equipment or it is deliberately targeted.

3. Operate a clear desk policy

Even if the client doesn't operate a clear desk policy, you should. Never leave papers or other media on unattended desks. Lock it away or carry it with you.

4. Leave sensitive information where it belongs

Don't carry sensitive information in bags, briefcases or laptop cases unless it's directly relevant to the work you're engaged in. If you do carry sensitive information, keep it in a secure bag and don't leave the bag unattended.

5. Never send unencrypted data or emails over public or client wi-fi networks

Just because your client trusts their wi-fi network doesn't mean you should. Only send non-sensitive information over non-secure networks.

6. Never directly connect to client networks

Unless it is essential for your role never directly connect your systems to their network. This is to protect them and you! You don't know their network is secure and virus free and they don't know your system is.

7. Always lock your screen

When not working on your computer or laptop make sure it is locked and set a low timeout value for the automated screen lock. This helps to prevent your system being accessed should you become distracted.

8. Only work on that client's data

Never work on another client's data while on-site at a different client. There are a whole host of potential legal and regulatory issues you could be opening yourself up to and you've no idea who might be interested in snooping over your shoulder.

9. Keep your equipment up-to-date and secure

I know it's a common one but you should ensure your Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Operating System and other software packages that you use are patched up-to-date, you should also disable all unnecessary applications and services, and have your firewall enabled.

10. Don't use removable media

Unless it's essential to your work, don't use removable media to transfer data between your system and client systems. If you do have to use a USB stick or other device, ensure you have auto-run functionality disabled (preferably on both systems) and ensure the device is virus scanned at both ends. Use a brand-new device where possible and encrypt it if it's practical.

10 Steps To Planning a Successful Corporate Party

2012-06-13T00:19:00.000-07:00

1. Firstly, you need to decide on what the party is for. If it's for staff only, the type of event you host could be very different to one for clients.

2. Decide when you want to throw the party. Think carefully about the type of people you intend to invite and make sure the event will be at a day and time that is convenient for them to attend.

3. When deciding on the attendees, you need to draw up a list and show it to someone else. That way, they can make sure there's nobody mistakenly omitted and together you can confirm a definitive guest list.

4. As well as the date and time, you also need to think about a convenient location. If clients are coming from all four corners of the UK, you may want to choose a city in the middle. If your guests are all local to you, you may choose your local city or town.

5. Once you have your location, you need a venue. In many cases, a bar will be the ideal place to hold your party as many are set up to cater for corporate events that have social elements to them. Draw up a shortlist using an online local business directory and visit their websites using the URL's provided.

6. Check that the bars you like are able to provide the catering you need, from buffet-style dining to a sit-down meal.

7. If you have a significantly large group, you may wish to hire out a private room, which not all bars will be able to provide.

8. Once you're satisfied with your selection, make sure they have the availability you require and secure the booking with a rough estimate of guest numbers and, in some circumstances, a deposit.

9. Make sure suitable transport to and from the venue is provided, so your guests are well looked after throughout the evening.

10. Once everything is in place, send out the invites and confirm details for the evening.