Wyoming Entrepreneur.biz Blog

Photo Do's and Don'ts

You should never use a photo that you find on the internet without the express permission of the person who owns the copyright.  This is normally the photographer, but can be an organization or company.  Finding the copyright holder can be tough, especially since many photos on the internet are not properly attributed.  So how do you find that perfect picture to make the point you want in your advertising materials?  The time-honored way is to hire a professional photographer to take the picture.  This will probably give you the best results, but it can be pricey. 

Another method is to take the picture yourself.  If you take the picture, you generally own the rights to the image, although if you have a picture of a person, you should make sure that you have a signed model release.  A Google search for “model release form” will give you several examples of forms that you can use.

If all of this seems a bit much, you can always look to one of the stock photo services.  There are a bunch of them, but I am particularly fond of a few.  My personal favorite is Fotolia (www.fotolia.com).  This site offers millions of images that are available for unlimited licensing for extremely low cost.  The site features a great search feature and photos can be purchased in different levels of resolution.  For a web site, you can use an “XS Standard” file, most of which just cost $1.00.   For larger images, the prices go up, but $4 - $5 per picture is standard.  Fotolia allows you to place images in a “lightbox” so that you can compare images against each other.  You also can download a free “comp” image that you can use for layouts and for review.  The site also features a selection of illustrations and cartoons that are available for similar fees.

Other excellent sites are:
iStockphoto (www.istockphoto.com)
Big Stock Photo (www.bigstockphoto.com)
Dreams Time (www.dreamstime.com)

There are literally dozens of similar sites and millions of photos available.  Photography can now be a stress-free part of your marketing materials design process. 

What are your experiences with using photography in your marketing materials?

Web Analytics

There is a disconnect between people who are looking on the internet for specific information and web developers that make it hard to find.  People want to do business with you and give up because of a difficult website.

I attended a web analytics conference in May.   It was all about conversion and web measurement.  How will you know if your website is doing its job unless you can measure it in some fashion?  I knew about Google Analytics but I did not know that there is a whole emerging field surrounding analytics that includes not only static web pages but product pages, check outs, forms, surveys and now the ever popular social media including the fastest growing way to reach folks…video.

Everything can be measured; the amount of time people are spending on an interactive page, where and when they left, how much of a video they watched, and how much of a form did they fill out before they got disgusted and left.  All of this information is needed so that a website can be re-worked and customers will stay on your site, resulting in higher revenues.  The key is to not only gather analytical data, but to act on it.  Transform your website into one that will lead to conversions and a richer ROI.

If your website is not doing what you want it to do, I suggest studying up on analytics so that you can have an intelligent conversation with your web developer to see what changes could be made.  The Wyoming Market Research Center offers a website analysis service at no charge to

Wyoming

folks.  Contact us at 307-766-5405 or visit our website at

http://www.wyomingentrepreneur.biz

The Social Media Storm

In my job I end up on email lists from a wide variety of organizations that I have accessed while researching for clients. One email that hit my in basket caught my attention with the following blurb.

"Social media is conditioning your customers to respond to marketing that engages them on all levels – professional, social and personal. This layered approach to marketing creates a message that is like a ball of string that slowly unravels to reveal the core, and at that core is the vital ingredient for successful marketing today – you."

Since we've been spending a lot of time at WyEn.biz working on social media I was hooked.  The link took me to an article by Jeff Korhan who lays out an excellent background and reasoning why small companies need to be paying attention to social media.  To summarize, he thinks that today's consumer is looking for companies that engage them on three levels: professional, social and personal.  If you rely on the old tried and true style of marketing, this means that customers may be looking elsewhere for information about your business and your company.  I'd recommend reading the article.  It can be found at:  http://www.lawnandlandscape.com/three_essential_layers_social_media_storm.aspx?sid=237403&key=1865723550

This makes sense to me -- how about you?  Any experiences with Social Media?

Anatomy of Blog Posts

The folks at Typepad (blog publishing tool) published 10 Ways to Find New Blog Topics. I've written extensively about how to blog for business including chapters in my book The Everything Blogging Book. I thought I'd riff off of the tips from Typepad and some of the suggestions in my book as well as a few new ideas.

First, let's look at some of the different types of posts - or posting styles - you can use when developing content for your blog. These basic blog post formats are commonly used and can add variety to your blog.

From The Everything Blogging Book:

Narrative content. This essay-style post can be either long or short, but since it often takes longer to compose, it can be time consuming.

Compiled content. By excerpting and properly citing sources from experts, you can quote other blogs or content online or offline.

Linked content. This style involves linking to content that supplements your content. There can be less narrative in linked content posts.

Link lists. The original Web logs were lists of links to other sites with a minimum of commentary. It can take a while to locate and organize the links.

Collaborative content. In this style, you share the posting load with others and alternate posting schedules. (Also referred to as multi-author blogging and guest blogging).

What makes a blog post work? An ideal blog post:

Draws attention to useful information. Whether that information is on your blog or site or on someone else's blog or site, make your blog a valuable resource to build your following.

Compels others to link. Give other bloggers a reason to link to your blog or include you in their "blogroll." That includes returning the favor, if relevant.

Influences visitors to subscribe. Make the "subscribe" feature to your blog obvious and prominent. Let visitors subscribe by either RSS feed or email. But ease of subscribing is only part of the equation - make sure your content is worth receiving on a regular basis.

Gives calls to action. Lead your readers to take actions of some kind. These actions can help you measure the effectiveness of your blog and increase engagement.

Invites comments. Phrase your posts to encourage others to respond. Start a conversation.

Where else can you get ideas for blog posts?

Here's a quick list of easy-to-access ideas for blog posts that you just might be overlooking:

• Emails - Scan your emails, including the email newsletters you subscribe to, for topics.
• Web sites - Peruse other people's sites and blogs and find something to comment on. Link back to their article or post to expand the conversation.
• Media - Yes, even traditional media including radio, TV, magazines and newspapers can still spark discussion. Look for interesting trends or Op-Ed pieces you can debate.
• Conversations - Recap a compelling conversations (be careful not to reveal identities of those involved unless you have express permission) to get additional perspectives.

Sometimes, good blog content is right under our noses!

What do YOU feel makes or breaks a blog? What kind of content is most valuable to you?

ROI ON SPONSORED GOOGLE ADS

As some of you may already know - I really Like vacations and planning vacations.  This summer, we are heading to Alaska.  After spending several frustrating weekend mornings trying to figure out how to format this trip, I accidentally arrived at "The Place" (and . . . I'll let you know if this is truly "the place" after our trip in August).  I got into a conversation with the proprietor about how he advertises, as I only found the lodge through a link on a rather obscure outdoors website.  He explained to me that he spends around $10,000/year on a sponsored Google ad, which fills-up all of his cabins all summer annually.  He does essentially no other advertising.  So . . . to all the Wyoming tourist folks, this might be a good (albeit somewhat expensive) medium to try. 

We Are Here For You!

You may or may not be familiar with our staff, resources and services. WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz is a network of three programs: WY Small Business Development Center; WY Market Research Center; and Government Resources and Opportunities for Business (GRO-Biz). We love to meet with clients face-to-face and assist you to make your business successful. We offer numerous workshops throughout the year and our staff is comprised of individuals who strive hard to provide expertise in a variety of business areas. Visit our website for more detailed information on our services and where our offices are located.

We are also here virtually for you! We have created a small business community on Ning. We want to interact with you in this virtual environment. It's easy to become a member and there is no cost to you. Just follow this link: http://wyendotbiz.ning.com/ . You will be asked to create an account and then you can come and go as it fits into your schedule. 

Who belongs to this community? Members include small business owners, entrepreneurs, economic development professionals and interested individuals. Our focus is Wyoming based, but we have individuals who live outside Wyoming and they can provide expertise and assistance to Wyoming businesses. 

 So why should you join our virtual community? This is a unique opportunity to meet other small business owners and network; promote your business; post photos or videos about your business; ask questions to receive a variety of feedback; join a group to explore issues of interest; blog about your business in a safe environment.

You will also find us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/wyendotbiz. If you enjoy tweeting, then let us know. We want to know about your business journey!

We are on YouTube (videos feed into our Ning community), LinkedIn, Flickr, and coming soon, Facebook. We realize many people are not involved in all of these sites. It is important for us to connect with you where ever you are. We are exploring more venues for a strong virtual presence. 

So what social media sites are you using?

"Social Web is the Relationship Economy"

The title of this post comes from a comment made at one of the sessions I attended at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco. The title of the session "It's the People, Stupid" emphasized what social media marketing is all about, People! By engaging or at least reading in this blog, you are utilizing one of the many social media tools available. If you are new to social media networking or marketing, whatever the case may be, you probably have at least heard of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and certainly YouTube, as well as many many other tools/sites being developed daily.

It is about the people, it is about networking, it is about building relationships with your friends, family and customers. If you are a business, you should be involved with the social media web.

Traditional marketing methods utilize "push" techniques. Pushing information/marketing to your customer, social media techniques utilize a "pull" technique. Pulling your customer in, which is much easier.

Humans are social beings. We like to be with other people who share similar interests, who like us, who want to know us and more importantly who will listen to us. As a business that is what you can do with social media marketing. Wouldn't it be easier if your customers sought you out?

Wyoming Business Leadership Institute: April 16-18 in Laramie

The second class of the Wyoming Business Leadership Institute, a collaboration between the UW College of Business and the Wyoming Business Council is scheduled for April 16 - 18 in Laramie.

The three day seminar is aimed at business owners, managers and entrepreneurs and designed to help participants strengthen management and leadership skills, increase company profitability, develop succession planning to ensure company sustainability, and receive customized training geared toward company needs.

Folks that participated in the first class found it to be extremely helpful.  The class costs $950 and the application deadline is April 1.  For more information go to www.wyomingbusinessinstitute.com

Were you one of the previous participants?  If so, let us know what you thought about this program.

Tough Market Conditions Present Opportunities to Build Infrastructure

As a former [read as: reformed] banker, I find that a majority of my friends are either bankers, portfolio managers, or business service providers.  Perhaps that is because of the propensity to see these same individuals at the golf courses and other "social networking" venues I still frequent.  Whatever the case, my current responsibilities as a business counselor and legal specialist with WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz makes for a synergistic partnership with these colleagues.

So on the frequent occasions I have to visit with these "finger-on-the-pulse-of-the-economy" friends of mine, I always ask them, "What should I be telling my business clients to do in this economy"?  The resounding response is: "Grow!"

Now, "Grow!" can mean a lot of different things to different people.  Perhaps my commercial lending compadres are suggesting the time is ripe for a huge expansion loan...but I doubt it.  Maybe my investment friends are suggesting I tell you to go diversify your portfolio...but they always say that, so I doubt these tough economic times warrant any special treatment.  No, I think what "those in the know" are suggesting is that this is a good time to invest in your business.

Investing in your business can also mean many things, but to me that means working on your infrastructure.  We all know that infrastructure is just a big word that means "the nuts and bolts" of your company.  That new record keeping software, that piece of equipment that needs refurbished/replaced, the certification you have put off, even resurfacing the parking lot or a new coat of paint on the office walls...they are all infrastructure.

When business is good you are too dang busy to worry about those small details.  How many times during "peak sales" did you say to yourself, "Ah, I need to take care of {insert problem area here}."  But you never did because you were too busy making money to find time to spend it...I mean, reinvest it in your company.  With the economic slowdown, the slow sales, and the fear of just covering the bills comes a temptation to withdraw and save every penny.  Problem with that is, we KNOW [emphasis added] that things will rebound.  Already $1.5 trillion has been earmarked for something called "economic stimulus" nationwide.  Whatever that really means, it means there will be a lot of money that needs to be spent.  When the "good" times come back, will your business be poised to capitalize?  Or will you be woefully unprepared?

One final thought...if you think that you have your business as prepared for the rebound as it can possibly be - and you have employees - then consider investing in your greatest asset: your staff.  Employee training [training = training, certifications, continuing education, licensing, skills assessment, skills improvement, etc., etc., etc.] is a fairly low-cost, high-return, and easy investment in the people who make your business run.  If you are unsure what training your people need, or how to find the training you know they need, contact your local WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz office for a no-cost consultation to point you in the right direction.

Whether it be in the equipment, the real estate, the business plan, or the people...an investment in your business today [when things are slow and manageable] will lead to rewards when the inevitable bounce-back arrives.

Business Partnering

One marketing technique I have seen more of recently is what I’ll call Business Partnering. Basically this means working together with another business to bring exposure to both. This can be a similar business, maybe even a competitor, or a complimentary business that doesn’t seem to have anything in common at first glance. I’ll give you a couple recent examples I’ve seen. I heard about two clothing businesses located about a block apart that went together to have a joint sale and shared the cost of the advertising. It drove business to both locations for about half the cost. How about a florist and candy store that went together to create gift baskets of both flowers and candy and had them for sale in both locations. The most recent example is a brochure I received from an orthodontist. On the front cover of this brochure is a photograph of a lovely young lady with a beautiful smile created by Dr. “Smith”. Under the photo is a statement saying “Photo courtesy of Dr. Smith’s patient, Megan”, then naming the photography studio. What creative partnerships you can put to work for your business? Share them here so others can benefit as well.