I’d like to thank them for allowing me to assist them with this task.

The project consists of a new website design, custom Facebook fan page and a re-designed newsletter. I will also be consulting with them on using Facebook, Twitter and their newsletter to reach more people in the Knoxville community with their important message and services.

Stay tuned for more information.

Chad is an extremely talented Flash designer and After Effects creator. He has an incredible list of clients himself, including Sungard Financial Systems, Oppenheimer Funds, Bryant Boats and (most recently) Nickelodeon, among many other top rated companies.

I’m working with Chad to create a new, engaging brand, with a website, newsletter marketing,  business collateral and a branded Facebook page. We’ve also created a social media strategy to help him extend his reach into the development community and generate leads.

More to come on how these new tools help Flash Paragon achieve even greater success.

I’m an information geek. I make no apologies for it; I just love to read, especially material written on topics I’m interested in by people a lot more intelligent than I am. I find a lot of it online, too. It takes some sifting, but it is generally worth the effort. This is article on Heather Rast’ blog is no exception.

For all you small business owners out there looking to get a bigger piece of your local pie or distinguish yourself from your competition, this information is for you. It is a list of posts on predictions and trends for 2010. And, it is a really good list. There are ideas in the posts she links to that you can use; to be better, work smarter or stay ahead of the curve.

Generally, I try to break out a few concepts for articles I share. This is an exception. If you’re hungry and want to find some really good information that can help your business, go to the posts she mentions in this piece. Dig in. Learn. Ask question. You can even ask them here, if you like. Just ask them.

And, I would be amiss if I didn’t tell you to subscribe to Heather’s blog while you’re there. Read it often and thoroughly. She’s someone to pay attention to.

RSS: http://insightsandingenuity.com/feed/

But (and, there always is one), I’m optimistic. These tough times can be an opportunity if we take it. To reinvent, fine-tune or rebuild. In tough times, we should be assessing what we’re doing. Is it being done right? Could it be better? What else could be done? Add new (and/or complimentary) services or products? Streamline a process? There is always room for improvement, for sure.

Where do you start? How about thinking differently about your business?

You’ve heard it said you have to ‘think outside the box’ to be really successful. I guess that’s true, in a sense. I happen to think that one of the things that makes a person become an entreprenuer is that he/she does that to an extent anyway. As a small business owner, you’ve probably had thoughts that went something like:

“We need a better [insert mousetrap descriptor here].”

“This shouldn’t be that hard. It needs to be fixed.”

“Wouldn’t it be great if people could ….”

Most of us have been there.

It’s easy to say you’re going to take off the ole’ rose colored glasses and think differently about something. In reality, though, it is hard for us to change our way of thinking that easily. You need perspective and to get the proverbial creative juices flowing.

So, let’s get that engine started and the wheels turning.

The slideshow below was posted by Seth Godin in December of last year. It’s a compilation of ideas from people about what matters now to people. Does it hold the answer for your particular problem? Perhaps. More importantly, though, it’s a selection of fresh ideas and new ways of considering things. So, go through it all and really think about each one as a singular unit, not just how it might pertain to your situation. Remember, the idea is to get your brain geared up. Big picture ideas to instigate creative thought on singular issues.
(If it is too small, just click ‘full screen’ in the top-middle.)

What Matters Now

If you’re struggling to keep up with everything or feeling a little exasperated with the state of things, maybe a fresh perspective could help get you back in the game.

Take a look at this article by Stacy Karacostas, which offers some insight on What Highly-Successful Small Business Owners Are Doing That You Can Do To.

Lewis Howes gives provides insight into the things that matter and some great pointers in this video about social media for business.

Thanks to the king of startups for posting this.

Dr. Stephen Hall, Clinical Professor of psychiatry at UCSF gave a lecture for University of California’s Mini Medical School. It is a very enlightening look into depression during later in late. This is a technical discussion, but has great info in it.

Here is a direct link to the video about depression in the elderly.

“National Geographic writer and explorer Dan Buettner studies the world’s longest-lived peoples, distilling their secrets into a single plan for health and long life.”
~ from the TED.org description

I’ve actually circulated this video around to a group of people and their reactions are interesting. The most surprising thing about their reactions is that the steps he outlines were not what people were expecting.

The video is about 20 minutes, but well worth the time.

I really respect Steve as a person. He has proven to be knowledgeable and trustworthy. He’s also incredibly intelligent, creative and has good business sense. (Full disclosure: Steve didn’t/won’t pay me a cent for that or anything else I say in this post.) I say all of that because I have first-hand knowledge about Steve and he’s shown me his mettle.

All the Little Things is  the Cliff Notes version of building a startup; it’s the important things you’re going to need to know if you’re going to pass. (And, by pass, I mean build it until you get the payoff…whatever that is for you.)

All the Little Things is a book for entrepreneurs about how to build, launch and make money from a successful web project. It could be an application, a website or a blog; it doesn’t matter. Steve tears away a lot of what keeps people from succeeding with their project and gives you what you need to know to come out of the gate running.

Like everything almost everything else in life, your success depends on your plan. Your plan depends on your knowledge.  That’s where All the Little Thingscomes in.

All the Little Things Rocks

Yes, I said, “rocks.” (And, it does.) This little gem (no pun intended) glitters from the minute you start reading it. It is chock full of common sense steps you can take to increase the chance of your project survives, and yes, dare I say flourish?

The real beauty of this book is that it isn’t filled with the swill that so many “experts” pawn. If you’re looking for meat and potatoes, chows on.

So, what did I get out of it?

No matter what you’re building, the steps are essentially the same. It’s not enough to plan; you have to plan for the right things. Making money is an awesome idea, but creating something that solves a problem will get you there. Ideas are a dime a dozen; my grandma has good ideas. I am not my target market. Entrepreneurs are not made out of the same things as other folk.

If you are in a young startup or are have the next Google killer bouncing around in your head, do yourself a favor and read this book.

I highly encourage you to buy a copy of Steve’s book. Not because it can change the course of your business (which it can) or because it can change some of how you think about your project (which it will), but because good work deserves recognition. If you read the book, you will see Steve has put an incredible amount of time, effort and himself into it. He has also unselfishly put the book up online for you to read.

The moments when real opportunity presents itself for our benefit are rare. Don’t let this one pass you by.

Acres of Diamonds – Russell Conwell’s short work on life, success, money and priorities. Simple and challenging.

The Seven Laws of User Interface Design – Yeah, I know, it sounds boring. If you’re interested in knowing what will make your website more usable, you need to read this.

Ten Things You Didn’t Know About Facebook- This link from someone I really respect. Perhaps for those who are a little more web savvy, but good information for those interested in leveraging social networking websites to increase their exposure online. And, yes, you can even use Facebook (and other social sites) to find more local customers. Really!

What Question Does Your Product Answer? – Even though this article is speaking about Internet startups, the information is a good read for any small business owner.

That’s quite a bit for now. If you like reading these little gems, make sure you let me know.

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What are your thoughts? Post a comment and let’s talk.

Do you have questions about what how you can leverage the Internet to improve your customer experience and boost your company’s performance? Just ask.

The site is specifically geared towards Baby Boomers caring for their elderly parents and people looking to prepare themselves to age in place.

Related, if you or your company provide products or services to the elderly or their family caregivers, consider submitting an article or contact us there to discuss any ideas you may have for contributing to the site.

I appreciate the emails I’ve gotten lately from readers who have wondered what’s happened to me.  My apologies for the absense … this project really tapped me for a while.

One of the big decisions you will need to make is how you are going to publish your information online. In Internet terms, what website format are you going to use? There are a lot of choices, and I won’t go into the technicalities, but here’s general overview of your choices in ice cream terms.

Vanilla:
The old stand-by. Static. You (or your web person) make updates by hand. Content is not stored in a database (called ‘dynamic’). This is the old school web, with all the hand-coded HTML & CSS (cascading style sheets). This is the more difficult way (if you aren’t well versed in such practices) and does not lend itself towards creating a content-rich website. Yes, they can look just as good.

Chocolate Ripple
A little bit of zip. Dynamic. You (or your web person) make updates into a light-weight content management system (CMS) and the content is in a database, including images. Great for blogging, small company/organization sites that want to easily make regular updates to the site and those wanting to couple that with good search engine optimization (SEO) practices. Some examples would be the WordPress blogging CMS or CMS Made Simple.

White Chocolate Rasberry
Definitely on the adventurous side. Ultra-dynamic and flexible. A CMS like this is much hardier (and, at times, unwieldy), but is ultimately more customizable and powerful. All the SEO benefits can be incorporated, and accommodations are made for large editorial teams and the large amount of content they can generate. Examples would be Drupal or Joomla.

Pick the best flavor for you

Now, could a mom and pop shop benefit from Chocolate Ripple? You bet! Do they have to have it? No. Just because a company is generating $10 million a year does it mean it needs White Chocolate Rasberry? Nope.

In the end, it all goes back to the plan. What you want to do with your website needs to dictate what type of technology you use. Just remember, a website is a tool. And, like any job, you need to right tool to accomplish the task at hand. Every one has it’s place, but not all are created equal.

image: karindalziel

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What are your thoughts? Post a comment and let’s talk.

Do you have questions about what how you can leverage the Internet to improve your customer experience and boost your company’s performance? Just ask.

It’s like a day of fishing

You’ve got all your gear in order, weather station says it’s going to be a sunny day, cousins Jim and Steve just showed up in their lucky hats and ready to go. You’re excited, because you can imagine the tastiness of the trout you’re going to grill for dinner tonight. The only thing left is to decide where to go.

Figuring out where the fish are biting is part experience and part luck. The norm would be to head up to the river and agree on a spot. If nothing happens, you move on. But (and, my apologies to avid fishers), wouldn’t it make more sense to divide and conquer? Hit as many spots as you can in a day separately to maximize the chances of having that delicious trout for dinner?

Silly, I know. But, start thinking

Are there a lot of local people in a certain group on Facebook? Do many of them frequent a local website? Do they use StumbleUpon? That’s online, what about off-line? How many customers (or potential customers) are members of the Elks club? How many volunteer for a local charity? How many are band parents?

Guess what? You can be in those places, too. (This is where you should go write down the ideas that are (hopefully) going through your head now.) It’s called networking and establishing yourself as an expert, and works online just as well as it does off-line. (You should get on that.)

Real world examples

• Knoxville Business Owners group on Facebook gives you the opportunity to network with other business owners in the area.
  Do you sell office products? Provide affordable marketing services?
• The Blount County Voice website offers you a chance to post your thoughts in written form about (nearly) any subject.
  Dry cleaning tips? The best way to shop for a new car? Childcare choices?
• Maryville, TN Kiwanis Club: According to their website they currently have 130 members. That’s 130 people that may not use your services or products, or who know people who can.
• GoSmokies provided by KnoxNews.com is a social network for people who love the Smoky Mountains.
  Do you own a bike shop? Know the best places to hike?
• KnoxMoms is a great place to rub shoulders with other moms. They have get-togethers in real life, forums to post in with lots of opportunities for mixing with potential customers.
  Make baby clothes? Own a babysitting service?
• Since 1992 Blount County Habitat for Humanity has built 86 homes and provided simple decent shelter to 190 children. Think you could make some connections in the community doing that?

This could be doubly beneficial!

Imagine networking into walks of life you’ve never touched before. Imagine working with some people to have a positive impact while you’re at it. Get involved with what people are involved in where you live. Figure out where they are and be there. You may just have the time of your life AND earn some extra customers.

image: just-us-3

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What are your thoughts? Post a comment and let’s talk.

Do you have questions about what how you can leverage the Internet to improve your customer experience and boost your company’s performance? Just ask.

Note: This, of course, is not going to be exhaustive; just an overview. There is a lot to search engine optimization and online marketing and word of mouth advertising. Unless you are pretty Internet savvy, you might be well served getting help from a web professional. Yes, you can do it yourself, but it can be time consuming. It can also be frustrating if you don’t know what you are doing. This is an area you certainly don’t want to skimp…it is really important.

Search engines are your friends

Search engines WANT to index your sites and have them rank good. Their job is to find and provide people what they are looking for online. No search engine is perfect, but most do a pretty good job.

Now, remember, we are trying to reach local customers

Much of the responsibility for getting ranked high in search engines rests on the website creators. (That would mean you and whomever you hire.) Yep, and it’s called ‘content’. Every search engine indexes content in it’s own way. If you want to get the most bang for your buck, you need to focus on two things (both we’ve already talked about):

• Content that is: High quality, relevant and regularly updated
• Content and site structure that is keyword and locally optimized

Remember, we make it about the customer first and search engines second. You don’t have to be perfect; just consistently good.

Spreading the word

There are so many other ways to get the word out about your website; we’ll break it into two parts: store-based and Internet.

Store-based

There are several things you can do to get some local attention right here at home (some of this bears repeating). All are pretty easy, but it takes a little discipline to get in the habit. Just do these and you’ll be glad you did.

• Make sure every piece of paper that goes out of your business has your website address on it and (as appropriate) highlights the benefit the site has for the consumer.- Business cards

  - Paper newsletters

  - Invoices

  - Sales receipts

• Make sure any advertising you do has your website address on it and (as appropriate) highlights the benefit the site has for the consumer.- Print advertising

  - Fliers

  - TV or radio ads

• Word of mouth- Talk to your employees about the website and make sure everyone talks it up to the customers- When you are talking with other business owners, church folks, lodge buddies or the babysitter or anyone who will listen … talk it up.

Internet Based

There are so many ways to promote your website yourself online I couldn’t possibly mention them all now. Here are a few that are easy to do and won’t take too much time.

• Mention your website to people you know online. If you instant message or post in forums online, mention your website there where appropriate.
• Use social websites to link to your website and get your employees and friends to do the same. Services like StumbleUpon, Magnolia, Netvibes and delicious (just to name a few … and there are a ton) are great places to have other people come in contact with your site AND help with inbound links on the search engines.
• Get links from other website owners who have complimentary content. Try to get appropriate keywords in the text of the link.
• Join social networking sites and link to your site in your profile.

That’s it for today’s installment. Keep coming back as we’ll have more for you on getting your site running like it needs to for attracting local customers!

As a side today, if you haven’t subscribed to get updates to the site, why not do that now? You can get it delivered to you in email or subscribe in your favorite feed reader.

image: oneofsomany

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What are your thoughts? Post a comment and let’s talk.

Do you have questions about what how you can leverage the Internet to improve your customer experience and boost your company’s performance? Just ask.

Domain Names

This is the name address of your website; it is a ‘friendly’ way for people to know where you website lives. Instead of having to remember a numeric address, you get to have a name. So, Sally the real estate agent wants a website. She can get a name that either will identify her or her business to her potential customers. These domain names are leased from a registrar for X number of years and are fairly inexpensive. Generally, you can pick up a domain name for $8-$15 a year.

For example: sallywallace.com, sallysellshomes.com or knoxvillehomesonline.com

I’m not providing a link to a registrar (and there are TONS of them) because I don’t want you to go out and buy one on a whim. You need to think carefully about what name you should get. Your domain name will become part of your brand, so it needs to be well researched. (And, by that I mean you need spend some time figuring out what choices you have and why one would be better than another.)

Domain names come in several flavors (extensions), the most common being .com, .net, .org, .info and .us.

Website Hosting

Hosting is a service that gives a ‘home’ to your website. Essentially, it is a server (computer) on the Internet that will house the web pages, images and other media that make up your website.

Web hosting is also not expensive. You generally pay by month or year, and it can vary from $6-$25 a month. The most important thing you can do is make sure the company you go with has a good reputation. There are thousands of web hosting companies, so it should not be too hard to find some people who have experience dealing with one.

More to come soon!

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What are your thoughts? Post a comment and let’s talk.

Do you have questions about what how you can leverage the Internet to improve your customer experience and boost your company’s performance? Just ask.