Business Blogging

Our web hosting service is NOT for the masses, but rather a small select group of small and home-based businesses in and around the Portland Metro area. We believe in giving service and value for your patronage. We are never further than a phone call away and when possible, we prefer to meet face-to-face. Read the rest of this entry »

Business blogging is the same as driving, you can drive around town without any particular destination, but you'll waste a lot of gas and it will take forever! In business, time is money, lets plan (map) your destination. Read the rest of this entry »

In a post at his blog, David Reich recounts the story of a PR executive who wasn't exactly thrilled about traveling to Memphis for a meeting with clients. Unfortunately, the exec decided to announce his disdain in a very public forum known as Twitter: "True confession but I'm in one of those towns where I'd scratch my head and say 'I'd rather die than live here.'" Ouch. Read the rest of this entry »

The new Business Blogger often starts by writing very detailed sales pitches.  Think “long winded elevator speech” and you are getting close to the most common mistake.

Business blogs gain preferential treatment by the search engines.  If the content of your article is not focused and well crafted, then the preferential treatment will be the cold shoulder.

Starting at the beginning, ask the question why do search engines care if your blog article (or website) is listed?  The more users who use the search engine, the more advertiser revenue they will collect.  If Google sent their users to web sites that did not meet the searchers’ needs, then the searcher would stop using Google.

Business card data or quick elevator speeches usually fail to gain positive search engine listings because they are too broad in topic scope.  Your business certainly does a lot, but don’t try to write about everything you do in a single article.

Single Topic Focus

The more specific the better.  For exampling, writing about printing is too broad.  Writing on tri-fold brochure printing is much better.

Time Sensitive

Since blogs are news type communication mediums, take advantage of it.  Write articles that have a sense of now.  For example, writing about your staff is not time sensitive; writing about the person you just hired is time sensitive.

Informative

Your readers are giving you their time.  Respect it. Give the reader value for their visit.  Sales pitches are not informative, no matter how sweet the offer.  The information value is very low.  Make offers on static web pages, write about benefits on your blog site.  For example, write about the benefits of using a content management system for your company web site, rather than the new deal your company has on web site design.

Ed Bejarana BusinessBloging.net a division of Zenith Exhibits, Inc.

Zenith Exhibits, Inc. specializes in face-to-face and internet based marketing.  Exhibiting on the trade show floor or in the worlds largest trade show, the itnernet, we are you marketing solutions provider.

Is it better to send an email on Monday or Wednesday? What about Tuesday or Friday? If you wonder about each day’s pros and cons, a post at the 60 Second Marketer has some practical advice. Here’s a sample of their wisdom:

Sending a message on Monday has the advantage of arriving before a recipient’s inbox fills up with business-related email; however, it’s also when people are most focused on the task at hand, and they might not have the time for non-essential browsing. The 60 Second solution: “Send emails late Monday morning, after consumers have cleaned the weekend spam from their inboxes.”

If subscribers are scrambling to catch up with work as the weekend draws near, you might get lost in the shuffle on Wednesday and Thursday; this is prime time, however, for catching their interest as they make weekend plans.

Believe it or not, a case can be made for Saturday and Sunday delivery. Beware, though, of subscribers who might consider this too intrusive. According to 60 Second Marketer, Saturday has better response rates than Sunday, which you should avoid.

“The most important point to keep in mind for an email campaign is a proper and thorough evaluation of a test group,” 60 Second concludes. “By making a practice of consistently testing your email campaigns, you’ll be sure to get the most bang for your marketing buck.”

The Po!nt: It’s your party, and you’ll mail when you want to. Just make sure you test, test, test.

Source: The 60 Second Marketer Blog. Read the full post here.

-published by MarketingProfs.com Vol. 2, No. 25 March 2, 2009

We have all rolled our eyes at least once when we heard someone say our cell phone would be the next internet platform of choice.  Sometimes the best measure of the future is the actions of the mega companies.

Google has started following suit with Apple’s software add-on pay-per-app business strategy. I interpret this act as a strong indicator of Googles feelings regarding the future of cell phone internet useage.

What does this mean for you? As more applications become available for cell phone users, the more people will use their cell phones for commerce.  If your web-site and/or blog site are not built for optimal cell phone viewing then you just may be selling your self short.

While it is impossible to tell the future, I doubt anyone would argue that mobile phones are being used more and more by people to browse the internet.  Screen size limitations, flash exclusion, and tiny keyboards are just a few things to consider when updating your web properties.

Test your web page. Take a look at how your current web site looks on a cell phone then ask your self the following questions:

1. Is the text readable?
2. Is navigation easy?
3. Can visitors easily dial your phone number?

Most new cell phones have the ability to dial phone numbers right off your website, but only if the cell phone can read the numbers?  If your phone number is an image on your web page, then it becomes more difficult for visitors to click-and-call!

Ed Bejarana BusinessBlogging.net a division of Zenith Exhibits, Inc.

Source Article:  Google Opens the Door for Paid Android Apps, February 13, 2009 By David Needle

You know you're on the up-and-up, and that your email messages contain legitimate offers for actual products or services. Unfortunately, though, you're often sharing inbox space with fraudulent messages that claim to come from popular retailers and banks. Read the rest of this entry »

Last week, we offered tips to help you determine your authentic corporate voice. Now that you've collected some cool insights, here's our second set of tips, to help you in your final phase of daring to go viral. Read the rest of this entry »

There's a school of thought that asserts going "viral" is a random occurrence. There is no formula, algorithm or logic that dictates what does and doesn't become a mainstream hit on the Internet. Those people are correct. But there are ways to hedge the bets in your favor—without selling 3/4 of your soul on market research, and the last 1/4 presenting the concept to a skeptical executive team. Read the rest of this entry »

"Most email marketers do not view soft bounces as being a major cause for concern," says Dela Quist in the UK DMA Email Marketing Council newsletter, "so rarely, if ever, have any specific strategies been in place for dealing with them." Read the rest of this entry »