Ideas for Business

You probably know by now that most publicity takes time or money and sometimes both. While link building is free, it doesn`t have to take a lot of time, depending on how you do things.

Link exchange. These are still going strong and it is well worth asking other websites or blogs with similar topics if they would be interested in a link exchange. A quick email takes literally seconds.

Business directories. Each directory requires basically the same information, so write up a short description of your business, have a list of keywords and the name and URL so you can just copy and paste. Each directory will take a minute or two, plus confirmation.

Social networking. If you have a good network of social bookmarking friends, it`s a simple matter to ask them to bookmark your latest blog post or a new article. Even ten new stumbles or digs can really boost your traffic as it goes viral.

A good way to increase your link building is to set aside 10-15 min. each day to get a couple of links. Link building is more effective this way, since the links are built up gradually.

Setting up a website can be quite costly, unless you learn to do some of it on your own, which many business owners do. After all, there are lots of free website templates on the internet and you can easily upload them to a host and customize the content, right?

While this is true, it is NOT the way to go. In fact, opting for a free template could well be the worst graphic design mistake you`ve ever made.

You see, those templates are free for everyone. That means the same template could easily be used by hundreds of other websites, eliminating any brand recognition you would get from your own graphic design.

It`s far better to invest the money and get a website that a graphic designer has created just for your business. That way, you can promote your brand and keep it strong, without dilutions from other sites.

With the economic slowdown, it`s natural that people are starting to wonder about finance and banking. Small businesses tend to be particularly worried about this, especially those that have never weathered an economic downturn before.

Regardless of whether you are confident that things will be looking up shortly or if you are more pessimistic, it`s a good idea to understand just what is going on with your money and what the risks are. After all, 8 US banks have closed this year and have caused chaos throughout many businesses.

Entrepreneur.com offers some ideas for finding out just how safe your bank is:

• Seek financial advice. Hire a financial expert to give you advice and you`ll ease a lot of stress.
• Know your cash flow. Your money is insured for up to $100,000 and if you need more than that, you might need to take special precautions.
• Do your research. There is a lot of information available to business owners, but most of them just don`t take advantage of it.

Pay attention to your small business financial options and take preventative measures now to avoid losing everything in the event of a bank crash. It`s just common sense to protect your assets.

Not everyone is a natural born networker. It can be difficult, if you tend to be on the shy side, to connect with other business marketers. It doesn`t have to be that way, though. Not if you use your natural talents to build networking skills!

Just because you don`t enjoy talking on the phone doesn`t mean you can`t network. Instead, why not try email or social networking sites? These allow you to connect without having to be face to face or even on the phone.

For more personal connections, you`ll just need to step out of your comfort zone and start talking to people. This is probably easiest at networking groups or conventions where people naturally begin to discuss what they do anyway. Having a small speech or points to discuss can be helpful in this case.

Networking isn`t all about being a chatterbox and talking to everyone all the time, though it is helpful. If your personality is a little more timid, then go with it, but don`t forget to push yourself once in a while.

Blogging is just one of several powerful methods of promoting your business. If you haven`t started yet, it`s definitely a good time to think about it. Many people find that they are reluctant to get started in the blogging world because they assume that it is necessary to blog on a daily basis.

While daily posting on your business blog is certainly helpful, it`s not required at all. You can easily have a successful blog just posting a couple times a week. However, the more often that you do your blogging, the better your publicity will be and the more Google will like your site.

If you aren`t sure about even blogging a couple days a week, why not sit down once a month to write several articles that you can then schedule to post throughout the month? This allows you to do all the work at once and reap the benefits for an entire month.

P.S. I love my iPhone — so much so that both hubby Steve and I were convinced we needed the extra speed offered by the new 3G models — hence, I’ve got <a href=" http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180305409601 two gently used Apple iPhones for sale out on eBay right now … if you are in the market, these can be immediately activated on AT&T service, or you can unlock them for use with other carriers.