Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Enzo F. Cesario
There are a number of important factors that go into the production of a first-class blog. Quality of content, the layout of the page, how best to integrate video, formal versus informal tone, each of these is a decision that must be made during the creation of the project. That all comes before more esoteric concerns, which include the integration of meta tags, link building, traffic generation, and keyword/SEO implementation.
Yet underlying these important issues is one that many people wrestle with: How often should the thing be updated? Innocuous as it sounds, post frequency is actually vital to the success of any content project, and especially to blogs. Equally, it is a surprisingly complex decision that can involve numerous factors. Time, place, and availability of content all have parts to play in determining just how often you need to update your blog.
Finding the Right Frequency
Blogging is an extension of the principles of marketing. You want to get your content the exposure you feel it deserves, so you market it as best you can to cultivate an audience. This involves doing the legwork and research necessary to act on good information, and testing your ideas while allowing room for adjustment as you work and grow. Chances are you will not hit the right rate of posting immediately, and that is all right as long as you're prepared to adjust when it's required.
No single article can cover every eventuality of course, but we can break down a few core principles to get you thinking in the right direction. The key is to consider these ideas and extrapolate from them, using the other lessons you've learned, to build a solid, whole-picture approach.
1 - Make content king.
More than almost any other community, web users are keenly attuned to fluff pieces that don't really say much. This isn't true for 100% of the community of course, but those who can pick out an airy, pointless piece will almost invariably be sure to point it out, leading to some word of mouth you probably didn't want. Don't pick an update schedule that can't live up to the content you have available. Stick to a schedule that you know you can provide a quality post for, every single time you sign on.
This has a twofold effect. One, it keeps the 'pressure to post' at a minimum. Content drives the posting, and you aren't struggling every third day to come up with more information, or worse to rehash the information you've already posted. Secondly, it shows you have respect for the community, and keeps them interested and coming back.
2 - Set the time and day.
Even though the web never sleeps, a great part of the world still functions on a Monday to Friday, 9-5 schedule of sorts. Taking these rhythms into account can help you build the ideal web traffic for your project. For example, a blog focusing on home and family concerns and selling books related to it might not find as much of an audience during traditional business hours as during the time when people are at-home with their families. Granted this is only a rule of thumb, as many people surf the web for their favorite blogs during lunch breaks.
Another part of this element is the Monday-Wednesday-Friday cycle. Many business blogs and publications settle on a three-a-week update schedule, and the MWF routine works out very well for this. They're all business days, and the schedule covers the start, middle, and end stretches of a workweek.
Of course since this ends up being something of the default, it means that Tuesdays and Thursdays end up with comparatively little content for people to peruse. Sundays suffer a lack of content as well, for the obvious related reasons. If you find yourself preferring less frequent, longer posts, consider a T-Th routine to take advantage of the 'gap' between other updates.
3 - Have a conversation.
One of the most interesting contributions to modern marketing is the blog comments section. Every blogging software out there has some feature for allowing or disallowing comments. As we've discussed before, consumer input can have an incredible effect on any brand, and blogs are no exception.
Taking advantage of this resource requires a certain amount of patience. Conversations develop in the comments section as people discuss, dispute, and debate the merits of what you've posted. In short, you need to not just let this happen, but cultivate the effect. Allow reasonable discussions to grow, and comment yourself on the more relevant points. Let the consumer know their input is being seen, and that you care enough to respond to it. Posting new blog posts too frequently overruns this tendency, and could rob you of vital feedback.
4 - Be nimble.
As we've mentioned, you are not likely to get it right just out of the gate. You may bite off too much to chew, or update too infrequently for people to care. Evaluate the data, ask your consumers questions, and be prepared to change as needed. Flexibility is the ultimate survival tool on the web, and your blog will benefit if you approach the affair with an open mind and a willingness to try several approaches. Pick an update schedule, observe it, and then experiment with others until you have the one that best fits your needs.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/
Read more of Enzo F. Cesario's articles.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Online Brand Management: Brand Protection Basics
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Enzo F. Cesario
One of the greatest strengths of the Web is that it gives everyone with a connection the ability to publish content, period. Anyone can register domain names and build attendant webpages, often for what amounts to a pittance. Some domains cost as little as ten dollars to register, or less if the buyer wishes to bundle the purchase of several names at once. Naturally, this flexibility has attracted the attention of people with less than honest motives for their efforts.
Like it or not, there are individuals online who aren't content to promote their brand through their own efforts and hard work, but would prefer to profit by the work of others. They accomplish this through a number of unfortunate methods. They domain-squat on names they expect to become famous, use similar names and domains to get attention, and in general rely on the good name of brands they have nothing to do with to draw in business.
As part of the effort to build up a brand into something to be proud of, it's important to focus on brand protection. It may sound silly on the surface; after all, who could be confused by Makdonolds as opposed to McDonalds? However the issue isn't always quite so ridiculously clear, and can lead to a number of hassles a brand just doesn't need. Here we share three common hazards and their solutions for safeguarding your brand.
Hazard 1 - Cybersquatting
In short, cybersquatting is a series of methods for registering and maintaining a domain name solely with the intent to profit from another agency that desires it.
The first method revolves around predicting the need for the domain name itself. As in the above example, suppose in the early days of the Internet someone outside McDonald's had registered all the relevant domain names. When McDonald's finally goes to establish a Web presence, they find the names they need are all taken, and thus have to bargain with this individual for terms under which he'll sell them back, obviously at a profit to himself.
Other methods involve registering similar domain names to existent ones. Suppose again that McDonald's had possession of McDonald's.com, but not McDonald's.net. The squatter picks up the .net domain, knowing that at least some people will come to the page out of curiosity or by accident. Once again, they can bargain with McDonald's over ownership, or they can provide a link to McDonald's own webpage, and thus get click-through traffic that can be monetized with ad revenue.
Solutions to Cybersquatting
Due to the fight over free speech and free market rights pertaining to the Web, cybersquatting is not easy to define as illegal. It is certainly unethical, but given the myriad of international laws governing the use of these domain names there is not always a clear recourse in overcoming these activities.
There are always methods that can be used, however. First, there is the legal recourse of going through ICANN for arbitration. However courts can and often have overturned ICANN's rulings upon further review. The legal fees associated with this process may exceed the cost of simply buying the domain outright from the squatters.
Another option is to be creative with your domain names. Google, Yahoo, icanhascheezburger, and similar domain names share a certain nonsense quality. They aren't commonly used words, and are less likely to get snapped up by squatters. If your business isn't tied strongly to a real world word already, consider coming up with something outside the box to prevent yourself from getting squatted. Purchase several of the more common variations on your domain name as well, to prevent the parallel name style of squatting.
Hazard 2 - Typo Squatting
Typo squatting relies on common typing errors or shortcuts to redirect users to a site other than the one they intended to visit. For example, information.com could be typed as iformation.com or info.com, and lead to the squatting site instead of the intended location. While this may seem like a variant on cybersquatting, it ends up being rather different in practice.
As with parallel naming, the intent here is to use a similar name to draw in users looking for one site. However the intent is very rarely to sell the url to the parent company. More frequently, these sites direct to 'gripe' pages, spambots, malware propagators and other malicious activities.
Solutions to Typo Squatting
Once again, legal action can be taken to protect a brand (particularly if the squatters are profiting from the venture), but can quickly become expensive. A more cost-effective route for a smaller brand just getting started would be to post information to your Social Media News Room and webpage about any such sites you come across, with warnings and information on how to circumvent them. Taking responsibility for your brand is the best way to protect it and cement its value in your audience's mind.
Hazard 3 - Complacency
It's tempting to register a domain name and trademark, and think that's all you need to do. However, neither of these confers automatic protection. Yes, they allow for recourse to the law in the event a case goes to court, but the Internet is a place where information moves quickly. By the time you fight things out in a court case that you may or may not actually win, people already have associated your brand with the spambot they accidentally got directed to.
Solutions to Complacency
Be proactive. Education is your best defense on the Web. Learn about common cybersquatting and typosquatting tactics. Check your domain and see if others are using these tricks to hurt your brand (consciously or inadvertently). Be aware, be informed, and take every step you can. The Internet is a dynamic place, and it falls to you to make sure that benefits you, rather than blemishes your brand.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/
Read more of Enzo F. Cesario's articles.
Copyright © 2010 Enzo F. Cesario
One of the greatest strengths of the Web is that it gives everyone with a connection the ability to publish content, period. Anyone can register domain names and build attendant webpages, often for what amounts to a pittance. Some domains cost as little as ten dollars to register, or less if the buyer wishes to bundle the purchase of several names at once. Naturally, this flexibility has attracted the attention of people with less than honest motives for their efforts.
Like it or not, there are individuals online who aren't content to promote their brand through their own efforts and hard work, but would prefer to profit by the work of others. They accomplish this through a number of unfortunate methods. They domain-squat on names they expect to become famous, use similar names and domains to get attention, and in general rely on the good name of brands they have nothing to do with to draw in business.
As part of the effort to build up a brand into something to be proud of, it's important to focus on brand protection. It may sound silly on the surface; after all, who could be confused by Makdonolds as opposed to McDonalds? However the issue isn't always quite so ridiculously clear, and can lead to a number of hassles a brand just doesn't need. Here we share three common hazards and their solutions for safeguarding your brand.
Hazard 1 - Cybersquatting
In short, cybersquatting is a series of methods for registering and maintaining a domain name solely with the intent to profit from another agency that desires it.
The first method revolves around predicting the need for the domain name itself. As in the above example, suppose in the early days of the Internet someone outside McDonald's had registered all the relevant domain names. When McDonald's finally goes to establish a Web presence, they find the names they need are all taken, and thus have to bargain with this individual for terms under which he'll sell them back, obviously at a profit to himself.
Other methods involve registering similar domain names to existent ones. Suppose again that McDonald's had possession of McDonald's.com, but not McDonald's.net. The squatter picks up the .net domain, knowing that at least some people will come to the page out of curiosity or by accident. Once again, they can bargain with McDonald's over ownership, or they can provide a link to McDonald's own webpage, and thus get click-through traffic that can be monetized with ad revenue.
Solutions to Cybersquatting
Due to the fight over free speech and free market rights pertaining to the Web, cybersquatting is not easy to define as illegal. It is certainly unethical, but given the myriad of international laws governing the use of these domain names there is not always a clear recourse in overcoming these activities.
There are always methods that can be used, however. First, there is the legal recourse of going through ICANN for arbitration. However courts can and often have overturned ICANN's rulings upon further review. The legal fees associated with this process may exceed the cost of simply buying the domain outright from the squatters.
Another option is to be creative with your domain names. Google, Yahoo, icanhascheezburger, and similar domain names share a certain nonsense quality. They aren't commonly used words, and are less likely to get snapped up by squatters. If your business isn't tied strongly to a real world word already, consider coming up with something outside the box to prevent yourself from getting squatted. Purchase several of the more common variations on your domain name as well, to prevent the parallel name style of squatting.
Hazard 2 - Typo Squatting
Typo squatting relies on common typing errors or shortcuts to redirect users to a site other than the one they intended to visit. For example, information.com could be typed as iformation.com or info.com, and lead to the squatting site instead of the intended location. While this may seem like a variant on cybersquatting, it ends up being rather different in practice.
As with parallel naming, the intent here is to use a similar name to draw in users looking for one site. However the intent is very rarely to sell the url to the parent company. More frequently, these sites direct to 'gripe' pages, spambots, malware propagators and other malicious activities.
Solutions to Typo Squatting
Once again, legal action can be taken to protect a brand (particularly if the squatters are profiting from the venture), but can quickly become expensive. A more cost-effective route for a smaller brand just getting started would be to post information to your Social Media News Room and webpage about any such sites you come across, with warnings and information on how to circumvent them. Taking responsibility for your brand is the best way to protect it and cement its value in your audience's mind.
Hazard 3 - Complacency
It's tempting to register a domain name and trademark, and think that's all you need to do. However, neither of these confers automatic protection. Yes, they allow for recourse to the law in the event a case goes to court, but the Internet is a place where information moves quickly. By the time you fight things out in a court case that you may or may not actually win, people already have associated your brand with the spambot they accidentally got directed to.
Solutions to Complacency
Be proactive. Education is your best defense on the Web. Learn about common cybersquatting and typosquatting tactics. Check your domain and see if others are using these tricks to hurt your brand (consciously or inadvertently). Be aware, be informed, and take every step you can. The Internet is a dynamic place, and it falls to you to make sure that benefits you, rather than blemishes your brand.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is an online branding specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat, a digital content agency. Brandsplat creates blogs, articles, videos and social media in the "voice" of our client's brand. It makes sites more findable and brands more recognizable. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/
Read more of Enzo F. Cesario's articles.
The Decline and Fall of the Retirement Empire
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Irene A. Majchrzak
"I have a pension and it'll have to be enough!" As a financial Advisor over the past 10 years I have often heard this statement. It was difficult 10 years ago to explain to future retirees why this was an impossible belief to hold. 10 years ago no one would believe the changes that would occur in our world view. Then, the economy ebbed and flowed, Bear and Bull markets were manageable. People just waited out the economic downturns. They didn't sell their stock, they held and kept all of their investments, many of which they themselves had purchased from their own jobs or were given to them as gifts from their parents.
Here we are 10 years later looking back at our retirement planning and the fallout effected by the stock market conditions of March of 2000, that changed the way we invested forever. We sold stocks, we no longer held and kept them for our lifetime. We realized the astute ideas behind exit strategies for selling stock, utilizing stop/loss strategies to protect the profits of our investments and questioned wisely, the usefulness of selling short or on margin.
Preparing for retirement 10 years ago the employee was often provided a future pension through his employer. This pension may have been provided strictly by the company profits at a time when business growth could be projected year by year. Or the pension may have included employee participation in the still fledgling pre-tax contributions to 401(k)'s offered by corporations to help the workingman provide for his own retirement.
Many people participated in the former pension because their employers provided the funding. Less took advantage of the latter opportunities because they either did not feel they could afford to contribute to the investment or they felt that the pension and/or Social Security benefits offered by the Federal Government would be enough to cover the lifestyle of their retirement future.
Either way it was certain that the employee had very little comprehension of the value of the pre-tax savings and the impact upon their future retirement lifestyle. Employers were also shortsighted looking only at the relief from having to provide an employee pension, not necessarily invested enough into the practice to assure the employee would take advantage of the benefit; and certainly not interested enough to assure the employees had options that would give them really good mutual fund choices and diversification into more than just bond funds or large cap growth funds.
Little did we realize that the pension would go away and that the pre-tax function for saving for retirement would be the mainstay of millions of Americans. A better understanding of how the 401(k) grows in relation to tax-deferred income, reducing income taxes and building a nest egg based on lifestyle needs, has improved the employees ability to recognize the importance of saving for their own retirement.
Now we need to protect our affluence. We need to keep watch over the economic impacts that will upset the continued prosperity and remain aware of the political moves that will affect the stock market. This is often difficult because of the hidden agendas of the political parties.
Some people believe that what is happening to our wealth through loss of pensions, diminishing Social Security for future generations, our current 401(k) investments and the governmental determination to spread the wealth around through taxation and distribution is considered part of the cycle of change which will somehow better the economic situation for all Americans.
Recognizing that to hold this belief means that people feel they can still control the costs and expenses of retirement by simply tightening their belts and foregoing the dreams of travel and hobbies almost inherent to the retiree. What a surprise to find they are now subsisting in a lifestyle that is denuded of the anticipation of living a better retirement life than the previous generation. The need to try to control your retirement economy begins with you, your saving, your spending habits and your debt. These are things you can control to give you the life you can expect as a retiree.
Market Gurus kept anticipating the return of the market after March of 2000. On September 11th terrorism began the decimation of our economy, societal changes from an industrial nation to a service industry as corporations outsourced more and more of our jobs overseas added to the job losses, and the economic impact of stock market underhanded graft and large investor control caused a continuing financial drag on our lives and prolonged the healthy return of our savings and our standard of living.
When I questioned myself as to how the economy would ever make a return to "normal" with increasing job losses in every sector and increasing unemployment and government takeovers by "stimulus packages," I began reading and researching. A few months later reading about the devastating impact of the American Civil War on the economy of the United States, I found the answer to the turn of the century wealth that brought our country back to prosperity after the Civil War and found that it was pretty much based on the Industrial Revolution and all of the industries that evolved so quickly because of it.
Today, we are a service-providing nation. We used to provide services all over the world and while we still do, as a Nation the services are provided through American Corporations by cheaper labor in outsourced countries that have raised their standard of living while ours has dwindled. Is all of the planned Socialization of America blamed on government policies and political issues designed to change voting habits, or on the cycle of change that will inherently make the United States of America a better place to live?
What I see is a return to a life with fewer opportunities for this generation to become more affluent than their parents through hard work, education and vision because of huge government spending and now even less interest in building new job opportunities. Our future will hold very little opportunity to travel domestically or to foreign lands because of the inability to afford the luxury of gas for your automobile or the exorbitant costs of flying and train travel. Staying home within a provincial, small town atmosphere will deny us knowledge of a better life beyond the borders and where soon you will, again, be controlled and told what to think, what to do, how to work, where to live, and expect nothing more from life reminiscent of the earlier era's when there was no middle class only upper and very low classes. History does indeed repeat itself, but I thought we were to learn our lessons.
Is it only for the conservatives and independents to learn the lessons while the liberals consider how they can make slaves of the lower class through socialism and demagoguery? Jobs have always been available in health care but today it is not in the higher echelon of Degree level Nurses but in the lower stratum of home care aides; not in the High tech industry of computer designs but designs developed by computers. While our government provided opportunities for jobs, now they own and compete for jobs against the entrepreneur, becoming the largest employer this country has ever had. Who will break up "Ma Bell" today?
Some people might say "Get over it! You have had a great life in middle class America, it's time now for the lower classes to move into your world." I'm afraid the only way this will happen is if we descend to the level of the lower classes through a loss of our retirement savings and the increase in taxes causing the demise of the middle class. Now there will only be two classes and history has repeated itself. I should have titled my article ...The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich... I mean Third Class...
About the Author:
Irene A. Majchrzak helps people retire debt-free with a sense of well-being and the freedom to have the things they want. Get her free ebook, Debt Free to Retire, by going to http://debtfreetoretire.com/
Read more of Irene A. Majchrzak's articles.
Copyright © 2010 Irene A. Majchrzak
"I have a pension and it'll have to be enough!" As a financial Advisor over the past 10 years I have often heard this statement. It was difficult 10 years ago to explain to future retirees why this was an impossible belief to hold. 10 years ago no one would believe the changes that would occur in our world view. Then, the economy ebbed and flowed, Bear and Bull markets were manageable. People just waited out the economic downturns. They didn't sell their stock, they held and kept all of their investments, many of which they themselves had purchased from their own jobs or were given to them as gifts from their parents.
Here we are 10 years later looking back at our retirement planning and the fallout effected by the stock market conditions of March of 2000, that changed the way we invested forever. We sold stocks, we no longer held and kept them for our lifetime. We realized the astute ideas behind exit strategies for selling stock, utilizing stop/loss strategies to protect the profits of our investments and questioned wisely, the usefulness of selling short or on margin.
Preparing for retirement 10 years ago the employee was often provided a future pension through his employer. This pension may have been provided strictly by the company profits at a time when business growth could be projected year by year. Or the pension may have included employee participation in the still fledgling pre-tax contributions to 401(k)'s offered by corporations to help the workingman provide for his own retirement.
Many people participated in the former pension because their employers provided the funding. Less took advantage of the latter opportunities because they either did not feel they could afford to contribute to the investment or they felt that the pension and/or Social Security benefits offered by the Federal Government would be enough to cover the lifestyle of their retirement future.
Either way it was certain that the employee had very little comprehension of the value of the pre-tax savings and the impact upon their future retirement lifestyle. Employers were also shortsighted looking only at the relief from having to provide an employee pension, not necessarily invested enough into the practice to assure the employee would take advantage of the benefit; and certainly not interested enough to assure the employees had options that would give them really good mutual fund choices and diversification into more than just bond funds or large cap growth funds.
Little did we realize that the pension would go away and that the pre-tax function for saving for retirement would be the mainstay of millions of Americans. A better understanding of how the 401(k) grows in relation to tax-deferred income, reducing income taxes and building a nest egg based on lifestyle needs, has improved the employees ability to recognize the importance of saving for their own retirement.
Now we need to protect our affluence. We need to keep watch over the economic impacts that will upset the continued prosperity and remain aware of the political moves that will affect the stock market. This is often difficult because of the hidden agendas of the political parties.
Some people believe that what is happening to our wealth through loss of pensions, diminishing Social Security for future generations, our current 401(k) investments and the governmental determination to spread the wealth around through taxation and distribution is considered part of the cycle of change which will somehow better the economic situation for all Americans.
Recognizing that to hold this belief means that people feel they can still control the costs and expenses of retirement by simply tightening their belts and foregoing the dreams of travel and hobbies almost inherent to the retiree. What a surprise to find they are now subsisting in a lifestyle that is denuded of the anticipation of living a better retirement life than the previous generation. The need to try to control your retirement economy begins with you, your saving, your spending habits and your debt. These are things you can control to give you the life you can expect as a retiree.
Market Gurus kept anticipating the return of the market after March of 2000. On September 11th terrorism began the decimation of our economy, societal changes from an industrial nation to a service industry as corporations outsourced more and more of our jobs overseas added to the job losses, and the economic impact of stock market underhanded graft and large investor control caused a continuing financial drag on our lives and prolonged the healthy return of our savings and our standard of living.
When I questioned myself as to how the economy would ever make a return to "normal" with increasing job losses in every sector and increasing unemployment and government takeovers by "stimulus packages," I began reading and researching. A few months later reading about the devastating impact of the American Civil War on the economy of the United States, I found the answer to the turn of the century wealth that brought our country back to prosperity after the Civil War and found that it was pretty much based on the Industrial Revolution and all of the industries that evolved so quickly because of it.
Today, we are a service-providing nation. We used to provide services all over the world and while we still do, as a Nation the services are provided through American Corporations by cheaper labor in outsourced countries that have raised their standard of living while ours has dwindled. Is all of the planned Socialization of America blamed on government policies and political issues designed to change voting habits, or on the cycle of change that will inherently make the United States of America a better place to live?
What I see is a return to a life with fewer opportunities for this generation to become more affluent than their parents through hard work, education and vision because of huge government spending and now even less interest in building new job opportunities. Our future will hold very little opportunity to travel domestically or to foreign lands because of the inability to afford the luxury of gas for your automobile or the exorbitant costs of flying and train travel. Staying home within a provincial, small town atmosphere will deny us knowledge of a better life beyond the borders and where soon you will, again, be controlled and told what to think, what to do, how to work, where to live, and expect nothing more from life reminiscent of the earlier era's when there was no middle class only upper and very low classes. History does indeed repeat itself, but I thought we were to learn our lessons.
Is it only for the conservatives and independents to learn the lessons while the liberals consider how they can make slaves of the lower class through socialism and demagoguery? Jobs have always been available in health care but today it is not in the higher echelon of Degree level Nurses but in the lower stratum of home care aides; not in the High tech industry of computer designs but designs developed by computers. While our government provided opportunities for jobs, now they own and compete for jobs against the entrepreneur, becoming the largest employer this country has ever had. Who will break up "Ma Bell" today?
Some people might say "Get over it! You have had a great life in middle class America, it's time now for the lower classes to move into your world." I'm afraid the only way this will happen is if we descend to the level of the lower classes through a loss of our retirement savings and the increase in taxes causing the demise of the middle class. Now there will only be two classes and history has repeated itself. I should have titled my article ...The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich... I mean Third Class...
About the Author:
Irene A. Majchrzak helps people retire debt-free with a sense of well-being and the freedom to have the things they want. Get her free ebook, Debt Free to Retire, by going to http://debtfreetoretire.com/
Read more of Irene A. Majchrzak's articles.
Business Turnaround: Stabilize Your Environment with Positive Cash Management
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Thayne Carper
A good business turnaround requires you to stabilize your environment; without this step, your business will likely remain unprofitable. Maintaining both a positive cash balance and abiding by a smart budget is vital.
Maintain a Positive Cash Balance
The best way to maintain a positive cash balance is by spending no more than what you start with at the beginning of the week. In other words, if you start the week with $10,000 and collect an additional $5,000 by the Friday of that week, then you should not spend more than the original $10,000. This budget will keep your company alive as you will not have negative equity after the week ends. Managing your cash is the single most important facet of building a stable environment.
Budgets and Forecasts
Following a smart budget is absolutely integral to a good business turnaround, but there are other methods used to build a stable environment. A good business knows how to make proper forecasts. You must be able to estimate sales by talking to customers about anticipated future transactions. You should evaluate your staffing, inventory and supply orders to ensure they are worth your investment. A good business turnaround also depends on your looking for inventory that is not on the books or otherwise hidden in your business.
Evaluate the Competition
In stabilizing one's environment, which again is absolutely essential to a strong business turnaround, you must look at similar businesses that you can model after or even purchase should it be in your best interests. Not only should you monitor your weaker competitors, but your sales team must also look into the possibility of wooing their best business partners, customers, and even employees, if there is an advantage in doing so.
So, a good business turnaround may depend on your ability to recognize an opportunity to acquire other, less healthy competitors should it be economically advisable. Having a strong client base and weak competition are two ingredients for creating a stable environment, and in doing so you will establish a positive cash balance. Otherwise, your business may face the kind of serious debt from which it is impossible to recover.
Monitor your Staff
There are other means of forming a stable environment within your company. You must closely monitor your staff and ensure they are doing their job. If, for example, you have a controller who is inefficient or careless with cash management, you need to respond. A controller is supposed to control the cash, and must share some of the responsibility for an unstable environment.
Business turnarounds are only as effective as the people who utilize it. If you want your company to succeed, you must be prepared to let go of individuals who either are not doing their job or doing it poorly. You must also maintain good communication with your employees on a regular basis. This builds trust and loyalty- assets that will strengthen and unify your company culture.
Positive cash management involves every facet of your business. To achieve a business turnaround, it is essential to take into account your budget and spending, as well have accurate forecasts to work with. Your knowledge of your competitors and good staff management also contribute to your ability to create positive cash flow.
About the Author:
Thayne Carper spent 4 years of college competing in student business plan competitions. He's never won a business plan competition and was dropped from his college's entrepreneurial program for lacking potential. Today, he is one of the youngest published experts on the topic of business turnarounds and cost reduction. Visit his website lower supply costs up to 30% for a copy of his report "The Definitive Guide to Doubling Your Profits in less than 6 Months" and learn how you can easily lower supply and service costs up to 30% without hiring a consultant. Learn more: http://www.ThayneCarper.com/
Copyright © 2010 Thayne Carper
A good business turnaround requires you to stabilize your environment; without this step, your business will likely remain unprofitable. Maintaining both a positive cash balance and abiding by a smart budget is vital.
Maintain a Positive Cash Balance
The best way to maintain a positive cash balance is by spending no more than what you start with at the beginning of the week. In other words, if you start the week with $10,000 and collect an additional $5,000 by the Friday of that week, then you should not spend more than the original $10,000. This budget will keep your company alive as you will not have negative equity after the week ends. Managing your cash is the single most important facet of building a stable environment.
Budgets and Forecasts
Following a smart budget is absolutely integral to a good business turnaround, but there are other methods used to build a stable environment. A good business knows how to make proper forecasts. You must be able to estimate sales by talking to customers about anticipated future transactions. You should evaluate your staffing, inventory and supply orders to ensure they are worth your investment. A good business turnaround also depends on your looking for inventory that is not on the books or otherwise hidden in your business.
Evaluate the Competition
In stabilizing one's environment, which again is absolutely essential to a strong business turnaround, you must look at similar businesses that you can model after or even purchase should it be in your best interests. Not only should you monitor your weaker competitors, but your sales team must also look into the possibility of wooing their best business partners, customers, and even employees, if there is an advantage in doing so.
So, a good business turnaround may depend on your ability to recognize an opportunity to acquire other, less healthy competitors should it be economically advisable. Having a strong client base and weak competition are two ingredients for creating a stable environment, and in doing so you will establish a positive cash balance. Otherwise, your business may face the kind of serious debt from which it is impossible to recover.
Monitor your Staff
There are other means of forming a stable environment within your company. You must closely monitor your staff and ensure they are doing their job. If, for example, you have a controller who is inefficient or careless with cash management, you need to respond. A controller is supposed to control the cash, and must share some of the responsibility for an unstable environment.
Business turnarounds are only as effective as the people who utilize it. If you want your company to succeed, you must be prepared to let go of individuals who either are not doing their job or doing it poorly. You must also maintain good communication with your employees on a regular basis. This builds trust and loyalty- assets that will strengthen and unify your company culture.
Positive cash management involves every facet of your business. To achieve a business turnaround, it is essential to take into account your budget and spending, as well have accurate forecasts to work with. Your knowledge of your competitors and good staff management also contribute to your ability to create positive cash flow.
About the Author:
Thayne Carper spent 4 years of college competing in student business plan competitions. He's never won a business plan competition and was dropped from his college's entrepreneurial program for lacking potential. Today, he is one of the youngest published experts on the topic of business turnarounds and cost reduction. Visit his website lower supply costs up to 30% for a copy of his report "The Definitive Guide to Doubling Your Profits in less than 6 Months" and learn how you can easily lower supply and service costs up to 30% without hiring a consultant. Learn more: http://www.ThayneCarper.com/
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Plan Ahead: Your Personal Body Art May Carry An Unforeseen Cost
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Eileen Howerton
Tattoos are considered to be a personal expression. People get them to remember someone they have loved, or lost, or just to remind them of a good time, like that Spring Break trip to Tijuana.
Over half of all tattoos that are given each year are spontaneous, and given without plan or thought. While these tattoos seemed like a great idea at the time, many young people are finding out that these tattoos are costing them more than the charge to have them put on.
It seems in today's world, while we are more socially accepting than ever before, it seems that tattoos are still not accepted by all. If you're not careful in selecting their placement on your body, you may find yourself having a harder time finding employment in jobs that will grant you a secure future. That ill-thought girlfriend's name tattooed on your neck may just keep you off of Wall Street for the rest of your life.
The real question here is - is it acceptable to prevent someone from getting a job based on their past choices and personal artwork? Some companies say no.
Chipotle is an up and coming restaurant in the US that not only hires these people, but actually seeks them out for employment. And this job isn't a "gutter" job at all - employees at this company are paid on average $8.00 an hour to start! More companies are starting to take this type of mentality, to make tattoos that aren't offensive socially acceptable.
Also, while some people can't seem to get a job because of their tattoos, other people make money off of their tattoos! Some companies are paying people quite a bit of money if they agree to tattoo an advertisement for their company on their body, much as you would do if you put an ad wrap on your car. The people get a small check in the mail every month, but over time, it adds up to quite a bit of money!
This seems like a crazy way to make money, and it probably won't make you rich, but it's a very easy way to make some extra "mad money" just by walking around town sporting your tattoo!
Some people want to argue that not hiring someone because of their tattoos is illegal, but currently that's not true. An employer reserves the right to not hire someone that can't present a "reasonably professional appearance". This means if you can't cover up that tattoo, you may be asked to take a job where the public can't see you, or you may not be offered a job at all.
More companies are finding though that they have to relax their rules on this because there are more and more "unconventional" candidates in the job market today. Whatever side you chose to take, there is no doubt that this will continue to be a hot button in the career world for many years to come, especially with more people choosing to get one or more tattoos.
Whatever side you're currently on, the pro's or the con's, expect that the next ten years will change the rules, and the way we currently think.
About the Author:
If you have a tattoo you would like to get removed, you can spend 1000s on laser tattoo removal treatments, OR you can explore the Nuviderm Home Tattoo Removals System, which can remove your tattoo without emptying your wallet. Visit http://nuviderm.com/ to learn more about the Nuviderm solution for removing tattoos to extinction. Eileen Howerton is a full-time, freelance writer.
Read more Articles written by Eileen Howerton.
Copyright © 2010 Eileen Howerton
Tattoos are considered to be a personal expression. People get them to remember someone they have loved, or lost, or just to remind them of a good time, like that Spring Break trip to Tijuana.
Over half of all tattoos that are given each year are spontaneous, and given without plan or thought. While these tattoos seemed like a great idea at the time, many young people are finding out that these tattoos are costing them more than the charge to have them put on.
It seems in today's world, while we are more socially accepting than ever before, it seems that tattoos are still not accepted by all. If you're not careful in selecting their placement on your body, you may find yourself having a harder time finding employment in jobs that will grant you a secure future. That ill-thought girlfriend's name tattooed on your neck may just keep you off of Wall Street for the rest of your life.
The real question here is - is it acceptable to prevent someone from getting a job based on their past choices and personal artwork? Some companies say no.
Chipotle is an up and coming restaurant in the US that not only hires these people, but actually seeks them out for employment. And this job isn't a "gutter" job at all - employees at this company are paid on average $8.00 an hour to start! More companies are starting to take this type of mentality, to make tattoos that aren't offensive socially acceptable.
Also, while some people can't seem to get a job because of their tattoos, other people make money off of their tattoos! Some companies are paying people quite a bit of money if they agree to tattoo an advertisement for their company on their body, much as you would do if you put an ad wrap on your car. The people get a small check in the mail every month, but over time, it adds up to quite a bit of money!
This seems like a crazy way to make money, and it probably won't make you rich, but it's a very easy way to make some extra "mad money" just by walking around town sporting your tattoo!
Some people want to argue that not hiring someone because of their tattoos is illegal, but currently that's not true. An employer reserves the right to not hire someone that can't present a "reasonably professional appearance". This means if you can't cover up that tattoo, you may be asked to take a job where the public can't see you, or you may not be offered a job at all.
More companies are finding though that they have to relax their rules on this because there are more and more "unconventional" candidates in the job market today. Whatever side you chose to take, there is no doubt that this will continue to be a hot button in the career world for many years to come, especially with more people choosing to get one or more tattoos.
Whatever side you're currently on, the pro's or the con's, expect that the next ten years will change the rules, and the way we currently think.
About the Author:
If you have a tattoo you would like to get removed, you can spend 1000s on laser tattoo removal treatments, OR you can explore the Nuviderm Home Tattoo Removals System, which can remove your tattoo without emptying your wallet. Visit http://nuviderm.com/ to learn more about the Nuviderm solution for removing tattoos to extinction. Eileen Howerton is a full-time, freelance writer.
Read more Articles written by Eileen Howerton.
The Ox and The Fly
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Scott Bywater
I woke up today with a stuffy nose. A tickle in my throat and feeling less than 100%.
It seems I've come down with a cold.
Which is good in a way - as it explains why I've been a bit off centre the last few days.
And it's bad in a way too, as it destroys my long record without a cold since I started getting more sunshine and salt water swims. So a bit of a blow to my pride ;-(
Anyway, that brings me to the point I wanted to make today.
Over Xmas, I bought a business book about Aesop's Fables. And from memory, one of Aesop's Fables is about the ox and the fly.
In a nutshell, it goes like this.
The fly sits on the ox's head one day and thinks he is annoying the ox.
"Am I bothering you, ox?" he says.
And the ox replies...
"No, I didn't even know you were there."
Now I can't remember how the author interpreted this story.
But I interpret the fly being the problems I face on a day to day basis.
And whenever I have a problem, I now visualise it as a fly...
If someone is bothering me...
If I have a cold...
If a marketing strategy isn't working the way it should...
If my web designer is taking forever to get something done the right way...
... whatever.
By visualising myself as an ox and the problems I face as just a little fly, it allows me to remain focused on the end goal and not get distracted.
So today... start to see yourself as bigger than your problems.
After all, to get where you are today, you have to have beaten all of your problems.
Nothing has killed you yet, right?
It's only made you stronger?
About the Author:
For quick results, you'll want to get your hands on this leading direct response copywriter's ebook "7 Ways To Get More Customers" at http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au/ Scott Bywater shows you how to get all the customers you need in just 60 days. This popular ebook has been downloaded by over 8,247 business owners over the past five years. Packed with information, this ebook will show you copywriting and marketing strategies which could have you getting new clients within just a couple of days.
Read more Articles written by Scott Bywater.
Copyright © 2010 Scott Bywater
I woke up today with a stuffy nose. A tickle in my throat and feeling less than 100%.
It seems I've come down with a cold.
Which is good in a way - as it explains why I've been a bit off centre the last few days.
And it's bad in a way too, as it destroys my long record without a cold since I started getting more sunshine and salt water swims. So a bit of a blow to my pride ;-(
Anyway, that brings me to the point I wanted to make today.
Over Xmas, I bought a business book about Aesop's Fables. And from memory, one of Aesop's Fables is about the ox and the fly.
In a nutshell, it goes like this.
The fly sits on the ox's head one day and thinks he is annoying the ox.
"Am I bothering you, ox?" he says.
And the ox replies...
"No, I didn't even know you were there."
Now I can't remember how the author interpreted this story.
But I interpret the fly being the problems I face on a day to day basis.
And whenever I have a problem, I now visualise it as a fly...
If someone is bothering me...
If I have a cold...
If a marketing strategy isn't working the way it should...
If my web designer is taking forever to get something done the right way...
... whatever.
By visualising myself as an ox and the problems I face as just a little fly, it allows me to remain focused on the end goal and not get distracted.
So today... start to see yourself as bigger than your problems.
After all, to get where you are today, you have to have beaten all of your problems.
Nothing has killed you yet, right?
It's only made you stronger?
About the Author:
For quick results, you'll want to get your hands on this leading direct response copywriter's ebook "7 Ways To Get More Customers" at http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au/ Scott Bywater shows you how to get all the customers you need in just 60 days. This popular ebook has been downloaded by over 8,247 business owners over the past five years. Packed with information, this ebook will show you copywriting and marketing strategies which could have you getting new clients within just a couple of days.
Read more Articles written by Scott Bywater.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Online Brand Protection - Must-Know Tactics to Safeguard Your Business
Article Presented by:
Copyright © 2010 Enzo F. Cesario
Intellectual property, trademarks and copyrights--if you are in business, you probably know what these are and how important they are. However, an online business has additional factors that must be considered to protect its brand within the Web's wide exposure.
What follows is an excerpt from a Brandsplat Video Report in which Brandsplat CCO Enzo F. Cesario interviews Daniel Greenberg, director of domain name management and online brand protection for Lexsynergy. Greenberg is also a practicing attorney who specializes in Internet Law and Trademark Law. (Watch the complete Video Report at http://www.brandsplat.com/videos/video-report-online-business-brand-protection.asp)
CESARIO: Can you tell us a little bit about brand protection? Can you define it for us?
GREENBERG: Brand protection involves various methods that allow a brand owner to prevent third parties from infringing upon their particular mark. So, for instance, it includes buying a trademark, registering a domain name, registering copyrights, patents and designs where applicable. In essence, it prevents third parties from using the particular mark unlawfully. For instance, the word Brandsplat would be a trademark, the domain name is Brandsplat dot com and the layout and content of the site would be copyright. So, all these put together is intellectual property, which amounts to brand protection.
CESARIO: So is your domain name an online trademark? Can you expound on that?
GREENBERG: Yes, it has become a species of online trademark. For instance, most people do their business online, they shop online, they bank online; and if you don't have control of your brand over the Internet, it will be very difficult for customers to locate you. So, if you had to compare it to the bricks-and-mortar world, it's almost the signage that is outside your business. For instance, in the online world, if you don't control your particular mark or your brand, it's as if your competitor has taken your particular mark and put it outside his store. So it has become a brand identifier on the Internet.
CESARIO: I see. So how has Lexsynergy protected their brand online?
GREENBERG: When we first started off we were very cost-conscious, so we started with a Google search and a free online trademark search, which you can do with several databases online, to see if anyone else was using the name Lexsynergy. It is an invented word that doesn't mean anything, so it's easier to protect. We then secured the domain name in all generic top-level domains, such as com, net, org, info, biz, tel (e.g. Lexsynergy.com, Lexsynergy.tel, etc), and in the countries where we trade or intended to trade. Country code top-level domains or ccTLD (e.g. Lexsynergy.co.uk or Lexsynergy.us), we secured those. And once we had done those, we branched off and started to file trademarks to protect ourselves. And obviously, trademarks are more expensive so we did that at the end as the business grew.
CESARIO: Those can be very expensive. How would you advise a business that doesn't have a lot of resources to protect their brands online?
GREENBERG: I would start off by coming up with a unique name first, just to make sure that no one else in your particular industry is using that particular mark. I would also try to find an inventive word such as Google or Kodak -- those words that mean nothing. For instance, Apple is a very good trademark for computer products in a computer store, but a very poor trademark for a grocery store because it's descriptive of what it would be selling. So come up with a unique name, then do these online searches through social networking sites or search engines; and if they're available, go for the domain names, then go for the trademarks. And just remember trademarks are territorial, which means that you only get protection in the country in which you register the mark, and domain names are international, in that they give you international exposure. So I would advise to go that route.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand management specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat. We are social media consultants. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/
Read more of Enzo F. Cesario's articles.
Copyright © 2010 Enzo F. Cesario
Intellectual property, trademarks and copyrights--if you are in business, you probably know what these are and how important they are. However, an online business has additional factors that must be considered to protect its brand within the Web's wide exposure.
What follows is an excerpt from a Brandsplat Video Report in which Brandsplat CCO Enzo F. Cesario interviews Daniel Greenberg, director of domain name management and online brand protection for Lexsynergy. Greenberg is also a practicing attorney who specializes in Internet Law and Trademark Law. (Watch the complete Video Report at http://www.brandsplat.com/videos/video-report-online-business-brand-protection.asp)
CESARIO: Can you tell us a little bit about brand protection? Can you define it for us?
GREENBERG: Brand protection involves various methods that allow a brand owner to prevent third parties from infringing upon their particular mark. So, for instance, it includes buying a trademark, registering a domain name, registering copyrights, patents and designs where applicable. In essence, it prevents third parties from using the particular mark unlawfully. For instance, the word Brandsplat would be a trademark, the domain name is Brandsplat dot com and the layout and content of the site would be copyright. So, all these put together is intellectual property, which amounts to brand protection.
CESARIO: So is your domain name an online trademark? Can you expound on that?
GREENBERG: Yes, it has become a species of online trademark. For instance, most people do their business online, they shop online, they bank online; and if you don't have control of your brand over the Internet, it will be very difficult for customers to locate you. So, if you had to compare it to the bricks-and-mortar world, it's almost the signage that is outside your business. For instance, in the online world, if you don't control your particular mark or your brand, it's as if your competitor has taken your particular mark and put it outside his store. So it has become a brand identifier on the Internet.
CESARIO: I see. So how has Lexsynergy protected their brand online?
GREENBERG: When we first started off we were very cost-conscious, so we started with a Google search and a free online trademark search, which you can do with several databases online, to see if anyone else was using the name Lexsynergy. It is an invented word that doesn't mean anything, so it's easier to protect. We then secured the domain name in all generic top-level domains, such as com, net, org, info, biz, tel (e.g. Lexsynergy.com, Lexsynergy.tel, etc), and in the countries where we trade or intended to trade. Country code top-level domains or ccTLD (e.g. Lexsynergy.co.uk or Lexsynergy.us), we secured those. And once we had done those, we branched off and started to file trademarks to protect ourselves. And obviously, trademarks are more expensive so we did that at the end as the business grew.
CESARIO: Those can be very expensive. How would you advise a business that doesn't have a lot of resources to protect their brands online?
GREENBERG: I would start off by coming up with a unique name first, just to make sure that no one else in your particular industry is using that particular mark. I would also try to find an inventive word such as Google or Kodak -- those words that mean nothing. For instance, Apple is a very good trademark for computer products in a computer store, but a very poor trademark for a grocery store because it's descriptive of what it would be selling. So come up with a unique name, then do these online searches through social networking sites or search engines; and if they're available, go for the domain names, then go for the trademarks. And just remember trademarks are territorial, which means that you only get protection in the country in which you register the mark, and domain names are international, in that they give you international exposure. So I would advise to go that route.
About the Author:
Enzo F. Cesario is an online brand management specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat. We are social media consultants. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.BrandSplat.com/ or visit our blog at http://www.iBrandCasting.com/
Read more of Enzo F. Cesario's articles.
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