Most people view vision as a big picture. They also see it as an approximation with pieces not fully defined because it’s the first thing you do. But there are specific building blocks that are very concrete that you would ignore at your own peril.

As a leadership resource, I have a bit of a different background than most of my colleagues. I worked in the trenches from the beginning of my career first as a financial executive and later as a CEO, CFO, and COO of several companies. In my experience the hardest mountain to climb is that of a startup. Getting things right from the beginning will have a downstream impact on your company forever. The obvious question here is whether the big vision that drives your business includes the big leadership that goes along with it.

My opinion is that in order to have the best vision and best leadership, you should start with the best reason to be in business. Guy Kawasaki in his book The Art of the Start says it this way:

“The best reason to start an organization is to make meaning; to create a product or service to make the world a better place.”

There is no doubt that today’s business world is discovering that the drivers to success must include a vision that has a wide lens. It must take care of more than what the product or service of the company seeks to provide. Gone are the days that the simple mechanics of a good idea will thrust a company into guaranteed success. It takes something more.

This can easily be seen in the demands of the new leaders that are populating our corporate world. They want their entrepreneurial experience to be on the same playing field with their personal development and the benefit to the community in which they live. No matter the output of their organization, the way that it is delivered, as beneficial to all stakeholders, is of paramount importance.

Expansion on the outside requires expansion on the inside. If the reason you start a business is to make meaning in our expanded global market, then you must be willing to encounter your own internal impediments to that outcome. All leaders are people. And all humans come to initiatives with reactive traits that manifest unconsciously. If what you propose to do is deliver into an expanded world, you cannot let your own unseen behavior be the obstacle to your own vision.

Currently, I am engaged in the creation of a new company that will be a conglomeration of a group of smaller companies. The reason I have been asked to create the new management team is to address the personal development of all of the new leaders. The passion of the founder of this ‘roll up’ includes a commitment to the development of each management leader. This founder understands that the engagement in the maturity of each leader will reflect in the ongoing maturation of the entity itself.

I am not going to plumb the depths of leadership development in this short blog post. But I encourage each budding entrepreneur to include in his/her toolkit their own leadership development. Founders everywhere are beginning to understand that getting vision and leadership right form the drivers for their new business.

When I undertook to re-label leadership as rooted in personal development I entitled my work Awakened Leadership. There is no doubt that 15 years ago the concept of a personal awakening would have been lumped with terms like sustainable and renewable. Today, however, making meaning in the entrepreneurial market is understood to include the personal development of a company’s leaders that inures to the benefit of an entire community. In fact, that group is the world community and every one of us must develop a wider holding than the egotistical basis of yesterday’s world.

So, let me ask you. What are the things that you assume cannot be included in business that you believe would benefit our world community? Are you willing to rethink your own belief and find a way to include that in you business and life passion?

ALAN E. SHELTON is a leadership coach, seminar leader, speaker, blogger, and author. His groundbreaking book, Awakened Leadership: Beyond Self-Mastery (May 2012), integrates the corporate leadership and spiritual worlds through his message that awakening is the felt sense that your actions seamlessly reside in who you really are and move in a perfect flow. Learn more about Alan at www.AlanShelton.com.

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1. Income: This is pretty obvious, but there’s more to it than just a number. Take a look at the pattern of income over the past year. Has it had a sudden spike? It’s possible that the owners planned some special efforts to make it look better for selling. Is the income trending upward? If not, make sure it’s not a one-trick-pony without a real long-term source of income. Is the income generated in more than one way? If you have product sales, Google ad revenue and banner ads from more than a couple of advertisers, that’s a sign of staying power.

2. Age: If you want to make sure that the site will continue to hold its value over the long-term, past performance is the best measure of future performance. Look for a site that’s been in play for more than a year. SEO optimization efforts also show their best return at that point. Check out the sites history to see whether it’s been active for that long and to make sure it hasn’t had any problems.

3. What you’re buying: Are you getting everything that the site offers currently? This may include proprietary software, all of its content, the graphic package and long-term contracts for the ads currently running. All of those add to the potential cost of a site, but also add to its value.

4. Traffic: This is an area where quality might be more important than quantity. 12,000 hits per day may sound great, but are those potential revenue generators – either through ad revenue or product purchasing – or browsers with zero actual value to you? Issues such as demographics, country of origin, and interest to potential advertisers affect the value of traffic much more than numbers.

5. Current and potential competition: Does this site offer anything unique enough that it would be hard for someone to create a quick-and-dirty competitive site? This type of barrier to entry is a critical benefit when purchasing a website – actually potentially more important than when buying a brick and mortar business because location is irrelevant. If there are any current competitors, make sure your potential site stacks up well compared to them.

6. Time and dollars needed to maintain the site as is: Issues such as how much new content the current owners add every week, order fulfillment and responding to queries can affect the real value of the site. Ask about maintenance time and responsibilities, and do your own estimate of how long the same efforts will take you. For example, if you are a fast and competent writer, three new blogs a week may be easy, but if you have to find and hire writers, how much will that cut into your profits?

7. Potential improvements: Does your special expertise enable you to see untapped potential in the site? Your ability to add value may make a site purchase a bargain in your eyes. Take advantage of that when choosing a site to purchase.

Just as when you buy any business, there are no guarantees. But with some careful homework, you can find a site that meets your requirements. And if you’re willing to commit to strengthening the site, you can generate some serious income and have an asset with value when you’re ready to sell it to someone else.

Now that you know what we look for when buying a website, do you have a site you want to sell that falls within our guidelines? If so, click here to tell us more about it!

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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There were three options that looked promising. Janine decided to evaluate their knowledge of technical issues and their knowledge of guitar equipment. She called all three at about 9 am. One had an answering service that took the message and said someone would get back to her. The second was answered by someone in the group. When Janine asked the question: “Do your lessons work on an iPad, and is everything on your website HTML5 compatible or does some of your site require Flash?” the woman who answered the phone didn’t know. It was obvious that she asked others in the room if any of them knew, and no one did. They too said they would call back with the answer.

Someone Who Gets It

When she called the third site, one of the owners picked up the phone. He was able to answer her question immediately and then they continued to talk. His explanation of their approach to lessons was logical and inviting – they had fourteen different teachers, with different teaching styles, for beginning guitar. Finally, they had a half-hour discussion about amps and the owner was very knowledgeable.

Now here’s the interesting thing – Janine chose to word her initial question so that only a fairly competent geek would be able to understand and answer it. She wanted to make sure that the site’s owners had the technical knowledge at their fingertips to address any problems. So her question was actually a geek-to-geek test of technical capability.

The second goal was to evaluate customer responsiveness. She called at 9 a.m. on a weekday. How long did it take for them to get back to her with the answer? A well-run and customer-focused business would have called back right away when she left a message with the question, even if they couldn’t answer it immediately.

Her final goal was to investigate each site’s industry knowledge. She was prepared with questions about the lessons and types of teachers if they could answer her first question. She also planned a discussion of amps – an area she knew fairly well since she researched the amp her husband recently purchased with the same level of intensity.

Who do You Think Won Out?

As you might guess, she ended up choosing the site with the responsive and knowledgeable owner. As a final test she asked him about one of the competing sites. His response was that they were a good option. The only negative he’d heard was that there was some inconsistency of recording quality among the instructors. He then mentioned that they did all their lesson recordings in their own studio to keep quality consistent.

What was Janine testing with that question? One estimate of professionalism is how you talk about your competition. If he had slammed the other site she would have been much less likely to hire them. Instead he handled the question well, mentioning the only negative she had seen when she read the site’s online reviews. (Yes, that is a part of her due diligence for anything she buys!) She appreciated how he turned that minor criticism into an opportunity to discuss his company’s approach to recording.

Well, the company that met her geek requirements and demonstrated other good business behavior was the one she picked. It helped that it has a 7-day free trial and offers a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Good business practices are critical for any entrepreneur, whether online or in person. But if your business depends on online capability, make sure your geek cred is as solid as the business itself. Otherwise, you’ll lose Janine and others like her as customers.

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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An interview with Chandra Clarke, founder of Scribendi, an editing company that recently started a plug-in editing program on WordPress.

It’s not just what you have to say but how you say it that matters. Even in this age of fast communication, incorrect grammar or typos still damage your credibility. Husband and wife team Chandra K. Clarke and Terence W. Johnson started Scribendi to help writers get it right, and their blogger’s services are now available as a plug-in on WordPress. We talked with Chandra recently about the business and their approach to entrepreneurship.

Blogtrepreneur:  It’s a bit of a leap from an MSc in space exploration studies to an editing and proofreading company. How did that happen and do you still look through a telescope occasionally?

Chandra: It does seem like a strange combination, doesn’t it? I’ve had a long-standing interest in space exploration, in general, with a particular interest in science communication. The question my thesis addressed was how to get the public more engaged with and supportive of space exploration activities. I definitely look through the ‘scope regularly and have recently started a blog about citizen science.

Blogtrepreneur:  What gave you the idea for Scribendi?

Chandra: My BA is in English and my background is in newspapers. Before I started Scribendi, I was the managing editor of a local newspaper; I saw an awful lot of badly written press releases during my time there. This gave me a feel for what the market for editing services might be like. When I left the paper to strike out on my own, I soon found that I had more editing work than I could handle. I combined my love of all things technical with the job, designed the first version of the Scribendi website, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Blogtrepreneur:  When did you decide to include blog proofing/editing in your service mix?

Chandra: We’ve had the service for about a year and the WordPress plugin was launched in late 2011.

Blogtrepreneur:  How much of your business is that work currently?

Chandra: It’s been very well received and is now our most popular personal editing service.

Blogtrepreneur:  How much do you anticipate it will become?

Chandra: We’re projecting that it will become about 10% of our business by volume. This might sound small, but given that blog posts are typically short (~800 words), and we work on everything from academic articles (~3000 words) to novels (~50,000 words), it’s significant.

Blogtrepreneur:  Your co-founder for Scribendi is also your husband. Based on your experience, would you recommend taking that direction to others?

Chandra: We wouldn’t have it any other way, but we are fortunate in that we work very, very well with each other. We know some couples who have solid relationships, but have such very different approaches and working styles that they couldn’t redecorate a room together without getting into a minor tiff over how to hold the paint brush. Obviously, you should see how well you work together before getting into anything big.

Blogtrepreneur:  What kind of challenges has that partnership created?

Chandra: Because we’re both involved in the business, we can sometimes get too wrapped up in it and forget to step back and take a breather. We’re getting better at recognizing when we need to take time off and clear our heads.

Blogtrepreneur:  What are the advantages of the partnership?

Chandra: We bring different strengths and skillsets to the table, and these complement each other. This has been great for problem solving and in advancing different aspects of the business in tandem.

Blogtrepreneur:  Some people seem more willing to have their Internet communication be flawed – do you think that’s related to changes in our culture or do you think that people have a double-standard on writing for print and writing for the Internet?

Chandra: I think it depends on the channel. People definitely tolerate abbreviations and bad grammar in text messages and real-time chat rooms; the emphasis there is on speed over correctness. There’s less tolerance for it in forums and comment threads, and less still in emails.

Blogtrepreneur:  How important do you think correct grammar and spelling is for bloggers?

Chandra: It’s incredibly important. Bloggers write blog posts because they have something to say—they want to be noticed. If a post is filled with grammar and spelling issues, nearly all the comments will be about these issues, rather than on the message itself. And this assumes that anyone takes you seriously enough to read and comment at all, and not simply dismiss you out of hand.

Blogtrepreneur:  Although you have editors on staff, you also have a number of independent contractors on your team. How is that working for you?

Chandra: We find it works really well, as it allows us to source from a global talent pool of native English speakers.

Blogtrepreneur:  Why did you choose that direction?

Chandra: It allows us to offer our clients 24/7 service in a cost-effective manner, and it allows us to provide steady work to top-notch editors, no matter where they live in the world.

Blogtrepreneur:  Do you have any advice for people who work with independents?

Chandra: Regular communication is critical. Fortunately, the Internet makes this easy.

Blogtrepreneur:  You and your husband have a thriving business and are raising three boys – what’s your secret to survival?

Chandra: Coffee! And, again, good communication. Our boys are young (seven, five, and three), but we still make sure they’re aware of what’s going on, and why it’s going on, at all times, so there’s less resistance when we ask them to do things.

Blogtrepreneur:  Why should bloggers use Scribendi services?

Chandra: If you look at any of the top bloggers, the ones that have subscribers and page views in the thousands, you’ll notice they have well-crafted and error-free posts. These two things are related. You can try all the traffic tactics and SEO tricks you want, but unless you have good, professional content, no one is going to read you.

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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Here are 4 simple tips for entrepreneurs to get that well deserved break we all need from time to time.

1. Small Steps

Owning and running your own business that serves as the financial lifeline for you, your family and possibly employees can be overwhelming at times.  When you’re dealing with problems – within your business or outside – taking a step back and dissecting the issue into smaller steps can greatly alleviate the pressure on any situation.

If you’ve got a few big projects on your plate, don’t try and attack them all at once – you’ll go berserk. Plot out to begin one of those projects each day of the week, or maybe once a month.  Break down the massive banquet of responsibilities into manageable plates. You’ll be much more likely to complete everything, and complete it effectively.

2. Just Do the Basics

This just might not be the best time to take on all of those extra projects that you can realistically deem, not absolutely necessary.  Sometimes you have to just come in and just get the basics covered to get through the day.  This option may sound pretty gloomy, but if you allow yourself a week or so to just squeak by, you’ll likely regain that entrepreneurial momentum you need to come running back into the office on Monday revitalized.

3. Take or Plan a Vacation

Of course when things get tough, the first thought is fight or flight.  A personal favorite after enough brutal rounds of fighting is a vacation far away from it all.  Realistically though, if we could just take a vacation at the drop of a hat we likely would be doing that far more often anyway. A ‘staycation’ can be the next best thing.  Plan a night away at a hotel and just soak in the Jacuzzi without your cell phone.  If time away is just impossible, planning a big vacation worth looking forward to can often have nearly the same effect.  Book a non-refundable deposit on a room somewhere so there are no excuses once the time comes! It’s actually GOOD to take vacations!

4. Re-Group and Dive-In

Sometimes the best medicine is to re-evaluate what you’re doing and what you’re doing it for in order to best devise a new plan of attack.  Tear apart your day-to-day and see where you can cut the fat.  You may even want to peruse the competition and see what you may want to emulate or avoid. Then jump back in there and make it happen!

There should be no regretful feelings about needing a breather every once in awhile.  Being an entrepreneur is a tough job – arguably even more deserving of a break than most!

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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Subscriber fatigue is a serious factor to consider when developing and implementing any good email marketing push.  Here are 7 ways to help ensure your subscribers don’t get sick of hearing from you:

 1.    Draw Their Attention

Everyday about 245 billion (give or take a few billion) are sent to inboxes around the world.  With such email overload most people simply skim their inbox and delete based solely on subject line and the first sentence of the content.  The key to actually having your message read is to command their attention with the perfect subject line.

Avoid over hyping by using over-capitalization or excessive punctuation. Also be sure not to blast a grandiose statement for shock factor.  These tactics come off gimmicky and will soon turn subscribers off.  Make the subject line interesting enough to draw your subscriber in by using creative language while avoiding cutesy or too ‘pun-y’ of statements.

 2.    Stay Relevant

Your subscribers have come to you asking for specific information.  Remember this when composing email marketing pieces that your readers are interested in your particular area of expertise.  Try not to wander too far from the heart of your topic because you believe subscribers may be interested in something tangential; keep it appropriate to topics for which you absolutely know they are looking.

A great way to be sure to capture and maintain the readers subscription is to simply ask the subscriber more specifically what they are interested in hearing about when they sign up.  By breaking down your email marketing blasts you’ll hold the attention of subscribers because you are sending them exactly what they want to know.

 3.    Stay Real

For the vast majority nobody enjoys reading a textbook.  Be sure to use language appropriate to your audience and avoid stuffiness.  Subscribers want to hear from you nearly as informal as a person-to-person conversation and not feel like they are being sent a brochure written by an English professor, unless of course that is your specialty.

Be sure to know when to rein it in the other way as well.  Excessive slang can come off as unprofessional and depending upon your industry can lose subscribers and clients faster than anything.  Absolutely do not forget to utilize spell check and proof read your pieces before sending them out.

 4.    Don’t Overload

Without a doubt your subscribers want to hear from you, that’s why they made the effort to subscribe but they don’t want to hear from you all of the time.  Consider personally those emails you know you receive from companies each and every day trying to pitch you something.  How long does it take for you to search the email for the unsubscribe link?

A great way to gauge how often your subscribers want to hear from you is by simply asking.  In the subscription sign-up form don’t hesitate to offer options for a quarterly, monthly or weekly newsletter.  This will also help better segment your database and stay the most relevant to your subscribers.

 5.    Out With The Old, In With The New

Email marketing can be a bit of a task if you don’t particularly enjoy the duty. Though you have undoubtedly put a lot of hard work into the project it is important to not take the loss of subscribers personally.  It may not be that the subscriber didn’t like what you had to say, it simply might not have been the type of information they were expecting.  If you notice a cluster of those unsubscribing during certain marketing pieces be sure to take the opportunity to delve further into why this may be the case.  Was the topic offensive, or maybe irrelevant?

Also remember to keep the push for new subscribers.  Enrolling a following initially is great but you will need to keep a constant stream of new readers flowing in.  Provide subscription links wherever appropriate; don’t limit it to just your website.  Be sure to ask for subscription enrollment on your email signature, your blog page and other social media pages.

 6.    Avoid Over-Promoting

You will never win-over subscribers by over-advertising to them.  Keep advertising especially for outside businesses to the very minimum.  Also promotions are a great way to provide value to subscribers.  Offering special deals or discounts for their loyalty is a great way to draw business and keep subscribers reading.

But of course we must have everything with moderation. Over-promotion can and ultimately will serve to devalue your business or product.  If readers see so many constant promotions it is only natural to begin to wonder about the state of your business and psychologically lower your professional standard in their mind. Do not sell yourself or your business short, but do throw out a tantalizing offer every now and again.

7.    Get Personal

Well, how about try to get personal on a professional level.  This may sound like a paradox but by building a personality or a unique voice for your subscribers that they can identify with will inevitably build confidence in your brand.  You want subscribers to feel like your email marketing newsletters are a professional courtesy message from you to them, not from a cold, faceless company to a customer. Having your subscribers like you will greatly help the chances that they will remain subscribers even if you may miss the target on a few emails here or there.

The only thing worse than having a small email marketing database is having a large one and having subscribers drop like flies.  Make subscriptions to your email list a positive experience so readers will want to read your messages the moment they pop into their inboxes.

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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The Basics:

What are Search Engine Spiders?

These sneaky devils are the informative bits that search your website for content marked as available for web robots to retrieve and appropriately rank for the searcher.  These spiders or web crawlers essentially seek out information not masked by the robots.txt format.

How Does a Robots.txt Blockage Come About?

The usage of robots.txt formatting is most commonly used for staging servers.  If you find yourself at the mercy of a robots.txt problem, it likely stems from when your staging server was rolled over to the live server.  Web developers utilize the robots.txt format to prevent the duplication of your web content during the building process and when your site does eventually go live.

How To Check Your Site for Robots.txt

You are able to manually check your website to rule out the possibility that is suffering from the effects of an inappropriately placed robots.txt setting. No need to panic over the possibility of being Google blacklisted, keep calm and check the following simple steps:

• Enter your domain name followed by a backslash and robots.txt in the address bar. For example: http://thedomainname.com/robots.txt
• If a 404-error page is the result, then you may not have the robots.txt feature.
• An additional route would be to log into your Google Webmaster Tools page to tell you which URLs include a robots.txt file restriction.
• If your robots.txt file shows:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /

You’ll need to be sure to make changes.  You should never see the above coding on a live website.

How To Prevent Parts of Your Site From Being Indexed

Robot.txt can actually work to serve you just as they can hurt your website. To essentially hide certain sections of your website from these spiders or web crawlers, you can implement the features of the robots.txt formatting.  To disallow ads or log files from being searched on your website, these pages or features should be respectively coded:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /ads
Disallow: /logs

• Unfortunately, the usage of the robots.txt isn’t a cure-all for those items you wouldn’t like searched. You may also notice the blanket effect of this feature. Basic protocol doesn’t allow for Wildcards in the Disallow line or “Allow:” lines.  Subsequently, Google has expanded this basic format issue to allow both of these options, but these are not universally accepted, so it is recommended that these expansions ONLY be used for a “User-agent:” run by Google.

Does the Robots.txt Prevent Users From Viewing Certain Content?

Absolutely not.  Adding the robots.txt to your web coding will only prevent web-screening spiders from selecting content from these portions of your site.  All content will be left for the viewing pleasure of all visitors to that page and will be completely unaware of the robots.txt status of the content on that page.  In all honesty the robots.txt will only disallow “polite” spiders from access to the information, in reality there are likely less well-mannered searchers weaving through that data.

If you really want to protect certain data, content or certain sections of your website, your best bet is to password protect these areas. Also remember that if you want content officially removed from the index, you must include a robots no index meta tag on each and every page you want to unequivocally remove from the index of your site.

Understanding the slightly more simplistic features of running and maintaining your website will likely save you money on the front and the running end of your business.  If you find that your website has disappeared from Google search or is extremely hard to find otherwise, your first step should be to double-check your robots.txt.  No need to spend extra money on a tech professional when you are well equipped to rule out the easy fixes and get back to the world of the living as far as the web is concerned!

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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As a Google user, it is exciting to be able to find more information, based upon location, past searches, what your friends recommend and a plethora of other criteria that will likely be more relevant than the results other web search engines would provide.  For those businesses dependent upon a high Google ranking for survival this new search structure is both confusing and terrifying. No need to panic, simply adapt.

First, it is important to begin to diversify the driving force of traffic for your business.  A dependency upon any one avenue is a recipe for disaster; take the launch of Google+ as case in point! Many companies have spent eye-popping amounts of their marketing budget in boosting their Google ratings to position themselves in the coveted top search results for their given field or keyword.  Now with the overnight transition to a user individualized ranking system all those big marketing dollars may very well be down the drain.

Second, having said all of that, it is still important to appear in a Google search! Google remains a free platform and a major element in the matter of remaining relevant in the ever-evolving world of the internet.  It is better to think of Google+ as a new way for searchers to find you, particularly if you’re a small, local business. It is just different way to go about it.

In order to adjust to the new method of Google searching with Google+ you’ll need to change your SEO and linking strategies in the following ways:

 1. Understand Exactly How Google+ Your World Works

Lovingly dubbed “GPYW,” understanding what Google+ Your World is looking for to most appropriately rank your website is the first and most important step to switching up your online presence.  Google+ will always retrieve information they deem most reliable and relevant, it now will also include quite a few different factors.  Learning how heavily social media or external links are weighed can completely change the way you approach future marketing techniques.

While having a strong social media platform on Google+, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites is important at the moment never lose sight of the other ways your company can gain recognition.  When Google users search it is unlikely they will click to visit your #1 ranked Facebook page, no matter how popular it is, than a legitimate homepage of your competitor ranked at #2.  Remember to broaden your horizons.

 2. It’s Easy

If you were able to create other social media accounts there is no reason you can’t establish a Google+ account.  Google engineers are some pretty smart cookies and have streamlined the process so that you’ll be up and running in no time. Once you have an account you are able to search your contacts as well as upload other contacts – say past customer lists- to your account and add them within specific marketing targeted categories.  It’s safe to say this process could take as little as 10 minutes and will put you in contact with more customers than you may even be aware.

3. Evolution is Vital

If you’ve been in the game of trying to boost your Google rankings over the past few years you’ll be the first to agree that the rules are constantly changing and what may have shot you right to the top of the results two years ago may have gotten you blacklisted just months later.  Again, Google engineers are smart and are always hot on the trail of those able to discover loopholes to their program.

Your best bet has and will always be to play by the rules and use legitimate links and other web drivers to your pages.

Link building is an important tool for all businesses whether remotely dependent upon web marketing or a completely web based business to remain relevant and drive traffic either directly or indirectly.  The strategic use of Google, Google+, and Google+ Your World is a great way to stay in front of those searching for you, but it is also extremely important to appear in front of those not searching for you or your business.  This happens by building your links.

More links to your web address or other related sites build a stronger web of those left with an impression of your company and a path to find more information about it.  Link building using email marketing or guest blogging on relevant topics for other websites can do more for your business than any social marketing engine.

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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There is no clear right or wrong way to advertise on Facebook.  You may find that one advertisement may be extremely successful while a slightly different ad will fail miserably.  The best answer in trying to establish an effective Facebook marketing plan is a tactical and educated use of the old, trial and error method.  Split testing is the best way to nail down which tactics are most successful for your specific business, product and customer. Here are 7 tips to maximize your tests:

Keep the Conditions Similar

When testing a campaign with two different ads, be sure to keep the external conditions as similar as possible.  Post at the same time of day, maintain the same bid, post for the same amount of time, etc.

Use the Scientific Method

Be sure to test only one variable at a time.  By posting a picture on one ad and examining the results of the same exact ad but with a different picture, it will be clear that the conversion rates are derivative of a better picture in one than the other.  If you were to change both the picture as well as the title at the same trial time it would be much harder to determine which factor made the difference.

Trust your Reports

Really look at your results.  One ad may look more popular than the other but did the other actually draw in more fans for your page? Stay on top of these reports. There is no need to spend more of your advertising budget on ads that simply are not working.

Don’t Wear Them Out

Fantastic! You’ve finally found an ad with the right dynamics that really works! You’ll still need to change. Advertising is all about staying fresh.  The most effective ads eventually lose their momentum and will need to be replaced.  Slowly phase these dinosaurs out.  You have a serious advantage though; you now are one huge step closer to putting together subsequent plans that will hopefully be as or even more effective than the previous one.

Ditch the Duds

Some make the mistake of slightly tweaking absolutely horribly performing ads.  If you’ve got something that is clearly not working don’t waste your time making small changes. You’re much better off ditching the whole piece and starting fresh, maybe from a different angle.

Don’t be Impatient

You’ll need to run your ads for a decent amount of time to really gather a good pool of test subjects.  An ad with only 10 views will not give you nearly enough data to really understand the effectiveness of your two different ads.  A good rule of thumb requires at least 20 clicks about two days of viewing.

Split Test your Landing Page

Sometimes the problem may not be your ad.  In many cases a well-placed ad on Facebook will get users to click but the following landing page loses them.  This is another great area to split test your advertising campaigns.  Develop two slightly different landing pages and analyze which performs better.  The landing page serves to close the deal while your Facebook ad brings them in the door.  That landing page is certainly just as important as the driving source of those visitors.

Split testing may take a bit more effort than you may have originally thought necessary for Facebook advertising but you’ll find that it really does pay off.  Whether through direct conversions to sales, securing followers for your page or at the very least creating brand recognition, you’ll be able to consider your Facebook ad campaign a success. Remember to test and test again!

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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Of course you’ll still need to focus on the marketing aspect of your web app. Here are 8 secrets to creating a great web app that will benefit both you and your customers:

1. Define Success

The double-sided nature of building a web app requires a well devised plan. You’ll need to define and frame up what a successful web app will look like for you. This may seem overly simplistic but the primary step is to decide exactly what you’d like your app to do. What are your intentions? Are you looking to provide a free service that will pull in revenue from advertisers? Are you building brand recognition, or are you looking to build an app that will provide a service to customers for which they would be willing to pay? How will you know if you’ve built a successful app if you don’t first define what that success would entail?

2. Rigid Plans Fail

Just as any successful business plan must remain flexible in order to compete and grow, so must the planning and implementation of your web application. Developing a concept of an app and stubbornly sticking to it will likely make for an app failure. You’ll likely need to run testing on the app, get feedback from customers and make changes accordingly. The app isn’t intended to please you; hopefully the goal is to provide value to the customer and somehow reciprocate that value back to your business.

3. Define your Audience

This is one of the largest and most frequent mistakes in the web app development stage. You’ll be setting your app up for near certain failure if you don’t first consider to whom you’ll be marketing and what that market would like to see. As with any good marketing plan, define your audience, understand your niche and specialize to their needs.  You’ll drive yourself crazy attempting to build an app to suit everyone; plus you’ll end up with an app that will suit no one.

4. Focus on What You Do

Web application users are pretty savvy these days, they are quite aware that a game app brought to you by a car insurance company is likely to be less about the game than a commercial for the insurance company. Build an application relating to your particular field. If you’re a financial services company, build an app offering investment projection calculators. Stick to what you do best.

5. Research User Experience

This is the most important step in building your web application and unequivocally the most neglected. It’s best and less expensive to start your project with a solid concept than to spend extra time and money redesigning later. First, ask clients, friends and family if your abstract concept would appeal to them, then go from there.  What would they like to get from it? After you’ve laid the groundwork spend that extra bit of effort in testing and surveying users. You don’t want to lose users because your first few versions were rinky-dink attempts lacking value.

6. Good Design Pays

Appealing aesthetics and a design that works will be much more impactful than an app that lacks originality, crashes or freezes because you skimped on a cheaper design. Consider that your web app users are at least moderate tech enthusiasts and you’ll realistically lose credibility with an ugly app.

7. Think Mobility

Your app is meant to work on the go. Requiring users to click through multiple pages, making unnecessary navigation decisions and causing long load times because of too many flashy extras is going to kill your app. If your users want or need a wealth of information they should be able to visit your comprehensive website. If you force too much on the app it is destined to fail.

8. Plan for Updates

Some companies believe that once you’re launched the hard work is over. It is most definitely not. If you’re planning a one time shot at success you’ll be fine blasting an app and forgetting it but you can also forget your investment.  As new needs and glitches are identified you’ll have to have a provision for updates or you’ll be on the fast track to deletion and negative feedback.  Smartphone software updates also mean you’ll need to update, count on it.

The most important thing to remember in the development and design is to never rush the process.  Sure you don’t want to take so long that your idea becomes obsolete but you should pencil out enough time so that you can rest assured that your application will be something your customers will want to download. Offering an app that not only provides something of value but also offers a pleasant user experience will build customer confidence in your company as well as give you an edge over the competition.

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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1. Provide Better Service

Believe it or not, to consumers, customer service out ranks a slightly lower price on the same product or service elsewhere.  Think about the myriad of local and smaller businesses thriving in direct competition with mega-chains such as Wal-Mart.  If the most important factor consumers consider when purchasing an item or service, the world would be run by one huge Wal-Mart because their prices are so low.

Customer service is the chief advantage to any small or medium sized business.  Having the ability to properly equip and train staff to provide the best possible service to every customer who walks in the door or calls will set you in a whole different tier than the completely impersonal automated competitor companies. Having fair policies and transparent transactions will also work to build customer trust and loyalty.

2. Offer Exclusivity

There are so many different ways that a small company can offer exclusive rights to venders as an incentive to sell their product.  Typically these exclusivity rights are great to offer if your company has a unique product and a low budget to promote that item.  Consider offering a large chain retailer like Costco or Target the exclusive rights to sell your product in all of their stores.  Though you’re limiting where buyers can find your product, in return you are receiving a vast spectrum of advertising, exposure and credibility.

Another way to handle exclusivity is to extend a given period of time, say 60 days, to an individual retailer such as Amazon.com to sell your product. They will likely require a performance clause to assure the popularity of your product.  In return, Amazon.com may offer free or discounted advertising on their site or special sales to promote your product on their dime.

 3. Be Your Own Brand

Frequently smaller companies are forced to become wholesalers in order to compete in this global market.  Selling your product under the name of another company is certainly a way to assure sales and immediate brand recognition (of the other company), but it also means that your company is receiving zero credit for the product.

If possible, attempt to keep your product your own and maintain your own brand.  Building a brand means that you retain much more control over the selling of your product and are under far less stress to maintain inventory or have to wait for payment delays, which are typical for many wholesalers.

4. Offer Special Terms

Special offers are a great way to keep product moving and ensuring a small company will have continuous cash flow.  Extending an offer to discount purchases above a certain volume serves as an incentive for buyers to purchase more, which means cash in the bank much more quickly.

Additionally, if a business finds itself with decent profit margins but is frequently dealing with cash flow issues, offering discounts for quick payments on invoices or electing an auto-pay option will certainly bring money to the table more quickly.  If you find yourself in a cyclical industry, offering discounts during lag periods to fill cash flow needs in many cases is well worth the discount slashed off the books.

Competition is fierce out there and requires the small guys to come up with ways to stay in the game and beat out the bigger retailers. Learning tricks to stay in that game are so critical in leveling the playing field of this problematic global economy full of others willing to sell a similar product for less.

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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I was a lone ranger when I decided to launch my first eBook-based company. The concept of an eBook was still pretty foreign to most people when the venture was coming together. One guy told me he was going to line his birdcage with eBooks. (Like I said, the idea of an eBook wasn’t very clear to the general population yet, but touché, buddy.) Whenever an entrepreneur attempts to introduce something new, there will be people who are quick to point out the downsides. But these change-avoidant people can be overcome.

Overcoming Challenges

When my company launched, several people questioned our purpose. Who would want to read a book on a computer? Who would want to read something without a bookmark? Who would have ever finished War and Peace in eBook format, for Pete’s sake?! These people, of course, didn’t have the foresight to anticipate eReaders and tablets. Our job, as a company that could see the future, was to educate our audience.

Just like anyone else who’s introducing something new, we had to show prospective clients the benefits of our new product, particularly the advantages the new version had over old technology. It was easy to show how we beat paper books on most counts (although we couldn’t save your computer from a bad coffee spill, either). We then made a point to hear them out about their concerns, and we endeavored to alleviate their worries as much as possible. Whether this required an easier registration process or simply an explanation of how the downloads would work, we tried to answer each and every question. Simply demonstrating our ability to provide a good service and anticipate our clients’ needs increased the interest people had in our company.

Developing Your Business

Getting in on an industry early has its rewards, but it’s obviously risky as well. Launching early gives you a footing before others have caught on to how useful your product or service is – but the catch is that your product has to actually become popular. Once eBooks starting taking off, for example, we were one of the few resources people could easily find – and one of the few quality sites the media could point to. Entering the game at this stage has become incredibly difficult for new ventures, and we’ve received interest from quite a few people who want to acquire us. As Wayne Gretzky said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” Any entrepreneur can predict the future, but it takes diligence, perseverance, and luck.

Here are three ways mavericks can find success:

1. Split test everything. It’s simply not smart to take guesses with your strategy, unless the new thing you’re wanting to try out is failure. It’s also dangerous to put all your egg in one basket. To avoid either of these scenarios, split test everything. Decisions should be calculated, so make sure everything you invest in (design, copy, marketing) is tested to be optimized. Even established companies should do this – it’s not a sign of strategic weakness, but an indicator of good decision-making.
2. Establish yourself on search engines. Not only does search engine optimization take time, but with limited competition early, you can “mark your territory.” You should mark what you can before others, ahem, come sniffing around – SEO is your best friend in these situations.
3. Get people to subscribe. Although our company’s content was (and continues to be) free, we required people to register in order to use our site. This allowed us to build our list for email marketing and sponsorships. We also convinced people to spread the word by offering them freebies if they did so. Subscriptions instill loyalty and make your list more robust. (Just like those double-chili cheeseburgers were making your waistline more robust.)

The bottom line for anyone striking out on his own is to make sure there’s deep internal motivation. If the product or service itself doesn’t rev your engine, then you need another project, or this project needs another leader. Being an entrepreneur is hard enough. If you don’t have complete faith in yourself and your project, the uphill battle is a lot steeper.

Startup ventures are rollercoasters. Everyone goes through ups and downs, and those peaks and valleys will be even more extreme for people exploring new niches. There will be days when even the most maverick entrepreneur, who claims to not care about success or popularity, will want to throw in the towel. But if you do your research, consider the future, and listen to your gut more than you listen to anyone else, you’ll be fine. Change may not be well-liked by the general public, but that doesn’t mean your company won’t be. Remember: for every guy planning to line his birdcage with your product, there’s another guy willing to invest in it.

Nicolas Gremion is CEO of Free-eBooks.net, a source for free eBook downloads, eBook resources, and eBook authors, and Foboko.com, a social publishing network.

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In 2011the firm won the prestigious Red Herring 100 Asia Award, confirming its position as a top ranked Internet marketing company. In addition to running the company, Navneet blogs, writes and edits journals and speaks. As is a trusted authority in the search engine marketing industry, he also works as an advisor and consultant with a number of large companies.

You brought the internet marketing company PageTraffic into the million-dollar revenue range within two years while working on your MBA at the same time. What in your previous experience and background positioned you for that level of success?

The Internet really started exploding when I was doing my MBA. After Google was launched and the initial buzz was created, the search landscape started changing very fast. Until then the only known search engines out there were AltaVista and Fast. Believe it or not, it took me 6 months to buy my first PC and all that because I was searching for the best configuration on the internet in my college lab on AltaVista and Google while skipping my classes. This is when I discovered the power of the internet and search engines. I started exploring the search engines more, the rudiments of internet marketing and learning technical languages to understand the algorithms better. I was so much moved by the overwhelming information I had at my hand that I decided to test it online. So while doing my MBA, my first SEO company was born. I researched and read a lot about search engine algorithms at that time and started implementing it on my website. In a few months the site started ranking in the top ten for many keywords and had a Google PageRank of 4. Soon I started receiving SEO queries from companies around the world. By the time I graduated, I was already developing and managing websites for many clients. And the money was good. So, launching the company and expanding on what I was already doing was a no-brainer.

Describe what your company accomplishes for your clients?

During the last decade, we have helped people launch new businesses as well as raise the bottom line on the existing ones too. We cover the whole range when it comes to site design – small sites, blogs, e-commerce solutions, portals and social networking sites. Then we take them to the market with our comprehensive marketing services that include SEO, PPC and social media marketing. It is quite satisfying to see that some of the businesses we helped launch a decade back are still our clients, so it’s a matter of continuous value addition.

What is it about your approach, knowledge or staff that makes your company stand out in this competitive marketplace?

In a knowledge and service-based industry such as ours, it is difficult to see them as separate entities. Given our unique processes, it has always been difficult to find people who have prior experience or are a perfect match on day one. We have devised our own training modules so that people with the right approach can become experts.

Apart from that, we have also created a separate client-servicing department and made result assessment easier for the client. We do regular training sessions and testing based on Google’s updated algorithm changes and continue to evolve our offerings accordingly. So, rather than any one factor it will be a combination of our experience, level of support and results that we deliver.

In your role as CEO of PageTraffic and as an industry leader, you run your company, blog and write articles, speak and serve as a consultant to a number of influential firms. How do you manage to balance all of these responsibilities?

I guess when you love what you do; you don’t need to take a break! When I started PageTraffic, the key challenge was not getting more clients, but to maintain the quality of the work. That was the time when I started working on setting up a process and guidelines against a measurable reporting structure along with strict quality controls.  Most of the structure remains the same as what we started before, but the quality control and measurable reporting has kept on evolving, allowing us to deliver value to our clients.  This way we are not stuck in day-to day operations. This also allows me to work on macros rather than micros and helps me in blogging and SEO consulting along the way.

If you could focus on only one, which one is the most important to you?

It’s a difficult choice. I love working closely with clients and ensuring that PageTraffic excels at new challenges.  But if it really comes to focusing on one, I will choose to write, speak and share my experiences. The team and process at PageTraffic is mature enough for day-to-day SEO work. The teams are also experienced enough to take calls on most of the SEO matters when it comes to specific campaigns.

Do you think your base in India has any influence on your success? Why or why not?

Yes, it does. When we started working, almost all of our clients were from the USA or Europe. Cost has been a great factor in this industry. With time, we have expanded in other markets across the globe and are seen at par with any other global marketing agency when it comes to quality. So, location is not one of the most significant factors now, but it definitely helped us in the beginning.

How important is a global understanding with internet marketing? Do you feel it gives you a competitive advantage?

Yes, it is extremely important and we are fortunate to have worked on global projects right from the start. Today, both the ends of the market have become critical – a business has to have a campaign that takes care of both the global and local ends of the spectrum. Having handled campaigns of all sizes and descriptions over the last decade, we understand how the algorithms work better. Though no one can quite know which way they will go, you get a better idea of the trend if you’ve been in the trenches for long and have handled the scale of it all.

Where do you see internet marketing headed in the next three to five years? What are you doing as a company to prepare for that evolution?

I see internet marketing becoming more of Inbound Marketing, where clients will expect more value for their dollar. The composition of SERPs is changing; search engines are striving to make their results more inclusive. Brands are expanding their campaigns to be present across the categories. Also, companies are becoming more aware of their online reputation. It is no longer a singular campaign with a singular objective. In the coming years, this fragmentation of sources and unification of results will progress simultaneously.

These are times when brands have realized that marketing is no longer a one way street. Even traditional marketing has changed tracks and is trying to become more engaging. Given that the internet is where it all started, I understand the changes will be swifter in the future.

PageTraffic has always been open to change and we know how to roll with the waves too.  The change has come at many levels – we have become more open as an organization. We are more open to multi-dimensional talent and people moving across the hierarchy and not just vertically up. For an organization to change, the exterior and interior have to change in tandem. The internal changes have allowed us to expand our offerings and to help our clients keep up the pace too.

What would you recommend as a first step for companies that want to expand their internet marketing efforts?

Quite literally, the first step depends on the direction that the organization wants to take. Companies need to assess their own requirements and envision their short and long term goals. They need to be able to project their marketing budgets for the coming year and only then start looking for an internet marketing partner. Most of the internet marketing companies today have become domain experts, so you need to see where the inputs are coming from and how they sync with the bigger picture.

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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1. Unoriginal Content – Google loathes duplicated content.  Their complex filtering systems will automatically ignore content they find to be too similar to others, say for example through automated content generators or web templates.
2. Invisible Text – Some sites include content hidden from view of actual page website visitors aimed solely at driving up those search engine rankings.  Google is on to these sneaky tactics and will discover these methods sooner than later.
3. Over thinking It – We’ve all learned that when Google sees a keyword used more frequently, the more relevant the page must be, right? Not these days.  Google bots have been updated to evaluate the balance of the content on a given site to be sure it is actually human friendly not just Google bot friendly.
4. Promotion of Paid Links – No one likes those webpages packed full of paid advertising links completely irrelevant to the actual website, not even Google.  If your site is running many paid links on your site this will actually work against your own Google rating as they’ve recently begun to crackdown on this practice.
5. Guilt by Association – Integrating links to pages already banned by Google or sites containing known and obvious malware will be a surefire killer of your Google ranking.  More than likely your site will soon join the ranks of those banned.
6. Artificial Pretense – Creating a page designed to highly rank with targeted search queries for the sole pretense of redirecting visitors to advertising sites will have the Google gods frowning on your site.  There are extenuating circumstances but largely if the redirected page isn’t relevant or create value for the Google searcher, Google will likely axe you.
7. Redundant Anchor Texts – As anchor texts are the basis for the ability to be searched on Google, providing too similar of words or wording for this anchor text to the link will actually become a huge disservice. Google looks upon doing so as being unnatural and therefore a negative strike within their search algorithms.
8. Copied Content – The practice known as content scraping will have you on the Google naughty list. Scraping over content from other pages or sources whether blatantly or tucked on back pages for the sole purpose of boosting your Google ranking will easily knock your rating.
9. Link Exchanges – Taking part in link exchanges or link farms is harmful to your online marketing as Google looks upon these as frivolous and annoying blockages in the search engine system. Don’t be part of it.
10. Cloaking Content – This is when completely different content is shown to Google bots than is actually visible to web visitors.  This is seen as such a massive Google faux pas your page legitimately runs the risk of becoming banned from their search index.

Be cautious in your web marketing, as any of these above simple mistakes can cause your site to be banned from Google indexing or pushed several pages back, leaving them just as good as banned.

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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The question then becomes how to profit from these prized pins? The answer is simple; affiliate marketing. A prime example of this is evident in pins promoting items from Amazon.com. What you need to be aware of, before blindly pinning images, is a service called Skimlinks that Pinterest uses to search out and alter these types of links renaming Pinterest as the affiliate ID associated with the pin. While this is fairly commonplace among web businesses to monetize product links, there are ways to sidestep this and collect on the affiliate link you pin.

Avoid the Appearance of Spamming

Nobody likes a spammer. Most spammers use bots to auto generate content, and Pinterest is not immune. While in its infancy, Pinterest may not catch all spam immediately, but rest assured, it will get more and more proficient in catching and removing spam accounts, boards, and pins. Take the time needed to create quality boards and link your pins with a service, like Linktrackr, that tracks metrics, allowing you to monitor clicks and conversion. Build creative boards with quality pins and content. Sure it takes time, but a little time will pay off in a big way and after a month or two you will have a prized collection of premium boards and pins primed for repinning by your followers.

Link Cloaking

Services like LinkTrackr additionally allow you to customize your links by shortening and adding your affiliate ID directly to the end of the link in order to retain credit for the sale. LinkTrackr, for the moment, is set securely outside Skimlinks’ database, ensuring that your affiliate ID will not be stripped as it would in, say, Bit.ly or TinyURL which have been notably compromised on Pinterest.

In a recent interview conducted by WebProNews, Alicia Navarro, the CEO of Skimlinks, has stated that while Pinterest has been using Skimlinks for the last few years, they have paused using Skimlinks temporarily with all the recent publicity. While Skimlinks was not their sole revenue source, Pinterest has many revenue streams they are currently exploring and implementing. Testing a few of your affiliate links from time to time to ensure the affiliate ID has not been stripped would be a wise move for any marketer looking to monetize their Pinterest boards.

Hosting Images on Your Server

This should be fairly straight forward to most, but the surest way to streamline traffic to your affiliate products is by funneling traffic like so:

Pinterest –> YOUR WEB PROPERTY –> Amazon

This will effectively cut out any affiliate ID stripping and any other hiccups that would otherwise be encountered by simply pinning directly to Pinterest without taking the above precautions. By utilizing these measures and performing some affiliate link testing from time to time to ensure the affiliate ID has not been changed or removed, you can rest easy knowing your boards and pins are performing optimally and maximizing your affiliate income.

Most social sites experience spam of some form or another; Facebook, Twitter, and Myspace have all had their fair shares. Pinterest has recently gotten quite a bit of web and news coverage from a self proclaimed spammer claiming to make $1000 per day off his various pins. Using bots to generate accounts, boards and pins, he spammed Pinterest using affiliate marketing. He has publically outlined his business model, which received so much attention he retracted it, claiming it was a hoax. The point of real interest lies in what Pinterest will do now that this spammer has gone public.

Social sites are constantly updating their terms of service, monitoring tools and algorithms to cut back on spam and maintain the integrity of their sites. There has been talk of Pinterest limiting the quantity of pins posted per day by accounts in attempts to limit spam posts. All in all, Pinterest is an exciting new platform with endless marketing possibilities.

Have you been using Pinterest for marketing? Any insights you can provide? Share with the community in the comments below!

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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Many think bartering is a strange concept, completely out of the sphere of contemporary business.  That’s not the case though.  Bartering is still a great way to build a business from the ground up, creatively expand, and run a successful company with an impressive profit margin.

It may be hard to believe, but there are all types of businesses more than willing to trade services rather than write a big check.  Consider requesting bartering exchange with the types of services that every business requires – things like:

• Accounting services
• Web design and maintenance
• Repair or cleaning services
• Professional marketing services
• Occasional piece or side work

How is bartering done? It’s as easy as 1-2-3:

1. Determine what type of services you need. For example: cleaning services, technological support, web design, marketing help, the list is virtually endless.
2. Next you need to decide what your company is willing and able to offer in exchange for the necessary service.  To what extent are you willing to offer this service? For how long and under what terms?
3. Join a bartering network to connect with a bartering partner (no worries, there is further information on this below).

How is bartering beneficial?

• A business is allowed the luxury of expanding more quickly, as you’ll be able to move a necessary expense from the cash liability list to the much more beloved ‘taken-care-of’ list.
• Without the need for cash to initiate or back this transaction, any business, especially newer startups, is able to spend the tight funds they do have on other aspects of the company. Bartering frees up cash that can be used in other areas, such as expanding or hiring employees, as well as spending that cash on non-bartered items such as utilities, taxes, and rent.
• There is virtually an endless number of items and services individuals and businesses are willing to exchange for yours.
• Bartering can help clear extra inventory by offering it for trade for a service or item more beneficial to the company.
• This may open the lines of communication between other businesses, which may in turn lead to actual cash transactions, referrals, or sales in the future. Building a relationship essentially for free can be priceless.
• For accounting or tax purposes, these types of bartered transactions are considered exactly the same as cash transactions and can still benefit a company’s balance sheet as tax write-offs.

Join a barter network

It’s always a possibility to contact individuals or businesses with which you already have an established relationship, to feel out the possibility of a barter-trade deal. But depending upon the specifics of your business, it may be difficult to find an appropriate pairing for the service that is required. Luckily, there are bartering networks designed exactly to address this issue. One such network is known as Itex.  This is a publicly traded and well-respected barter network that has worked out a majority of the possible kinks in this trade system.  Value Card Alliance is also another example of a Trade Exchange that is growing at a rapid pace with over 54,000 businesses already in their network. These types of networks also help ease the barter-trading process by offering a multiple trade system. Here’s an example:

Say you own an accounting firm and are in desperate need of a new, high-tech website. If you don’t have someone in-house who can perform the work, you’d simply search a bartering network.  You may come across the perfect web design company willing to barter services, but what if they aren’t in need of any accounting services? Every time a bartered deal is worked out and completed, allotted credits are applied to your account.  In this case, the web design company would be willing to complete the job in exchange for a certain amount of credits, of which your company would be indebted a matching amount of credits.  These credits can be continually traded within multiple transactions and businesses.  Yes, this is similar to a conventional monetary system but there is still zero money changing hands!

One word of caution is in order: Don’t forget to double check with state and federal laws regarding transactions between businesses.  Bartered trades are considered and treated the same as cash transactions in most cases, so various laws and taxation rules do apply.  Learning and testing the bartering waters could be a way to revolutionize an entire business.  You’ll likely find this system fairly intuitive, and as you become more familiar with these cashless transactions, it will become easier, and the benefits of a trade-barter system more apparent.

Have you used barter in your business? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments and on our Facebook page!

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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There are three key areas all marketing gurus agree will determine an effective marketing plan from a lame one:

Evaluation #1: Amount of New Leads

We’re not talking collegiate level mathematics on this one. This step in the evaluation process simply requires you to gather how many new prospects a specific marketing piece brought in. How you measure this depends upon the call to action in your marketing piece – phone calls received, replied emails, newsletter sign-ups, etc.

Evaluation #2: Total Cost per New Lead

Unless you were able to pull off the astonishing feat of creating an effective lead generating marketing plan for free, your lead machine will have cost you money. When calculating this amount, be sure to include everything – any postage fees, third party marketing company fees, and the time you and your employees invested on this piece.

Now that you know exactly how many leads your marketing plan brought in from Evaluation #1, and you know how much the project cumulatively cost, you should be able to easily calculate exactly how much each lead has cost you, by dividing the total cost by the number of leads generated. Hopefully when the numbers materialize the cost per new lead seems worth it! There’s only one way to know for sure though, and that’s through Evaluation #3.

Evaluation #3: Conversion Rate

Depending on your industry or type of business, this calculation may take longer to be able to establish than others. Determining the conversion rate of leads to customers will demonstrate exactly how effective your marketing plan was and if it was worth the financial investment. Because the amount of time it takes from a lead to convert to an actual customer varies greatly from one industry to the next, it’s really hard to empirically show the conversion rate for your marketing plan exclusively. Divide the number of converted customers by the original leads brought in, and you’ll determine your conversion rate. This will offer at least a decent ballpark for a measure of its effectiveness.

Hopefully the lead to conversion rate and the cost per new lead number falls right where you’d like it on that marketing roulette table, but if not, don’t lose hope! As you work to develop future marketing plans, you’ll now be equipped with data to adjust greatly or ever so slightly to get the cost per lead and conversion rate at or greater than you’d even hoped.

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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The best way to begin the process of selecting the perfect name for a new business is to start with a nice big list of possible ideas. Sitting down and brainstorming keywords, phrases, and topics related to your business can be a very productive course of action. Be playful with this process and toss around even those seemingly ‘weird’ names. Don’t be afraid to ask friends or family their opinion on possible names or what they think about your own list of possibilities.

Here are four critical aspects to consider when selecting the perfect business name:

1. Keep it fresh

“Kate’s Coffee Shop” is a fine name I suppose; it’s clear as to what the business is, and it’s fair to assume that Kate owns it. A simplistic name could also be considered traditionally endearing. This is true, but it’s not likely going to catch anyone’s attention off the street. The name of the business should serve as a clear distinction from others within the same industry and emphasize the particular unique attributes of the business. Maybe Kate would want to consider something more playful like, “The KT Café.”

Being creative with the name of your new business means that you may even want to think about creating a brand new word to represent your company. Using a play on words or using an acronym can be a fun way to incorporate multiple meanings into a concise name. No matter what the decision on the name of your business, be sure you love it!

2. Leave wiggle room

As with anything in life, you never know where the future may lead. It’s important to be sure that the name of your new business will not serve to one day inhibit the growth of the company. It’s helpful to have a name that is descriptive about what the business sells or does, but it’s also important to not allow that name to limit future expansion. It’s impossible to tell what the future may hold for any industry, so this bit of advice in selecting a business name is a bit hard to tack down.

If you’re dead-set on a name and afraid it might be a bit too narrow for the growth you foresee in the future, you may want to look into registering as a corporation, LLC, etc. under one name and additionally registering a DBA (doing business as) within that corporation with a more narrow name. This option will always allow you to legally use both in the future.

3. Make it sing & make sense

The name of a business should roll off the tongue, capture attention and be memorable. This tip is best served with an example: Say you were opening a new breakfast joint and you decided to name the restaurant “Bacon.” That’s a pretty great name, right?  It’s fair to think that most breakfast-goers enjoy bacon and the concise and somewhat whimsical nature of the name will likely attract passersby on Sunday mornings. Even better, customers would likely remember the name because of the simplicity. Just imagine customers talking about the new restaurant:

“We’re headed out to breakfast, would you like to join us?”

“Sure, where to?”

“We’re going to try the new place downtown, Bacon!”

“I love bacon, so I should love this place! Let’s go!”

Now that everyone is in love with the name, you’d better deliver on the product! Customers will come in expecting a phenomenal plate of bacon, so don’t disappoint.

4. Time for the research

Once you’ve narrowed a decent sized list of possible names it’s time to start the research for the final decision. Take your list, sit down at your computer, and let the research begin. A good start is to simply Google the names on your prospective list. If anything comes up or is just too close for comfort, you’ll probably want to cross that one off the list. If it’s one that you were really pulling for, it may still stand a chance. It depends a lot on the industry, what the name is currently being used for, and by whom.

Next, check out the Secretary of State or Corporation Commission office website in your state to see if there’s already record of a company in your state with the same name. All of this information is digital these days, and it’s relatively simple to search for existing names. Don’t forget to double check if there is a DBA registered under that same name as well. This may be a separate search for this depending on your state. If you come across one of your prospects as actively registered, you’ll definitely need to cross that one off – it’s taken.

Now that your list has likely dwindled to a few options, you may want to run the remainders through the U.S. Trademark Office’s database to see if there is any sort of product or registered name that you may be infringing upon. The last thing you’d want is to be an up and running business and be legally forced to change your name. Ouch.

While your business name is a serious decision, there’s no need to panic. The name of your new baby won’t make or break its success. It’s just important to remember not to make too light of this process. Once you pick the name it can be extremely expensive and detrimental to go back and change it.

How did you name your business? Share the process you went through in the comments and on our Facebook page!

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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Having said this, it is also important for a business to retain that personal touch. Nearly everyone would prefer to do business with a company that has personality and an authentic touch rather than deal with a big, faceless conglomerate chain. This leaves a tough question: Is it possible to be authentically “you” and grow a business?

There is an old saying to “never discuss religion or politics in polite company.” Let’s scramble that a bit and enact the motto, “never discuss religion or politics to be a polite company.” Unless your business is in the business of religion or politics, it’s very strongly recommended to leave these touchy topics out of your business dealings. That’s not to say these topics aren’t important. It’s just that these are hot button topics for a good percentage of people. Taking a stance as a business can prevent the success of your company, based upon a differing political opinion, rather than your business philosophy or quality of product.

It is possible to stay true to yourself in business communications though. And it should be, but in order to be effective in running that business, it’s important to understand three things about your company to determine how much of “you” is appropriate: the business, the product and the customer.

Know your business

The owner and founder of any business knows their business better than anyone else, but in this context we are talking about knowing the business within which you operate. For example, if you have a pool cleaning business it may be entirely acceptable, based upon the casual nature of the industry, to post a funny photo or promotion on your website or Facebook page. In fact, a goofy photo of a puppy diving into a sparkling clean pool may very well be an effective bit of marketing. An investment firm, on the other hand, might lose credibility due to the far more straight-laced nature of that industry.

It’s not to say that the owner of the investment firm wouldn’t love a goofy picture of a puppy, it’s simply not considered quite as appropriate within that industry. In this respect, it’s important to know when and how it’s appropriate to publish an image contrary to the traditional notions of your industry.

Know your product

Marketing and managing the image of a company is all about understanding the product. Let’s take a law office for example: the product here is legal advice, which requires an immense amount of trust and respect for the legal advisor. Imagine walking into a Wall Street law office and shaking hands with your new lawyer in baggy shorts, a ripped tank top and numerous tattoos and body piercings. Unless you just so happen to be really into tattoos, body piercings and really liberal dress standards, you’re likely not going to elect this man as your lawyer.

This extreme example of the shabbily dressed lawyer covered in tattoos and body piercings demonstrates how, although we should be free to remain authentic to ourselves, there is a fairly clear spectrum of extremes that convention will allow. This lawyer may just find his niche market to legally advise recipients of horrific tattoos on how to best seek compensation; but this again is a pretty extreme example.

Know your customer

Being an effective entrepreneur while remaining true to oneself is learning to manage how those professional connections are made. Balancing the extremes of those touchy subjects across all individuals will allow you to make connections across a wider range of possible clientele.

You may find yourself lucky enough to be able to express yourself in whichever way you’d like within your business, but to make the most of your market share it would be well advised to follow a few simple steps to help develop the best impression:

• Discover your niche market and how to reach them. It’s ideal to identify a unique market that has a particular interest in either your product, your service, your company’s image, or even your marketing techniques. If you can find your niche you’ll be able to speak on a more authentic level than any other.
• Find a network. Joining a professional networking group is a great way to build personal and professional relationships at the same time. While others begin to learn about your company, they’re also able to learn quite a bit about you and your personality.
• Have a passion for your industry. The casual, tattooed man absolutely should seek out a career in law if that is what suits him, but if he is so apparently passionate about body art he may want to consider a career within that industry as it’s quite clear there is a high level of enthusiasm there.

What this all boils down to is being able to understand and represent a professionally appropriate authentic self. It is not to say that one must change or hide who they are to succeed in business. But it is important to understand what those characteristics are that make for that authenticity and how to work those into your profession.

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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As with all things in life, balance is the key. There needs to be a balance in the amount of content your business pushes socially, but there also needs to be a balance in the life of a business owner! Running a business Facebook page, blog, website, Twitter account, LinkedIn page, Google+ account… the list continues. A person could spend hours and hours a day managing all of this. Designing and sticking to a clear schedule is the best way to maintain consistency in providing interesting information that your followers will value

There are several web apps that will allow multiple updates on all types of social media all at once. Hootsuite is one of the most popular among small businesses and does a great job of allowing an individual or business to update on this one site and push the information to the associated Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs, and a handful of other social sites. This is a huge timesaver and one of the best ways to manage a social media schedule. Sites like Hootsuite, known as social media dashboards, allow one individual to schedule updates, posts, and pictures to publish at designated times of the day, from a computer or even on the go with a smartphone.

Once you find a dashboard app you like, how do you know when to schedule posts? Here’s a basic recommended schedule for the average business:

Twice a Day – Morning and Afternoon

• Check the business Facebook page for activity and respond if necessary.
• Check LinkedIn. Reply to emails and comments if applicable.
• Look at Twitter to check for activity and respond to @replies.
• Fly through the Twitter feed to check for relevant posts. Re-Tweet or comment, as they would apply.
• Log into a Google Alerts account, which will notify you of keywords posted relevant to your company.

Throughout the Week

• Monday morning – Write and schedule two or three Tweets to post at spaced out intervals throughout the day. Ask a question, provide exciting information, or take a poll.
• Monday, Wednesday and Friday – Join in a hot trending conversation on Twitter or Facebook. These sites get all of the quick action. The more you converse on others posts, the more your company will be recognized.
• Tuesday and Thursday – Respond to blog comments and post new photos or exciting information to Facebook such as discounts or special deals.
• Friday afternoon – Survey your traffic on all of your sites. What is drawing a response? Where else should you focus next week? Take notes for next week.

On a Weekly Basis

• Update new content to Facebook: a new video, late-breaking news, an article link, an inspirational quote or photo. Remember: keep it professional.
• Search through LinkedIn questions on all of your networks, reply and ask some questions yourself.
• Send out LinkedIn invitations to new connections made within the past week to build a stronger connection in the relationship.
• Don’t be afraid to ask for a LinkedIn recommendation from established relationships.
• Spend 5 or 10 minutes brainstorming ways to change up your content, your approach for posting as well as research what others are looking trending to be able to reach a greater audience.
• Setup and update saved searches in Hootsuite to scan what topics are being read and to what is being responded.
• Reorganize and build new Twitter lists if necessary to build ongoing conversations and reach further via re-Tweeting.

Of course the schedule above is simply a suggestion for any given company to build a consistent social media presence. Change or tweak this schedule as you see fit to work for your business or industry. You don’t want to be a pest, and you don’t want to bombard your followers with worthless ramblings. The key is to be consistent and provide value!

What other tips can you share on scheduling for social media? Give us your input in the comments below!

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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The internet has been the biggest blessing to some small businesses and a complete business killer for others. The almost-overnight expansion of all business markets and the exponential growth of new competition for the same global customers has left many businesses without contemporary media marketing in the dust, and a lot of the time with the doors locked. One thing is for certain: technology has changed the way we do business, and it will likely change each and every day from here on out.

Joining the Internet Marketing Revolution

In only the past 10 years, the prevalence of the internet has completely exploded across every corner of the globe. Now, even the inconspicuous small business around the corner may have a fantastically booming business, thanks to a dynamic website and a crack marketing team. It’s time for those without new marketing techniques to take their heads out of the sand and scoop up the massive business opportunity the internet has to offer. And a lot of small business people know that, but running these types of marketing plans takes a lot of research and high level of social media understanding. You may be one of those few ready, willing and not intimidated to undertake the learning curve of the new world of web marketing, but for the rest there are other options.

But it Might get Costly

What these options mean for many companies is that even though there’s a misperception of internet marketing being cheap or free, it’s time to face the facts that internet marketing can actually be more expensive than marketing was before the era of search engine optimization and geo-targeted advertising. Plan to budget for a monthly marketing plan to keep your business in front of your customers. This new world of marketing will require updated technology every once in a while, professional writing, and consistent branding impacts upon customers, and that all takes time and continual reinvestment.

You can count on needing a website, a blog, and business Facebook page. From there you may want to consider a Twitter and LinkedIn account, among others. The content you put out there is just as important as being out there at all, so it may be a good idea to hire out a copywriter, either on a piece-by-piece basis or contracted for consistent updates to your various marketing outlets.

Save Time and Headache – Send it Out

Even the least tech savvy business owner can hire out a web marketing or SEO specialist to build a solid website and drive customers directly to their business. A good marketing company will offer a wide array of marketing plans and techniques and should, more than anything, listen to you. Because no one understands your business better than you. Once your marketing specialist is able to appreciate your company and what you have to offer, you should be able to develop a dynamic marketing plan that will reflect this and hopefully remain within that monthly budget.

How a business is run has undoubtedly been forever changed by the internet revolution. Take advantage of all this has to offer rather than letting it steamroll your company. Whether you attempt it yourself or hire a qualified firm to take care of it for you, it’s time to get in the game!

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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There are a few different ways to market a small business with little or no money. A modest marketing budget doesn’t mean that a smaller company can’t get off the ground. Here are seven free or inexpensive marketing ideas perfect for any small business:

1. Email

These days, it seems more common for people to have an email account than a home phone number. Take the opportunity to gather the email addresses of all of your contacts and compile a few different categories (example: vendor, past client, prospective client, etc.) to blast out a few different marketing pieces on occasion. Creating a consistent marketing plan for each of these categories and sticking to a timeline will ensure that your contacts are keeping your business in mind.

2. Freebies

Sure, this may put a dent into the company bank account, but offering free samples or related freebies is a tactic proven to convert prospects into clients. If you have a business that offers a unique product, consider providing smaller samples of the product to interested but hesitant prospects. Giving a taste of the product demonstrates high confidence in the merchandise and will build consumer trust.

If your small business is a service-based company, offering something as simple as a custom pen with the businesses contact information or slogan may do the trick. Offering these types of freebies isn’t necessarily demonstrating the abilities of your business, but it is offering a token, however small, as a gift. Plus, who doesn’t love free stuff?

3. Business Cards

Having a business card to hand out to customers or new acquaintances with your name, title, and contact information is great. But why not make the most of that business card and add a little something extra? Utilize of the blank back of that card and add a unique web address to access further information about your product or services or even extend a special offer.

4. Thank You Notes

This is a personal touch that every small business can afford. Take 10 to 20 minutes out of a day, once a week, to thank a few special regular clients or individuals who sent a referral your way. Finding a piece of personal mail that isn’t a bill in your mailbox these days is, sadly, quite a unique occurrence. Pleasantly surprise your customers with quick thanks that will undoubtedly build a positive connection to your business.

5. Invoices

This is a piece of regular correspondence between many small businesses and their clients. It costs nothing extra to add a little more to that necessary billing process. It could be as simple as adding a branded signature in those blank spaces in the invoice to thank clients for their business or offer bit of helpful information related to your industry. If you’re feeling really personable, get out the pen while stuffing the envelopes to handwrite a quick personal thank you, complete with their name and your signature.

6. Online Offers

An offer doesn’t necessarily have to cost the business much money – or any. Enticing clients via email, social media or on conventional marketing pieces to visit your website to print out a coupon for 10% off or a special new customer incentive can be just the thing. If you’re feeling adventurous, you may want to check out online discount sites such as Groupon to build your business by extending a special offer to a completely new pool of prospects. Just be aware that these sites are far from inexpensive.

7. Referral Encouragement

For many small businesses, a strong referral base can make or break their bottom line. By providing that extra level of customer service to make your company stand above the norm, you’ll inevitably build a strong customer base, happy to promote your company; sometimes you might just need to ask! This could be as simple as reminding pleased clients that your company is strongly referral-driven.

As you can see, having a big marketing budget is not the only way to keep new and old clients rolling in. By making the most of what makes your small business special, any company is able to promote themselves with little or no money at all.

What other low cost marketing ideas do you have? Share your insights in the comments below and on our Facebook page!

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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If you’re the entrepreneur nodding your head “yes” in agreement with this article, you might want to consider these 5 tips for entrepreneurial stress management:

1. De-Clutter

Even if you swear that pile of stuff on your desk really makes sense to you, or your system for filing requires a handbook for anyone else to comprehend; keeping your workspace clutter-free can be a huge stress reliever. Knowing exactly where to find an important invoice or a big client’s phone number immediately will add years to your life as an entrepreneur. You have enough to worry about without having to scramble and pull your hair out to do the simplest of tasks.

2. Consider New Technology

Investing the time and money to streamline daily processes and help keep things organized is well worth it. Even if you’re the type easily annoyed with technology, take a day to research what solutions are out there to help you go about your day more simply. New software with the ability to automatically invoice your clients may be a time saver, and simply adding a bill-pay service to your company bank account can save countless hours every month. Also, try listing all the tasks you really don’t look forward to doing and research what technology is available to help you out. Not only will this save you time, it will also make you a more pleasant person!

3. Schedule “You Time”

Obviously, the life of an entrepreneur is a demanding one. Many business owners begin to lose themselves in the seemingly endless sea of work, and this can be dangerous. Without scheduling at least a little bit of ‘you time’ throughout the week, any entrepreneur runs the risk of burning out. It’s a tough balance to find the space between spending enough time building and running the business and enjoying the fruits of your labor, but this balance is absolutely necessary – for the longevity of your business and you.

Schedule a time-out for yourself at that time of day or that time of week when you feel particularly in need of a break; you know, when you find your brain go numb staring at the wall or that vein in your forehead about to burst. These would be the ideal times to plan that break. Don’t consider these breaks a waste of time; consider them an investment in your sanity and the wellbeing of the business.

4. Be Proactive

Okay, this one may have you rolling your eyes. Of course being proactive would be ideal, but it’s not always so easy to stay ahead. The goal here is to consciously attempt to be proactive. Try scheduling daily or weekly tasks a few days ahead of time so that when the deadline reminder pops up on your calendar to-do list you’ll be able to grin as you click “done” right away – instead of whispering expletives.

5. Stay Healthy

The only thing worse than being sick is having to go about life as if you’re not. As an entrepreneur, you likely have experienced working through the flu or a nasty cold. One of the downfalls to being the head honcho is that there’s no calling the boss to request the day off. Once the bug hits, it’s too late. So do your best to take care of yourself and stay healthy. Remember to eat healthy meals and take 30 to 60 minutes a day to exercise. Not only will you be looking out for your health, but consistent exercise has been proven to boost your mood and energy levels. Hey, another investment in yourself proves out to be an investment in your company!

As a business owner, there’s no way to control every issue that comes across your desk or walks in your door. You’re only able to control how you respond to and handle these situations. Hopefully, implementing and tweaking a few new methods in your life and in the workplace will lessen your stress to a manageable level so you can better handle the unforeseeable.

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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The days of simply having that fundamental website loaded with just the basics is no longer good enough. The bar for the minimum standard of a decent website or blog has risen across all industries. Welcome to the age of the web-version of keeping up with the Joneses.

First Impressions

First impressions are absolutely everything in the wide world of the internet. A web surfer may stumble upon your website or blog via a link from a search engine because the content within rates so highly, but within an even quicker fraction of a second hit the back button because you’ve instantly lost credibility.

The aesthetics of a website are arguably just as important as the content and navigability (yes, that’s a real word). Even the most fantastic and informative blog posts go unread if upon clicking the link, the page simply looks, well, boring. Everything from the color scheme, font size and style all the way to whether or not a page is flash enabled has an instant impact on a visitor’s first impression of your site, your business, and even your products and services.

What is Good Design?

The basic roadmap of thriving marketing techniques applies just as they would in other forms of marketing media. People like visual stimulation; they like to see color and pictures along with the valuable information provided within the content. Dynamic web pages allow these marketing essentials to go even further with the ability to upload videos, by creating movement on the page to direct attention and by allowing users to download information more simply than they would be able to through conventional advertising. Well-executed websites and blogs beg users to effortlessly interact and fluidly explore a site by clicking on an interestingly titled video or by responding to an exciting or controversial blog post.

Many entrepreneurs are hesitant when it comes to the web-front of their businesses. It’s only natural for business owners, particularly startups, to look for ways to save here or there. One bit of advice: don’t make the same mistake as countless other businesses. Your website is not one of the places to cut corners! Credibility is key for any small business, and these days, in the age of skepticism and web-dependency, prospective clients, customers, and even vendors will be checking out a company’s web presence to feel-out how dependable they may be and even try to determine how viable a company may be in the future.

Owning a great website and blog commands a two part process:

1. Build from a solid base

Sure, there are ‘value templates’ or other simple out-of-the box type website creation engines that will get your name on the web, somewhere way out there! If cash is seriously strapped, these certainly are better than nothing. But if a business plans on developing a truly impressive web presence, it’s better to invest in a platform that will allow you to evolve with changing technology trends and keep your business looking state-of-the-art.

2. Continue to build

The benefits and drawbacks of technology are one in the same; there’s always the new ‘latest and greatest’ out there, and it’s evolving extremely quickly. Don’t be left behind. After you’ve established that jaw-dropping site in step one of the process, you’ll need to check back every six months or so to be sure you’ve still got what it takes to stand out against the competition. Take an hour to Google your industry. In addition to determining your own page rank, check out the pages and blogs of competitors. How do their sites look? Now visit your page with fresh eyes and see how it stacks up to what else is out there.

Any successful business owner will tell you that a singular onetime investment into a business without any follow-up improvements will mean eventual death to that business. Reinvestment, especially in the marketing budget, will help keep customers rolling in. If you find your website lacking, it may be time to take the plunge into investing in a solid web-marketing firm specializing in making sure your company will blow the minds of any web surfer.

Going through a major re-design, as we have here on Blogtrepreneur.com, is never 100% smooth and easy, but in the end, if it’s done right, it is well worth it. What do you think of the new design here, and what challenges have you faced with your own design? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Many web gurus believe that Google+ may have revolutionized the way that the intricate pathways to search have been forever changed.  We may see SEO and pay-per click fall to the wayside of simply having a Google+ presence. So what do you need to know about having a Google+ account for your business?

Make Google happy

Being web searchable is about building your web presence.  The best way to go about this is to appease the leading search engine website, Google.  With the overwhelming success of Facebook, Google has developed Google+ to further social networking within Google.  Start off with a simple Google+ profile, both personally and for your business.  Simply becoming available on Google+ is going to boost your Google search-ability.

Share valuable content

Just with any marketing campaign you want to provide value to your subscribers. Google+ allows you to share information constantly and just about anything.  Two important things to remember when uploading content to any social network site:

• Share information consistently
• Share relevant information

Sharing information relevant to your field of expertise and that your followers will find valuable makes all the difference to building a sincere following on any social networking site.

Have a “+1” button on your site

Interweaving your web presence is vital to building your exposure.  Google+ allows readers of your website, blog or other websites to click on a neat little button known as the “+1”.  By clicking this button your readers are sharing your content on their own Google+ page as well giving you feedback on your hard work.

Build your reach

Growing your reach is so important to successful social networking because of the compounding nature of the sites.  The more readers exposed to your content, the better of course! Having a solid following also adds to the trustworthiness of your business.

Use your personal account to further build your reach

Don’t be afraid to ask your own friends to engage in your business Google+ circles.  This is of course will call for any small business to determine the fine line between engaging your friends in your professional life and annoying them by treating them just like any prospect online. The more user profiles there are the higher your business page will rank on SERP (search engine results page), and favor you on SPYW.

Link the other social networks

A business presence on just one social networking site simply isn’t enough these days.  By having more than one site you’ll cast a wider web for your business to be more easily searched on the web.  There are other search engines than Google, though Google is the definite front-runner you may want to consider creating profiles.

Add the Google+ badge

In addition to the “+1” button on your website and blog, you’ll also benefit from the Google+ badge anywhere and everywhere you can add it.

Remember to keep your information valuable and continue to refresh your content to continue to appear on your followers’ stream page.  The goal is to appease Google algorithms while also promoting your business in a positive light.

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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Make signing up as simple as possible

This key piece of advice may seem fairly obvious but it is often times these types of things that are looked over.  It is important in any marketing plan to think about how the public will view your marketing plan. Having a clear and simple newsletter sign up form on your main webpage near the top and in bold font is so important.  A web surfer is unlikely to visit your page searching for your newsletter sign up form so hiding it in the contact us section is a huge mistake.

On the other side of the coin, the more in-your-face approach with your sign up form, such as pop-up screens or those floating bits of advertising are just as bad if not worse.  These types of forms are quite visible to visitors but often are only effective in annoying the visitor of your webpage and very rarely have a decent follow through of those willing to sign up.

When it comes to the form itself, the shorter the better.  Asking a ton of questions about how they heard about you or what type of information they are looking for is sometimes more information than visitors are willing to give.  Keeping it short and simple asking only for a name and email address is typically best.  With this basic information you’ll be able to contact them and gather this type of information from there if you’re really that interested.

Make them want to sign up

Web surfers have become increasingly more wary of giving out their email or other contact information thanks to annoying spammers and the prevalence of account hackers.  You can’t blame people; we all have those email accounts receiving what would be a metric ton of junk mail if it were snail mail.  In order to get a visitor of your webpage or blog to actually want to receive more information from you, you’ll need to convince the reader that you have something of value to send them and you have to be a credible source.

Again, from the visitors prospective, why would they want to sign up for your newsletter? What makes what you have to say so special?  These are the questions you must answer in the content of your pages and various marketing pieces and should be reiterated around the newsletter opt-in form.

Showcase your value and follow through

It is important for any sort of a decent conversion rate that there is a clear exchange of will take place when the visitor submits their contact information.  This will be the call for action for your new prospective clients to sign up in order for them to receive well, you fill in the blank.  A few examples would be:

• Exclusive discounts
• Insider tips or other educational material
• Exclusive breaking news information
• A freebie

If you have an established newsletter campaign in effect you may want to consider allowing browsers to download a previous newsletter to get a sense of what type of information you’re sending out and what they can expect to receive from you.

Show them some credibility

Having a downloadable archived collection of past newsletter not only helps readers sample your work but it will also build confidence that you’re not going to sell off their email address to spammers.  Sharing your content and complete transparency will always build credibility in every case, especially when trying to build a newsletter database.

It also never hurts to let the prospect know upfront that you will not share their contact information with anyone for any reason.  Those lengthy privacy policies are reserved for mega-giant corporations with a crack law team.  For a small business keep it light and to the point.

You know from your own experience that people like keywords like, “free,” “quick,” “easy” and “commitment free” when considering to sign up for anything! Who doesn’t like things that are free and seem to provide great value?

There are many ways to help build a hefty newsletter database but being able to convert the browsers of your website, blog, and various social networks into newsletter subscribers is a fantastic start.  These readers are already interested in what you have to say, just make it simple for them to return back to you and for you to keep in contact.

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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A simple formula for writing an awesome blog headline is to follow a few simple tips:

1. Make it Pop

The use of strong action words will inherently draw the attention of readers.  Check out Blogussion for some great words that will really make your headlines pop out of the page.  Let’s take a blog headline, “Politicians debate oil prices”, which is a perfectly fine, albeit boring headline. Changing the headline to “Political battle over oil heats up” sounds a bit better doesn’t it? Adding an action word “battle” and the emotive term of “heats up” will inevitably draw in readers.

2. Use Keywords

Keywords are what get your content read!  Whether this is because they draw in the attention of browsers interested in your topic or through direct search of your keyword; the more the keyword is used the better.  Keywords in the headline are strongly encouraged as search engines more favorably select them when the keyword is found in the URL of your post.

3. Capitalization Consistency

There really isn’t a strict guideline on how to properly capitalize your blog headlines. Typically the purpose of a blog is a more casual forum to share information than a mainstream media outlet.  Whether you choose to capitalize every word in the headline or only the first word as it would be written in a sentence is up to you. It is important that there be consistency in your capitalization policy.  If you bounce back and forth your blog may come across sloppy.

4. Stay Short

Rule of thumb states that a good blog headline should fall between six to ten words long or in other words around 60 characters. This is about the right length to describe concisely what the blog post is about as well as catch the attention of the reader but it’s not so long that the entire content of the blog is in the title. 

5. Be Clear

Reign in that creativity.  A cute play on words or a fancy pun will likely confuse your reader rather than draw them in.  You also run the risk of frustrating the reader if they think the blog post is on a certain topic when in reality it’s something completely different.

6. Don’t Forget the Subheading

Very nearly as important as the headline, the subheading is so important to drawing in the reader.   A subheading should be around 20 or so words and add to the description of your headline.  Use of the keyword in this section is also strongly encouraged to reaffirm your topic.  A great subheading will summarize your article while still enticing the reader to read further into your blog post.

Deciding on an appropriate headline for a blog post is usually much easier if it is written after the content of the post is complete.  Once the entire content has been fleshed out the topic headline may have transformed from what you originally imagined the blog post to contain.

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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1. Spend a Little to Get A Lot

Buying ads within YouTube will help boost your views without a doubt.  YouTube sells pay-per-click ad space for your clip at about .50 per click.  You’ll likely not find a better deal than this!

Your clip will be seen as a “promoted video” on YouTube or on a Google search.  Your video will pop up when key words associated with your video are searched which is a fantastic way to find new viewers interested in your topic. Pay-per-click is also an incredibly savvy marketing technique as a maximum budget is set by you and you only pay when your video is actually played, though many more viewers will gain visual recognition of your content.

2. Have Realistic Expectations

Becoming the next YouTube sensation is an incredibly difficult thing to do! It’s near impossible to say how or even why in some cases that a video will go viral.  Having the expectation that your clip will likely not be the next “Charlie bit my Finger” or “Danny after dentist” is an important start to boosting your clips’ views.  On average, 48 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube each minute over every day.  Hope is not lost; there are ways to have your video seen!

3. Do Your Research

One of the best aspects of marketing with YouTube is the very essence of what makes YouTube such a sensation.  Competition is transparent and you have the ability to update and “one-up” as frequently as you’d like!  Spending a designated amount of time on YouTube checking out what others with like-keywords are uploading as well as perusing other videos to learn new techniques worth…emulating.  Spending time looking at what people are viewing and what people want to see can be a priceless key to unlocking successful YouTube marketing.

4. Find Your Audience

As with any marketing campaign, identifying and knowing your audience is absolutely vital for success.  On the other hand the key to YouTube sensationalism is to avoid traditional advertising techniques. Okay, what? There could be literally millions of video clips in the similar field as your own and only those truly unique and eye-catching will capture any views. The more creative the better these days!

Also, remember that YouTube and Google are based completely upon free will.  Viewers are searching these sites for specific information and choose based on any number of personal preferences to select a video to watch.  This means properly addressing your clip and attaching appropriate key words will ensure the right searcher will find your clip.

5. Listen to the Feedback

Here’s where coming back to traditional marketing techniques is important.  Tracking feedback both positive and negative will help develop later videos so that eventually down the road you may create the ultimate video masterpiece. Okay, maybe not a masterpiece but by utilizing user comments you’ll be able to tweak your work to be directed more accurately to your audiences needs and wants.

YouTube offers a fantastic tool known as Hot Spots that reports when viewers are tuning in and out of your clip.  You may also want to try having two of your videos taking different approaches to go head to head against each other and letting viewer feedback decide which is the better and most effective clip to officially post.  Google also offers a service known as Google Analytics, which will reveal the source of your viewers. The more YouTube viewers the better as these are typically the viewers with the most longevity.

Once you get the hang of the workings of YouTube, your video routine will become increasingly more simplified. YouTube marketing can definitely be a big payoff, just hang in there through the learning curve.

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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Every business website worth your money should have the following 6 essential features:

1. Customer Reviews and Testimonials

There is no better marketing than word of mouth marketing.  Well, in this day and age, customer reviews and testimonials on your website are just as close as we can get.  Of course your own website content will scream from the rooftops how great of a company you are, but having the word of satisfied customers makes your claims slightly more believable.

2. Contact Information

This one seems really obvious to have the basic business contact information on the site, but it happens!  Also there’s no reason to hide this information.  A lot of the time, for whatever reason, it’s difficult to find a basic phone number and address for a given company.  Having a phone number, address, and email address in more than one location isn’t a bad idea, either.  An emboldened “Contact Us” page, as well as reiterated near the top of the homepage, and contact information at the bottom of each page are a great idea even if they are ever so tiny.

3. Social Links

You’ve seen them attached to nearly every article you’ve ever read online.  You know, that bar of tiny icons offering, “share this,” “email this,” or “like this.”  These little icons are a great way for word to be spread about your website or information on your website.  Allowing your readers to share your information is essentially a customer testimonial that they like what you have to say and want to share it with their friends. Fantastic!

Having a website is likely not enough for most business’ web presence these days.  In a matter of a few hours, new social media accounts can be set up for your business on pages like Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and many other sites. Creating these social media links on your webpage will create a sort of circular rope of connectivity, which is fantastic for search engine optimization.

 4. A Blog

 The thought of a blog can scare those new to websites but really is much simpler than most think, and they are a great way to drive traffic to your website.  Think of a blog like a more personable voice for your company.  Blogs are great to upload new information and exciting news about your company more frequently than you would for your webpage.

Simply put, blogs help make Google happy, and search engine optimization is all about making Google happy.  The best way to make the almighty Google happy is to refresh new information frequently, have a lot of it, and include a lot of key words.  The happier Google is with these simple factors, the higher your website will appear on a Google search list. A blog is the surefire easiest way to go about doing so.

 5. Information Capture Form

Even the best website may not be able to convert a looker into a customer.  Often viewers of your site will be visiting at off-business hours, and though they may want to contact you with questions or business, they figure they’ll wait until the morning and then forget.  Having an information capture form can be priceless! By allowing your website visitors to give you their information, you’ll be able to make the most of your website’s 24/7 open hours.

6. Newsletter Sign Up

Similarly to a blog, a newsletter allows viewers of your site to sample your product or services without yet having to buy into anything.  A newsletter can help build up those tentative but interested prospects into actual customers or clients through constant contact.  The content of your newsletter can be similar to that of your blog, but sending a newsletter is actively and consistently contacting your database with your unique information.

It may seem that this is an awful lot of work for a product we can’t physically touch, but if your website is constructed and run correctly, you’ll be able to physically touch the income it will drive to your door. Investing in your website may be one of the smartest moves you’ll make to really launch your small business to new levels.

Adam Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Matthew. Adam is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

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The mobile internet is the formatting of the internet reserved for Smartphones and other devices like tablets, PDAs, etc. Equipped with a Google Search App or something similar, Smartphone users are able to simply speak a question into the Google search and be supplied with the same answers you’d find on your laptop. Whether the search is intended to settle a bet as to when the movie “Titanic” came out, or to frantically look up the location of your doctor’s office for an appointment for which you are very tardy, the mobile internet is a new necessity.

The Mobile Internet

Similar to the internet you can reach via your desktop or laptop computer, the mobile internet is able to pull information from all around the world and deliver it directly to your fingertips. Dis-similarly, the mobile internet is a more condensed version of the internet. You’ll likely have noticed the difference between surfing the web on your computer versus your phone – you’ve probably noticed it’s often pretty slow to load on your phone. Well, web developers have come up with a simple answer for that, mobile enabled websites.

Mobile Websites

Mobile sites are specifically designed to fit on the much smaller screen of a mobile device as well as drastically de-clutter the screen. These sites are much more quick to load than a conventional webpage because they contain far less superfluous content and in doing so, they are far easier to navigate. Typically the information is just about the equivalent to the conventional website only organized differently so that graphics, texts and links are easier to navigate.

Mobile sites have been on the radar of big retailers and other large web-present sites for some time. The WP Mobile Detector is a premium WordPress plugin that will mobilize your blog in minutes giving your users a mobile friendly website. For sites like Target or Amazon, a Smartphone user loading one of these sites will automatically be redirected to the mobile versions of their websites seamlessly. The necessities of the sites are broken down to locations, special promotions and of course shopping!

Smaller businesses are asking their customers or fans to sign up for text message alerts. Through this service, a company is able to push a mass text message to those signed up, frequently containing a special offer or a link to a landing page with an offer or announcement.

The latest way to reach a mobile site is by the use of a QR Code. You’ve likely seen these small, square, multi-directional bar-code boxes on different types of advertisements. With a Smartphone, this QR Code can be scanned with the phone’s camera and will redirect the user to a mobile site. This allows shoppers or passers-by to obtain immediate information about your product or service directly on their phone. It’s a pretty cool feature.

This is undoubtedly the age of technology, and the rate of technological progress is moving along quickly, which is pretty much as fast as consumers like their information. The use of the mobile internet and the enabling of mobile website services will make any company that much more web-relevant and thereby more valuable to consumers. Mobile enabling a website is typically available for a small fee, and it’s definitely worth the price to keep customers navigating your page.

Matthew Toren is an Award Winning Author, Serial Entrepreneur, and Investor. He Co-Founded YoungEntrepreneur.com along with his brother Adam. Matthew is co-author of the newly released book: Small Business, Big Vision: “Lessons on How to Dominate Your Market from Self-Made Entrepreneurs Who Did it Right” and also co-author of Kidpreneurs.

Copyright © www.blogtrepreneur.com - visit the site for more great content.