Now the Fourth of July is upon us. Should we brace ourselves for another cold, hard holiday in the red?

Not according to the NRF. Their 2009 Independence Day Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey shows that more people will celebrate the July 4 holiday this year than last year. No dollar figures were given, but here are some of the supporting stats:

• 62.6 percent (144 million people) will host or attend a cookout, barbeque or picnic, compared to 61.2 percent (139 million people) last year
• 42.7 percent will attend their local fireworks or community celebrations, compared to 40.2 percent last year.
• 14 percent of consumers plan to purchase patriotic merchandise (flags, decorations, clothing)

With the Fourth of July falling on a Saturday this year, many Americans will be taking their usual holiday plans and kicking them into high gear. I know I’ve taken advantage of the weekend holiday by substituting my usual plans of deciding what I’m going to do the night before for a long weekend in the Windy City to visit my sister and a trip to Wrigley Field. Quite a bit more expensive than last year’s plans, but if it’s for the sake of the economy…why not?

Happy Fourth of July! Have a great weekend!

The post itself was called “Are We Becoming Less Entrepreneurial?” It highlighted data from three different sources that show entrepreneurship is on the decline. Author Scott A. Shane reasoned near the end of the post that this decline is likely a result of large companies out-competing small startups. He called it the “Wal-Mart effect.” Several of the post’s commenters argued a different reason.

“How about the ‘health-care-system-in-the-United-States-is-an-abomination’ effect?”

“The private market for health insurance these days is pretty brutal, and even though I have skills that might be suitable for hanging out a shingle, I’m loath to do it if it means forgoing access to affordable health care.”

“Even if decent health insurance coverage can be obtained, which is a big ‘if’, the fact that many new businesses fail and that the entrepreneur (and his or her family) could also lose health insurance coverage is a serious disincentive to starting a new business.”

I’m not about to go off on any kind of rant regarding health care reform in this country, so try not to get super worked up. I am curious, however, about the strength of these comments. Clearly health coverage issues are becoming a greater burden to small business owners each day, but are they really the single most compelling reason would-be entrepreneurs are rejecting entrepreneurship in masses? Or is it more like the straw that broke the camel’s back?

I myself am not an entrepreneur and am definitely not an expert on the heath care system or how to fix it for that matter, so I’ll leave that up to you to decide. But if that is the case, and entrepreneurs with all their ducks in a row are stopped dead in their tracks by the health insurance market, then that may be one of the most compelling reasons I’ve heard for making serious reforms in the system. Entrepreneurs are who will create economic growth in this country. Let’s not allow something like health coverage to deter them from even attempting to make that happen.

The great thing for many boomers entering into entrepreneurship is that they have more capital to invest, at least more than the average entrepreneur. The problem with that, however, is that because of their age they have more to lose—like their life savings for example. Luckily they also have knowledge and experience to put them ahead of the game and invest their money wisely.

U.S. News and World Report published an article a few days ago on this very same topic. In it they outline “6 tips for starting a business after age 50.” If you’re a boomer either in business or thinking about starting one, you should take a few minutes to check it out.

Right now this economy needs small business creation to help stimulate growth. We can’t just rely on the government to break out its magic wand and fix it for us. It doesn’t work that way (even though that does sound much easier). I think that in reading the article many boomers may find that they are, in fact, perfectly primed for entrepreneurship. Who knows, some may even be spurred to action!

If you are under the misconception that blogging is about YOU, step back and think about what it actually takes to create a successful blog. Let go of your ego and think of blogs as powerful marketing tools that can either make or break you.

If you blog on behalf of your company, remember to always present your writing in a professional manner. Your content represents your company, so think before you write.

The following tips will put your blog on top of search engines and keep your readers coming back for more!

Who is Your Audience?
It doesn’t make sense to write a blog first and then figure out who your readers are AFTER you create the blog. Decide who you want to attract and who will benefit from the information.

Research your target customers/clients and appeal to both primary and secondary audiences. For example, your primary audience targets real estate agents and your secondary audience could be mortgage brokers searching for real estate information.

What Information Do Readers Want and Need?
Once you identify your readers, research what they want and need. Don’t take the generic approach to content writing – think niche.

Search for keywords to find hot topics associated with your audience, and break them down into three keyword categories. For example, you own a sporting goods store and your specialty niche is running shoes and apparel.

• Broad Categories– Running shoes and running apparel
• Specific Desires – Asics GT-2140 and Nike Dri-Fit Ribbed Tank
• Immediate Concerns – cushioned stability on dirt trails; Dri-Fit keeps runners cooler during marathons

SEO Trick: By searching for the needs and wants of your audience, you find popular keywords associated with them. Use those same keywords in your blog content – this will send targeted traffic to your blog.

Reel in Your Audience with a Catchy Headline
So you figured out your audience and blog topics, it’s time for the next step. How can you impress your readers? With the headline, of course! 

You need attention-grabbing “WOW” headlines to reel in readers.  Boring headlines tell a reader “Beware of Boring Content Ahead!” Stick with catchy headlines that make your audiences want to read more! Think of your headline as a teaser – what’s in store for your reader.

Great Content Wins Every Time
You’ve focused in on your audience and created a catchy headline, but to keep their attention you need great content. Start strong from the very first sentence.

Speak your audience’s language. Sound like an expert in your niche but don’t talk down to people. Don’t overwhelm readers with stuffy jargon either. Use active, “friendly” words that make readers feel comfortable.

Add appropriate keywords, but don’t overstuff them.  Make your blog easy on the eyes so readers can scan information quickly.

• Use bullet points and italics
• Bold paragraph headers
• Use short lists for key points

Your Blog’s “Curb Appeal”
When you sell a house, it helps to have curb appeal or you will turn off potential buyers. Who wants to buy a house with overgrown weeds and a shabby paint job?

That same “curb appeal” concept can be applied to your blog. Make it look good! Add your picture, graphics, colorful templates, etc. Keep your audience in mind – pick images that visually complement the content. Your blog doesn’t have to be over the top, but it needs to be eye-pleasing to your readers.

Zeke is a serial entrepreneur, Internet Marketing expert and founder of The Outsourcing Company, an Internet marketing agency with offices in Aspen, Colo. and New York. Let’s Do It!, Zeke’s Internet marketing blog, has thousands of followers from all over the world.

Worker’s compensation insurance is the only kind required by law, but liability and property insurance are highly recommended. They can be tailored to different needs, but in their most basic forms they protect against legal damages in the event of a lawsuit or property damages as a result of natural disasters. A good business insurance broker will be able to recommend exactly what your business will need both now and in the future.

Anyway, there’s nothing I can say that will do this amazing event justice (more like I’m too tired from cooking about 800 eggs), so we’ve posted a ton of pictures on PartnerUp for you all to check out.

Have a great weekend!

That, however, isn’t good enough for us anymore. So we’re attempting to break our own record. Actually, that’s not true. We’re looking to blow our old record completely out of the water by doubling the number of attendees. We’re also heating up some grills and moving the breakfast and festivities outside. Yours truly will be attempting to cook bacon and eggs for hundreds of people—“attempting” being the key word here.

This month the breakfast will be focused on social media’s role in advertising. We’re excited because it’s a topic that hasn’t been covered before at SMB. Our first guest speaker is Tim Brunelle. Tim will be speaking on the impact of social media on the advertising and marketing industry. Our second speaker, Steve Borsch, will give a presentation titled “Personal/Professional Hubs: A place to aggregate your digital life.” Both speakers should be great. Can’t wait to hear what they have to say.

Well, I’m off to fire up a couple industrial-sized grills. Stay tuned for an update on the big event!

Anyway, while I didn’t find any of the points to be particularly shocking, it’s interesting to take a minute to think about the not-so-distant road ahead for small business.

Economic Trends

1.    The recession drives small business innovation.

2.    Government plays an increasing role in the economy.

3.    Global infrastructure and stimulus spending.

4.    The number of small businesses will increase in 2009.

5.    Small business globalization will temporarily slow.

Demographic Trends

6.    Baby boomer retirement problem leads them to small business.

7.    Gen Y turns to small business.

Technology Trends

8.    Mobile computing continues strong growth.

9.    Cloud computing becomes mainstream for smallbiz.

10.  Small business use of online marketing tools expands.

Bettering your business requires time, but it doesn’t have to take hours, days or weeks. There are many things you can do in 15 minutes to improve the state of your business, and I plan on highlighting such things from time to time. Without further adieu, here is your first 15-Minutes Business Booster:

Call one customer and ask him or her to share something they need, want, like or dislike about doing business with your organization.

That’s it!

Before you can begin your SEO marketing strategy, you must perform keyword research. Understanding the keywords customers are using to search for your products and services will save you time and money.

You could start by simply creating a list of words you think your target market would use, but the right keywords may be different than what you think. For example, let’s say you are an auto dealer. You may think that your prospects are typing in the word “cars” when in reality most of them are typing in the word “automobiles.” Luckily there are both free and low-cost keyword research tools that can help you distinguish the right keywords!

1. TwitScoop - This Twitter tool updates trends and popular search terms every minute. Type in your desired keyword and TwitScoop will provide you with a cool graph showing you the stats.  Not only that, but this smart baby will also list the most-recent discussion related to your search term.
2. SeoBook Keyword Tool – This is a free service powered by Wordtracker, the granddaddy of all keyword research tools. SeoBook Keyword tool links to Google Trends and Yahoo! Suggest. It also displays research results from Keyword Discover, another popular research tool, as well as offers the estimated search volume for the top three search engines: Google, Yahoo!, and MSN.
3. Google Analytics – If you don’t have access to your website’s statistics, you can embed Google Analytics into your website to measure your Internet traffic results. Google Analytics allows you to see what keywords people are using to link to your site and how much traffic is being directed from search engines and direct links.
4. Your Competitor’s Website - No, it’s not spying on your competition. It’s doing a competitive analysis to see what is working and not working for your competitor’s site. Here’s a simple way to find out what keywords your competitor is using:
   - Go to desired website.
   - Right click on the body of the page.
   - Left click on “View Source.”
   - A window will pop up in Notepad with HTML codes.
   This is where you can see the meta-tags and keywords that your competitors are using to attract their traffic. If you want to get more technical, go to www.rankquest.com and type in your competitor’s site. It will return your search with how many times the keywords are used on the website.
5. Wikipedia.com - Known primarily as a reference source, Wikipedia can be your ticket to keyword success. It is popular, high ranking on search engines and has some free tools you can use to get the most out of your keyword research. Try Wikipedia Article Traffic Statistics to see how many times a topic has been viewed on Wikipedia.

Keyword research tools are essential to your Internet marketing success. At first it may be time consuming to research, but in the end you will come out on top, knowing exactly what words web surfers are using to find you—thus surpassing your competition and increasing your sales!

Zeke Camusio is a serial entrepreneur. His sixth endeavor, The Outsourcing Company, is an Internet marketing agency with offices in Aspen, Colo. and New York. Zeke writes an entrepreneurship and Internet marketing blog called Let’s Do It! Check it out at http://www.theoutsourcingcompany.com/blog/.