Small businesses can benefit greatly from soliciting testimonials from past clients and customers. Comments from satisfied customers can be included in marketing material such as in direct mailing campaigns, on your website and more. It is one thing to tell prospective clients how great your product or service is, how beneficial certain features are and more, but it is another thing entirely to have past clients talk about their experiences with your company and your products or services.
Information that comes from you may be seen as salesy and promotional, but information from past clients and customers can be viewed as realistic and helpful. As beneficial as testimonials can be for your business, you first have to get testimonials before you can put them to use. There are several great ways you can get testimonials, including:

1. Make It Easy to Leave Comments

Many customers who are happy with their experience working with your company are happy to write a few sentences down about their experience. However, they may not go out of their way to do so. One great way to get more testimonials is to make it easy for clients and customers to do so. Create a feedback page on your website. Then send an email to your clients asking them to click the link and share their experiences with others. Through this method, a client may receive the request for a testimonial while sitting in front of the computer, and the testimonial feedback page can be accessed by simply clicking a link.

2. Interview Specific Clients and Customers

With some types of businesses or with certain clients, it is more suitable to call a client and interview him or her for a testimonial. It is best to schedule a time for the testimonial interview rather than to call the client out of the blue. Prepare thoughtful questions specific to the client’s experience with your company. After the interview, write down the client’s experience in your own words based on client responses. You can then email the testimonial to the client for his or her approval.

3. Mail a Response Questionnaire

Another way to generate great testimonials is to mail a response questionnaire to clients. This questionnaire should ask open-ended questions and request the client’s permission to publish responses. It may be mailed individually, with an incentive offer like coupons for a free purchase, with an invoice or with other promotional material. Be sure to include a self-addressed, stamped envelope to encourage a greater response.

4. Thank Your Clients and Customers

Many businesses regularly thank clients and customers for their business, either through a phone call, an email or a written letter or postcard. In some businesses such as real estate and finance, a thank you gift basket or larger token of gratitude may be sent. While thanking your customers for their business, provide them with some method for leaving a testimonial such as mailing in a response postcard or visiting your website. Many will be touched by the gesture of thanking them and will be happy to leave a testimonial.

5. Edit Responses Carefully

Some testimonials may be better in quality than others. All positive testimonials can be used to your benefit, but those that tell a story about the customer’s experience are generally more beneficial. You may edit your clients’ testimonials. However, when making more than a minor revision, request permission. This can be done with a simple call in to the client, explaining that you would like to publish their testimonial and why a revision may be helpful.

There are many different ways you can request testimonials and feedback from satisfied clients and customers. Through these efforts, you can obtain great comments from happy clients that can be used to generate new business. In some cases, it can even encourage repeat business from those happy clients too.

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On the list of daily challenges that land in the inbox of startup business owners, identity theft and corporate espionage might not make the “short list” of priorities to straighten out. Not prioritizing the threat of “hackers,” however, might have a high price.

In 2010, the U.S. Secret Service, along with Verizon’s forensic analysis unit, found 761 business data breaches, up from 141 in 2009. Surprisingly, at least to entrepreneurs, 63% of those breaches occurred at a business with less than 100 people.

Worse, data from the study shows that most small businesses have done a poor job of protecting their valuable company data, often housing their information in virtually defenseless, single-source, non-secure storage databases.

The Cost of Being Hacked

An update from Verizon, released in March 2012, shows that it’s getting easier and easier to break into critical data.

“In 2011, 79 percent of attacks represented in the report were opportunistic,” says Verizon in its 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report. “Of all attacks, 96 percent were not highly difficult, meaning they did not require advanced skills or extensive resources. Additionally, 97 percent of the attacks were avoidable, without the need for organizations to resort to difficult or expensive countermeasures.”

Another report, from Symantec Corp., reveals the true cost of getting hit hard by a cyber hacker. The study says that small business owners pay about $215 out-of-pocket to “rescue” each compromised record. For a small medical insurance processing firm, or an average investment advisory or law practice, even a loss of 10,000 records can cost well over $200,000.

How to Avoid an Attack

Don’t let that happen to your business. Symantec has a list of tips every startup business owner should take to avoid a cyber-hacker attack — and the sooner you put these tips into place, the better:

• Assess risks by identifying and classifying confidential information
• Educate employees on information-protection policies and procedures, then hold them accountable
• Deploy data-loss prevention technologies which enable policy compliance and enforcement
• Proactively encrypt laptops to minimize consequences of a lost device
• Integrate information protection practices into businesses processes

Don’t get caught unprepared for a cyber attack. A lack of preparation, especially against desperate hackers who firmly believe they’ll get away with the crime, can be fatal to your small business.

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Brian O’Connell is a freelance small business journalist writing for Vistaprint, the leading online provider of custom business cards and other marketing products to small and micro businesses around the globe. Brian has covered business news and trends for the Wall Street Journal, TIME, and dozens of other renowned publications.

Great time management is essential to the long-term happiness and success of any business owner. Learning how to manage your time wisely boosts productivity while cutting down on stress and making space for a personal life. The following five tips can also help business owners make the most of their time without losing their minds.

Five tips for making the most of your time

Keep a detailed log of how you spend your time

After two weeks, analyze what tasks have taken up the most time and decide if you can go about those tasks more efficiently. Consider delegating tasks that could be performed by another employee. It may help to establish set times of the day for responding to emails and phone calls. Blocking off time for these tasks can prevent interruptions to the flow of your day. You should also try to identify time wasters. These are non-essential tasks that you can do at home instead of at the office.

Prepare for every challenge with daily planning

Set aside 20 to 30 minutes every morning to plan out your day. Make a list of all the tasks you need to complete and prioritize them according to when they must be finished. Make sure to leave time in your day for lunch and breaks. It may be tempting to stay chained to your desk or skip meals, but these practices will only make you tired and cranky. You can be your most efficient when you feel great and have a clear plan for your day.

Work during your own peak time

Some individuals can get more done early in the morning while others may be able to knock out tasks late at night. Think about when you are at your most productive and plan to work during that time. If you’re most productive outside of business hours, be sure to take plenty of breaks and rest during the day so that you don’t wear yourself out. If you’re most productive during the workday, make a clear do not disturb policy and insist that you only be interrupted in the case of a pressing matter or emergency.

Establish a system to manage your time

Depending on your personal preferences, you might use software or a PDA to manage your schedule. Perhaps you prefer an old-fashioned day planner or desk calendar. No matter the method you use, stick to it. If you have a secretary and other administrative support staff, it’s probably best to use an electronic calendar that can be shared between your computers. Most calendars allow you to set automatic alarms or reminders to keep you on task.

Embrace the power of apps

Whether you have a smart phone, tablet or desktop computer, you’ll be able to find apps that can boost your productivity. Business owners have a wealth of apps from which to choose. Use an app to track the amount of time you spend on a single task. Some timers will even help you track when you’ve slacked off, giving you a good chuckle and boosting productivity at the same time.

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Jessica is a specialist in business printing solutions. When she is not writing for Print360.com, you can find her cooking up a storm in her kitchen.

Starting a business is no easy feat, and it can wreck havoc with your nerves and stress levels. I know this firsthand, as I launched a startup while simultaneously completing my bachelors degree in entrepreneurship.

It was extremely stressful, but fortunately I figured out several ways to get plenty of work and studying done without having a nervous breakdown. I found ways to make time for myself to de-stress, unwind, and reassure myself that “everything was going to be OK.”

I’m glad I did this, because as soon as I was able to get my stress levels down my work and study efficiency dramatically increased, allowing me to perform much better work, focus on growing my business, and reach a level of success that I am proud to have achieved.

Here are 5 tips on how to relax while working a highly stressful job such as starting your own business:

Schedule Fun Time

You know the old saying “work hard play hard?” It rings true, and it really isn’t a bad motto to live by. No matter how time consuming or exasperating your job may be, make time each week to do something you truly enjoy. This could be playing tennis with your buddy or going to the spa with your girlfriends – whatever it is, make sure there’s a place for it in your weekly schedule.

Take “Snack” Breaks

Doing things in “snack” sizes has become a very popular practice in the workplace and you should easily be able to fit “snack” breaks into your workday. This involves taking a couple of minute breaks every hour or so to do something non-work related. This could be playing a game online or browsing a funny website for ten minutes of every hour that you have worked. Breaking up the work day even in such simple ways can help make your day more fun and far less stressful.

Take a Hike

Studies repeatedly show that being fit can help increase your production at work, so why not go for a stroll during your lunch hour? Perhaps there’s a local park you could walk over to or if not try just walking around the local neighborhood. Make it more fun by enlisting a work buddy to tag along with you or listen to your favorite tunes on your iPod as you stroll. A gentle walk at midday will bring fresh air into your lungs and help you feel reinvigorated for the day’s remaining tasks.

Reduce Distractions

When you’re totally stressed out at work, multiple distractions tend to further amp up the anxiety. Get rid of any potentially stress-inducing distractions by turning off music, stop browsing the internet for non-work related reasons and turn off the TV if there’s one near your desk. Silence can really help you get on with your work, and complete it a lot more quickly.

We all get stressed out at work from time to time, but if you incorporate the above suggestions into your work place you should be able to combat stress much more easily in the near future.

The well-known adage, “Time is money,” recognizes the value of time. It is the one resource that cannot be regained. It is also the resource that seems to be most wasted. People have always struggled to manage their time. Although technology has made it easier to waste time, by using the internet, it can also help us use time wiser.

In addition to our own robust appointment scheduling tool, here are five time-management apps for the iPhone that will make managing life easier.

Checklist Wrangler

Checklists are an essential component of any organizational strategy. People use them every day in life, when they create grocery lists, to-do lists or any other kind of list. However, checklists are also notoriously difficult to manage. They often get lost, and there are simply too many to organize. In some ways, a bunch of checklists is like an unmanageable herd of steers. This is where Checklist Wrangler shines. This app is a true wrangler; it is the cowboy for checklists. Checklist Wrangler can handle any time of checklist. At home it can be used to create a grocery list, and at work it can be used to help monitor a nuclear reactor. It can also create lists for today, this week, this year and even a lifetime. There are several templates people can choose for each of these lists. Once created, they can be organized and emailed to other people.

Shopper

Checklist Wrangler is useful for managing multiple checklists, but having an app dedicated to grocery shopping can help ease the frustration of shopping. Of all the grocery apps available, Shopper stands above the rest. Shopper comes in two versions, a basic one and an advanced one. Basic Shopper comes with a large list of common grocery items, but it is not exhaustive. Of course, this list can be added to manually. With the advanced version, the iPhone’s camera can take a picture of a barcode, and Shopper will upload the item. It also can be coordinated between multiple people in a household and keeps users current on coupons and recalls.

Things

Things is another list-making app that stands out from the crowd. It is designed to create lists and organize them around due-dates. Two features make this app unique. First, it has an option to postpone tasks until tomorrow. Although this might be dangerous, it can help people grasp their immediate situation. There also is a “someday” option, which is another potentially dangerous feature.

Omnifocus

Omnifocus allows users to organize their lives across multiple platforms, as long as they are Apple devices. With it, people can manage tasks by location, person, date or project. It also can incorporate verbal notes, geographical information and photos.

iTimeSheetLite

ITimeSheetLIte is useful for tracking time. People may want to see where their day went, but it is really designed for professionals. This app provides an easy and convenient way to log time spent working on projects. With it, clients can be billed accurately, and professionals can focus on their work.

These five apps will help anyone become more organized. For the most part, they focus on creating and managing lists. That is, after all, the most difficult part of managing time. The best choice will depend on the specific situation.

 It’s not easy running your own business and the early years are the most difficult. Until you have others to whom you can confidently offload important tasks you’ll find that most of the time you’re heading up every project yourself and that the working day just doesn’t provide enough hours to get everything that needs doing done. If you’ve any hope of maintaining a healthy home and social life – not to mention a successful business – then you need to get an effective time management strategy in place as early as possible. The following list of time management tips and techniques should help you find your way. Of course, everybody works differently and no one time management strategy will work for everyone. You should therefore experiment with different methods to find the one that suits you best. But remember: whatever techniques you employ, self-discipline is the key – don’t confuse a poor time management plan with one that you’re just not sticking to!

Prioritize

Before you can decide how much time to allocate to each of your many tasks you need to give each a priority. This is made easy if you use Outlook for emails (part of Microsoft Office) as you can create new tasks, color code them for importance and set deadlines for when they have to be accomplished. If you use Gmail or another webmail program then it’s a little more time consuming but well worth it: write yourself an email containing a description of each task you need to accomplish. You can then sort these emails into special purpose folders named, for example, ‘High Priority’, ‘Medium Priority’ and ‘Low Priority’, or number them or… you get the idea. Prioritizing your recurring tasks in this way helps you work out how much of your working day/week/month to attribute to them. Special projects can also be prioritized in this way and slotted into your agenda where you can fit them in. Which brings us to…

Scheduling

Along with prioritization, scheduling is at the core of time management. While it may seem like a waste of time initially to laboriously type in each task and schedule it, the benefits will make themselves very clear, very quickly. In addition to, there are computer based tools that you can use to help schedule tasks. There is our own robust scheduling tool, SimplifyThis—which ties together appointment scheduling with invoicing. Additionally, both Outlook and web based email programs have calendars where you can create one-off or recurring events. You can use all of these to schedule your tasks – and also classify them in terms of their priority.

Start with the most important activities, scheduling them for when you’re at your most alert and productive, and work down. Then by viewing your day/week/month at a glance you can easily see which tasks you have coming up and where you have gaps for lower priority jobs.

Over-over-estimate

Get into the habit of over-estimating how much time it will take to get things done. If you feel like you’re ahead of schedule you’ll bounce effortlessly into the next task whereas finding that you’re constantly overrunning could send you into a spiral of despair. As with most things, good time management is mostly psychological, so give yourself a break. Speaking of which…

Take breaks

Yeah, I know: ‘How can not working possibly save me time?’ right? Though it sounds counter-productive, taking regular breaks away from the computer or phone can seriously boost your productivity. Study after study has shown that people work best for short periods of intense concentration – not over marathon corn-snack and cola fueled sessions. So get away from the office frequently. Go for a walk, cook yourself a meal, bathe your kids – whatever it is that will help relax you and get your focus back.

Use technology

More perceptive readers will already have noticed that this has become a theme of this post. But this point doesn’t just mean use your smart phone to access your calendar while on the go – though that is a good idea and will make sure you keep in touch with and update your schedule while away from the office – it also means that you should always investigate ways to save yourself time with technology and endeavor to use it in a smart way.

You’ll work out your own time management adaptations as you go along but it must be stressed again: effort is required. Be disciplined and stick to your schedules. Don’t forget to update your calendars, tick off tasks that have been completed or give yourself time away from the desk. It’ll be worth it. Like all of life’s important skills, good time management requires considerable effort to acquire but once there, is almost impossible to lose.

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Jamie Griffiths writes for Approved Index – the UK’s leading B2B directory and marketplace. They’ve helped thousands of small and start-up businesses find top suppliers for anything from telephone systems to PR consultants.

So you’ve got a lot on your plate and no idea how you are going to get it all done. No matter how hard you try it just seems like you are constantly being distracted and unable to accomplish all of your tasks. Here are 8 ways you can increase your productivity and get things done.

Eight Ways to Get It All Done

1. Create a to-do list. It is easier to focus on one task when you have all your other tasks written down.  Download an app such as Evernote or TeuxDeux (pronounced to-do) to help create your checklist or stick with the old fashioned paper and pencil.
2. Make a schedule. Now that you know everything that must get done, create time to do each thing. You’ll find yourself less likely to stray off task.
3. Avoid distractions. If this means shutting the door to your office or temporarily blocking time-wasting internet sites then do it. There are many browser apps that will allow you to set time limits on sites such as Facebook, Reddit and Twitter.
4. Eat healthy and stay hydrated. In order  to perform your best, your body needs to be well taken care of. Make sure that you are eating plenty of fruits and vegetables and whole grains. Staying hydrated will also help you to ward off pesky headaches that may get in your way.
5. Take breaks. Anyone would get burned out if they were work, work, work, all the time. Avoid mental fatigue by taking scheduled breaks. Use this time to catch up with an old friend or take a walk outside and get some fresh air. It will keep you from getting restless while you’re at work.
6. Delegate. You can’t do it all. If you feel like you truly have taken on too much, now is the time to correct it.  Hand off some of your tasks to a coworker or another team member. You can only do so much. Use this experience to learn to say “No” more often when approached with tasks.
7. Get plenty of sleep. When you are overwhelmed, it often makes sense to stay up late or wake up early to get things done. Try to avoid doing this. Your body needs rest to recharge and stay healthy. You won’t be able to get much done if you’re out sick.
8. Multitask This isn’t recommended all the time, it is usually much better to focus on just one task until t is complete, but when it comes to collaborating with other people, you can often host a lunch meeting or take a coffee break and kill two birds with one stone.

If you have a blog on your website, you have an arsenal of resources just waiting at your disposal. Blogs aren’t just a way to keep in touch with your customers and let them know about new products or services, but they can also help position you as an industry expert and even offer SEO benefits to your website.

Curious about how one page of your website can offer so much punch? Read on to discover the benefits that blogging has to offer.

Supplying fresh content

Having a blog off your website’s domain (yourwebsite.com/blog) is an ideal way to keep your website updated with new information. Instead of having to change the content on your home page or any inner landing pages to add fresh information, writing a blog post once a week (or more if possible) is a good way to update your website’s content. Because search engines like fresh content, blogging regularly can provide an added SEO benefit as well.

Driving traffic to your website

Blog posts are considered highly sharable content. Sharing your latest blog post on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or other social networks makes it easy to disseminate information across several platforms and share it with others who might be willing to keep sharing your information. People who are reading these posts on social networks are essentially being driven back to your website to read the full post. In addition, if you include links back to your inner landing pages in the blog posts, you’re creating another opportunity to invite visitors to relevant pages of your website.

Building a strong internal linking structure

Search engines like websites that feature strong internal linking structures. By writing posts on your blog and linking back to key landing pages using the appropriate anchor text (your keywords), you are further proving that page’s relevancy for your selected keywords, which will provide an additional SEO benefit.

Giving your customers what they want

Use your blog as a platform to tell your customers information they want to know about. If you offer digital marketing services, update your blog regularly with industry information and analyses of how new changes will affect marketing tactics. If you sell street legal electric vehicles, you can use your blog to update your customers on new laws or regulations that might have just passed, or give them information about proper safety techniques and injury prevention.

Your blog’s visitors are viewing you as a source of information about your industry. Update your readers with important information and make sure they realize what makes you stand out above your competition. Use your blog as a way to position yourself as an industry leader, keeping your consumers updated on anything important going on in your industry.

Managing your business’s reputation

If you notice an issue with one of your products or hear of people complaining about services you offer, use your blog as a way to manage your reputation online. Address conflicts head on and let people know how you are working to resolve any issues. You can also use your blog to solicit feedback about a new product or service offering, or ask people to tell you whether they enjoyed a new event you recently hosted. This offers an additional way people can get in contact with you, other than just your contact information on your home page.

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Amy Moczynski works for 352 Media Group, a web design and digital marketing agency with locations in Tampa, Gainesville, and Atlanta.

Whether you are a local business, a service provider, a national or international speaker or author, social media marketing can be effective for your promotional efforts.

The first thing to remember is that one size does NOT fit all:

It is very helpful to be clear about your target audiences and what you have to offer these audiences that they want.  Then the question is where are you most likely to engage with these audiences?

Choosing a Platform

Let’s say you discover that your target audiences are active on Facebook and on Pinterest, but you only want to invest time in one of these sites.

You study both sites and decide that, given your limited time for social media relationship building, Pinterest is better for you.  Rather than getting overwhelmed by all the opportunities Facebook offers – and all the confusion Facebook causes with its constant major changes, you would rather rely on sharing photos with links to promote your business.

Pinterest may be especially good for photographers, hair stylists, real estate agents, clothing stores, jewelry stores, eBay stores – any business that can provide numerous attractive photos.

On the other hand, you might be the author of a single novel.  In this case there may not be a lot of related photos you could share on Pinterest to help people become aware of your book.

Perhaps Facebook is better for you.  Here, you can have an author Page with your book cover as part of the large image at the top of your Facebook Page (not the same as a Facebook profile).  You can “like” other book-related Pages and begin interacting with prospective readers of your novel.

The Time Factor

Time is also an important consideration.  Both Pinterest and Facebook require a long-term commitment but they do NOT require daily posting in order to carry out an effective social media marketing strategy.

Twitter works best with a strategy of several tweets (140 characters or less) a day as well as several days each week.  (Hootsuite can be used to schedule tweets for days that you will be unavailable.)

And now there is Google+ (Google Plus), which may or may not become the elephant in the room, stomping on other social media platforms as Google+ participants multiply.

(Guy Kawasaki’s Kindle ebook “What the Plus! Google+ for the Rest of Us” is a very good resource for effectively using Google+.)

Wait a second.  If you are feeling overwhelmed, do not worry.  Start with one social media site, get comfortable on that site, and then expand out to other sites.

Where to Begin

For most people I recommend starting out on LinkedIn.  At a basic level this site requires posting a good resume on your profile.  Of course there is so much more that you can do with your LinkedIn profile, but at least the basic step is somewhat familiar.

Warning:  Please put a good headshot (no sunglasses, no large hats that block your face) of yourself on your LinkedIn profile (which must be in your name and NOT in the name of your business) because people like to connect with people.  If there is no headshot, people may wonder what you are hiding.

And one final social media participation recommendation:  Have fun sharing good info with others.  What you send out often comes around to you.

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Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter and @ZimblerMiller on Pinterest) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is the co-founder of the online marketing company www.MillerMosaicLLC.com   She is also the author of fiction and nonfiction books/ebook and you can learn about these at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com

It may seem common sense, but an organization should never underestimate the importance of listening to what their customers think.  If you don’t get it right, then your customers won’t be customers for much longer, so it pays to invest time and effort into taking on board their views.

Listen and learn

There are many different approaches you could try to get your customers’ opinions, depending on the size of your business and customer base.  But, if you want to get some widespread views, in a cost-effective and efficient manner then it’s worth considering doing a customer survey.

Our high-tech world means that customer surveys are able to deliver far more than they could in the past.  An IT development company can develop and design a sophisticated survey with an intuitive interface to enable you to gather the information you want from your customers, analyse it, and use it to your best advantage.

Know what you want to ask

Ask the right questions and do so in an easy and straight-forward manner.  Lengthy questions in a customer survey could put a respondent off finishing it, or worse, cause them to leave any old answer just to get past the question. With this in mind, try to be precise and focused on what you want to achieve.

Give your customers the opportunity to feedback on how you could do better or what else they would like to buy from you.  Don’t forget to reach out to potential customers, as well – those people who may have inquired about your products but never got as far as the purchase stage: your market is probably much wider than you think.

You may even want to consider what your employees think, too.  Finding out their opinions is a valuable exercise to determine the health of the internal working environment and what changes could be implemented to improve upon this.

Timing

Even with the most bespoke customer survey, it needs to be as timely as possible in order to elicit the best response.  There’s no point sending out a survey to someone who bought your services or products months ago.  Aim to do it soon after their purchase, whilst you’re still fresh in their mind.

Listen and react

So now that you know what your customers think of you, what are you going to do with all this data?  If your customer base runs into thousands, then you might want to employ the services of an IT development company to interpret and analyse the information and turn it into statistical data rather than trying to do it yourself.

Don’t sit on your laurels though.  Listen and react to what your customers say.  You may find a common theme of opinions that you hadn’t been aware of before.  Consider what changes you could implement and how you can use the information you have gained to improve your organization further.  There’s so much you can learn.

But, don’t forget that we live in a changing environment so this isn’t a one-off exercise.  The advantage of using a customer survey is that it can be repeated again in the future, with little modification required.

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Article by guest author Amy Fowler on behalf of Xibis; an IT development company specializing in customer surveys.