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How to Manage Your Online Reputation

November 17, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Building a good reputation is one of the most important ingredients of a successful business. While the Internet can be used by companies to promote and grow their business, it can also be used by consumers to spread negative or unflattering information.

For example, the website Ripoffreport.com allows consumers to publish complaints about any company or business. Once a negative review is posted online, whether on Ripoffreport.com, a blog, in a status update or on a local review site such as Yelp, it is available for everyone to see. For most business owners, this is a scary possibility and one that can potentially ruin their business.

Unfortunately, the Internet is not forgiving when it comes to negative business reviews. It is nearly impossible to remove negative content from the web. However, there is good news: online reputation management. As part of an effective Internet marketing campaign, online reputation management has the power to combat negative content on the web while promoting your business in the best channels.

So, how does a business manage its online reputation when most consumers are professional critics?

Online reputation campaigns are typically developed by professional Internet marketing firms, teams with the tools and experience to monitor online conversation and engage with your customers. Submit Express, for example, uses a combination of SEO techniques and social media marketing strategies to reach this goal, including link building, reputation monitoring services, and negative review repair services. While these methods may not remove the offending reviews or pages, they can move such content down in search engine rankings where they will be buried.

Business Services

3 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses

November 17, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Can social media work its magic, and bring in more profits? Can both large and small businesses benefit from the reach that it offers? Or is it just a fad or a hype that will pass with time?

These are questions that employers normally ask themselves as social media continues to take center stage but rarely ever follow through with. In fact, some small businesses don’t tend to take this powerful medium so seriously.

However, experts are of the opinion that small businesses should invest time and money in social media.

But where does one start? So here are 3 tips that can help you build your business through social media.

Tip #1: It’s about the Customer

One of the oldest strategies offered in marketing is to be able to think like your customers do. If your customers are online, then it’s time to ask them which sites and how you could provide value by making your company’s presence felt over the Web. Just remember that no matter what you do – it’s about what the customer needs.

Tip #2: Take tips from Experts

There are several companies out there that are running excellent social media campaigns. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel but to watch for what they’re doing and which seem effective. Using these strategies might help you get the success you need while remembering that the focus should be on the customer.

Tip #3: Follower Counts is not what defines success

Some services can help you get a large number of followers in no time. However, this factor alone does not guarantee the fact that your followers will engage with you. So you should understand that “organic growth” involving a community does not happen overnight.

Business Services

Commercial Office Space for Your Small Business

October 16, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Article submitted by www.pbcenters.com

As a small business owner it is often fairly hard to decide on commercial office space. There are so many factors to consider. The most important question is how much the space costs and if it is affordable. There is no point in considering anything else if there is no financial way that it will work. Another consideration is the distance from your home as you don’t want to create a ridiculous commute for yourself. Another thing to think about is how it works with the nature of your business – is it close enough to suppliers and customers that it makes sense?

 

People looking for executive suites probably have a bit more money on their hands. These executive suites are excellent for larger companies that want a place to entertain and impress their future clients. You can find some really beautiful offices and they will probably be very large.

 

Once you have a good idea of what you need a great way to find out what is available is running a search on the internet. Putting in a search query of office space San Francisco will give you a whole lot of websites that will help you to compare the different availabilities of your area. Obviously you would replace San Francisco with whatever area you were interested in. This is a great way to see what is available and what price range you should be thinking of.

Business Services

Personalized Ice Cream Cups Add A Tocuh

September 18, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Posted By: gelatoproducts.com

Personalized ice cream cups are great items to use if you want to promote your business. If you have an ice cream shop or cafe, you can print your business name, logo and contact details on the ice cream cups. Rather than handing your customers a plain white ice cream cup, you can add some information in the hope that they will remember you and return to buy some more ice cream! However, you have to bear in mind the fact that most of your customers will not retain a sticky ice cream cup, so try and print something on the cup that is memorable, for example, a quirky slogan.

You can buy frozen yogurt paper cups in bulk amounts to save your business a lot of money long-term. Apart from saving money, you will need a lot of paper cups if you are selling lots of ice cream and frozen yogurt. You can buy them with or without lids on, in plain white or in different colors and with your business name or without it. Although it may seem insignificant, the color, design and overall look of the frozen yogurt pots will be very important in impressing your customers so that they will return to your shop.

Gelato Products specializes in supplying ice cream shops, frozen yogurt shops and other cafes with products that they can use for serving their foods. From cups and spoons to dishes and lids, any ice cream shop can buy exactly what they need from this reasonably priced supplier. Prices are very low compared to other suppliers, and when you buy in bulk, you can expect massive discounts. You can stock up on supplies for your ice cream business whenever you need to by going to gelatoproducts.com.

Business Services

A Real World Business Example: Ice Cream Shop Supplies

August 13, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Posted By: gelatoproducts.com

When starting your own business, there can be a lot to keep track of. In the midst of the chaos, it is easy to forget the small things that are important for your everyday operations. Take for instance an ice cream shop.

After spending a lot of time in the hot sun, customers will come into your shop for a refreshing serving of ice cream. Make sure to have some tasting spoons so they can sample the different options. Some will want their treat in ice cream cups, others in cones, while still others will want to try a sample size cup. All of these opportunities offer the chance to impress the customer, but also require that you be adequately prepared. Each one of these items must be properly purchased and stocked, and this requires careful financial preparation in advance. In addition to these basic serving dishes, there can be other accessories such as gelato cups and spoons, which are even more difficult to remember to plan for.

As a business owner for an ice cream shop, it is important to be able to get adequate ice cream shop supplies. Small items that are necessary for serving ice cream can be difficult to remember, but are extremely important for making any business successful. Before venturing to start your own business, it may be worthwhile to invest time deciding which accessories will be necessary for your market. That way, the number of unexpected costs will be minimized in the future.

Business Services

Enjoy Your Office Space

August 12, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Article submitted by www.pbcenters.com

If you work in a business, at some point in your life you will have to go away on business.  It could be to go to a conference, a meeting, to meet potential clients, or to plant a branch.  At some point, your going to be away from your office, and you’ll need to work.  This can be difficult if the place you are staying at does not have the right equipment.  Plan ahead.  Made sure you can set up office space wherever you are in the country.

If your business takes you to Texas, there are executive suites Dallas that will not only be luxurious, comfortable, and feel like home, but will also be equipped with multiple outlets, equipment, wireless internet, a desk, and other essentials to make it easier to do business while you are away from the office.  Make sure that any hotel that you stay at has what you need to get your job done on the road.

Perhaps your job takes you out to California.  There are hotels there that will set up a Virtual office Beverly Hills.  You can be in one of the most wealthy, lavish places in the world, and still be able to be connected to your office at home.  And, you can communicate with your team no matter where you are.

Even if you are on vacation and not away on business, you still might need to get some work done, or communicate with people from work while you’re away.  Make sure whatever hotel you and your family choose is equipped with all the proper tools for you to be on call for your job.

Business Services

Tap Into A Virtual Call Center

August 7, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Today it is really hard to talk to someone on the phone.  Life gets in the way, no one has any time, and talking on the phone is considered to take too long.  This fact of life gets a little annoying when you are attempting to call a business and ask a simple question.  It is a rare occasion when a person picks up the phone, usually; one must go through a variety of menu choices, pressing buttons on the phone to attempt to answer their own question.  Now, with telephone answering services, this frustration can be a thing of the past.

If you are a small business owner, or even part of a large corporation, put customer service first and create a virtual call center.  These centers answer telephones and answer company questions.  The customer will not be annoyed that they have to waste 10 minutes on the phone before getting to a real person.  Initiate personal contact right away and let your customers know that you care about their comments and concerns.  This makes a small business look professional, and a large business look like they still care about the customer. 

It doesn’t matter if you need to set up a medical answering service, or a business answering service, or even an answering service for a college.  Any company can tap into this kind of resource and aid their customers.  It will keep customers happy and happy customers mean more business.

Business Services

Why Are After Hours Telephone Answering Services Necessary?

July 17, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

In today’s modern society, the level of communication that exists between people is astronomical. People are able to be in touch with anyone in the world in a second and be updated on global events right after they happen. It is understandable then that people have begun to expect the same things from their businesses. While no one expects a business to actually stay open twenty four hours a day, they do expect to have some way to contact a business at all hours. A phone answering service will allow smart companies to stay ahead of the curve and collect complaints and data from their customers in a cheap and easy way. It will also allow companies to service a more global market.

Most of these phone answering services are automated to save the company man hours and money. This works well for businesses of all sizes. Huge corporations can have extensive and complicated automated voice systems while small business answering services can be as simple as a few choices on an answering machine.

However, these automated answering services do not work as well if you own a business in a medical field or another type of emergency care related field. Some necessary details need to be processed by a human brain to guarantee the correct reaction as quickly as possible. Fortunately, many companies provide doctors answering services in which qualified operators are on standby on all hours to give advice to and emergency victims who call in.

Business Services

How You Can Safeguard Your Financial Interests By Using A Person’s Credit Report

June 26, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

While the use of a credit report is for banks to keep track of those who have a past in making poor financial decision, gaining access to such a report such as this can result in better choices for landlords and employers alike.

If you aren’t how this is possible, here’s how it works. If you are planning to hire someone for your business or rent a property out to a prospective tenant, gaining insights into their financial past can tell you a lot about their spending habits.

For employers in particular, you will be able to not only find references that can be the deciding factor in hiring a person or not but landlords will also know whether the candidate has the money to pay the rent on time every month.

Interestingly, a driving record (much like a credit report) is used by the authorities for identification purposes but if you are an employer especially for a transportation company, knowing whether or not the person you are about to hire is a rash driver or not by the accidents that he or she might have gotten into.

Of course, if you decide to do a comprehensive criminal record search, not only will you gain access to DMV records but several types of court documents that can produce enough information to allow you to make the right decision about the person in question.

Finding information about prospective tenants or employees can not only save you a lot of money that is lost every year due to dishonest people in these positions but also grant you peace of mind in being able know that you have made the right decision, using their background records to know who they really are.

Business Services, Internet Marketing

Tips for Starting an Ecommerce Business

June 23, 2011 by · Leave a Comment 

Starting an ecommerce business can be overwhelming — especially if it is your first venture on the Web. However, there are many firms that help start-ups with everything from custom website design to effective internet marketing strategies.

Before hiring a new Web agency, make sure that you’re investing in the right services. The following are a few services you shouldn’t go without.

Content and Brand Websites: Anyone can design a website. But not everyone can help you create the site you need through comprehensive fact-finding, research and analysis. New York-based Web agency Ecommerce Partners can build from scratch not only a website, but also a new online presence. In addition, the firm also professional copywriting services to ensure that your website features quality content that is both user- and search-engine friendly.

Internet Marketing: A custom web design team may be able to design and launch your new website, but they won’t have the experience or know-how to bring your website quality traffic and sales. This is why you need to invest in a firm that offers more than just website design services. Hire a Web agency like Ecommerce Partners that can offer vital internet marketing services, including online marketing strategies, search engine optimization services, email marketing, pay-per-click management and analytics.