Month: February 2012

How Small Business can increase profit in 30 days!

Paul

Google Chrome Google Chrome (Photo credit: thms.nl)

Always speak the truth, think before you speak, and write it down afterwards.     Lewis Carroll

Imagine yourself  wanting a certain item or service but you really don’t want to waste gas looking around.   So you pull up you Ipad or your computer to Google for that particular subject.   If you want to get the most value of the item or services that you are going to pay for, then keep reading.     Most Small businesses aren’t thinking that way, they are expecting people to walk in and buy their stuff without first seeing what is available.   I’ve come to the realization that 9 out of 10 small businesses in my local Evansville, Indiana aren’t using their business to the fullest on the internet.

It begins with Thinking outside the box!

No small or big business will ever be making their true potential by being like everyone else.   I am not saying that you have to go to the extreme but there are ways you can make it more  accessible to the clients that your looking for or who are looking for you.   It takes 7 times for anyone to actually buy something from you or your company.   If your not doing the Rules of 7 right now, you are not going to make the most out of your business.   I recently found this out because I was looking for a job online trying to find business that I might be able to work for and I had a really good brain storm.   Most of the local business here aren’t following the Rules of 7 and I am here to volunteer my services to anyone who might want help converting clicks into profit.

Social Media

If you haven’t hired someone to do this then you are just asking for donations sort to speak.    Not having a Twitter account, a Facebook account, a Foursquared account, and a website promoting the products or services, just makes your work that much harder.  Just like Glasses USA [Affiliate Link], if you look at their website you will see they have a Facebook, Twitter, Email newsletter, and a Youtube account.   Each of them are making Noise and make sure people see there product to click and buy.  Just because you have them, doesn’t mean you should ignore them or not use them.   You might have to pay someone to blog about your product or service but if you don’t then you are loosing potential from your product or even service.   The harder someone has to look to find you the less likely they will find you, this is something that I’ve always believed in and will always blog about.

Customer Reviews

Another thing to consider when having a business is what are people saying about you on the internet. If your not monitoring these things then you are not going to fully understand your customers and that might hurt you in the long run.  It is essential to have customers who will proclaim your product, for example Glasses USA [Affiliate Link]. On their Customer Testimonials Page [Affiliate Link], you can see that their constantly putting up the good things people are saying about their products.  Thus they are showing potential customers just how well they are doing.  It is however a good indication also when it comes to employees and if customers aren’t happy with someone’s performance this is also a great way to re-enforce the idea of customer loyalty.

Customer Loyalty

This is something you must always strive for because without that you will not make any money or profit won’t increase.  Customers who are loyal to you might pay a little bit more if they feel your company is working hard for them, whether it be groceries or buying a car.   If they feel like the company is the best they will go out of the way to tell people and also keep coming back, this I think is the best model to  strive for.   Nothing sells like word of mouth advertising but that also means you have to know your customers and make an effort to show them you are one of them.   If your just trying to push your product then you are just trying to make money but if your showing them you care, then you are showing your potential customers more than just wanting to make money.   Your showing them you care about your product or service and that you believe in it!

Know when you’ve done wrong!

Let’s face it, no company in the history of time has ever been a 100% right.   There will always be times when a company did something or said something that makes them look EVIL.   If you ignore that then you are telling your customers you don’t care, but if your acknowledged it and ask for forgiveness then you are telling your customers you really do care.  Most small businesses aren’t hearing what is being said about them on the internet because they are blind to the idea that it isn’t something they should worry about, but I tell you this if your not worrying about it then you are risking your business to the word of mouth customers.  There will always be two sides to the coin, even if you didn’t know now.  You will know sooner or later because a customer might just bring it up when they call you asking why this other customer said that.   If your not prepared what people are saying then you can’t possibly have a answer  to the question and might even loose a potential customer because of it.

Some Local business to mention are:

I’m going to share with you some of the local businesses that I see that could benefit from this web post and encourage them to contact me if they are looking to make even more profit then they are now.   I am willing to discuss in detail what they are doing wrong and help them improve their customer experiences for a small fee!

  • Bucks and Jakes Outfitters — Great website and Business location just needs to improve on what they are already doing!

  • Baumberger’s Furniture — One of those business that had to shrink down because they were not doing some of this already!

  • Penske Truck Rentals — I’ve check them out and they are good but they could do better!

  • Paradiseink — This is a new site but seems they need a lot of different things to help promote their service and products!

  • Desktopdoctors — This business has some stuff already doing that but could do even more!

These are just a few that I’ve been looking at the last few hours and realized that they could be doing some stuff really differently and bringing in even more customers.   I think if you have read this article you probably are asking your self how you could make your business grow.   If you follow these tips you could make even more money but it is all how you do it.  If you like what you read please consider re-tweeting this and also posting it on Facebook and other social media sites!<

Paul Sylvester

 

 

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Why I don’t do Social Media!

Paul1 Reply

Social Media Cafe Social Media Cafe (Photo credit: Cristiano Betta)

Social media is in!

I know I am probably the only one who isn’t using social media to best possible out come.  You’ve probably even seen post from other blogs about how to use Social Media to the Fullest!  I don’t always get what it is about social media and blogging. I’m sure there are always going be blogs posting about how great Social Media is, but I JUST don’t get it.   Nothing I’ve seen yet makes me understand why people are so worried about being a Social Media giant.

Not everything is for Popularity!

I don’t say that lightly because obviously, I started this blog to have a community.   I however am not interested in what people are saying on the social media front, I’m more interested in community and getting to know my readers than to just use social media.  I’m not against the idea of using it for it’s purpose but I have very few hours in a day,  I don’t have time to keep up with what is going on in Twitter, Facebook, and other media outlets.  I’ve even heard about this new social media website pinterest but haven’t used it.   It however does look interesting but yet another why to be more Social.

I have twitter accounts and such!

I still have a twitter account for the one reason to let people know when I post a new article and such for other services like Facebook.   I just don’t keep track of what is going on in the tech world by using social media.   I occasionally do look around the media circuit but I’m not going to sit there for hours on end to see what everyone is saying.  It isn’t how I find the information, it is when I find the information.   With social media, you’re really just getting it just a little bit more faster than the people who are using social media to find the information.

Do you use Social Media?

I’m Curious to see how much people use Social Media, so I have created a Poll and would like to here how much you use Social Media!

Paul Sylvester

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8 things that you never knew about me! (But Should!)

Paul

© 2012 -- All Rights Reserved!

Week away from work!

Every now and then I’m in a position to take a few days off at work because of something going on in my family, distant and close family.   I’ve got a Sister that I have been helping these past few months with anything and everything that involves my oldest daughter.  Allyson, I’m sure you might not know who but she is my oldest daughter and has Cerebral Palsey.

Cerebral Palsey is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement.

As you can see she is always smiling and happy, I’ve never complained about her to anyone.  I never really knew what people went through when they have a special needs kid to have to raise until recently.  Everything I’ve done this week is to help my sister, who is taking a week long vacation and who takes care of Allyson for me.  I must say when she offered to this, I didn’t know how she was going to do this but it has been a real blessing in my life because of all that is happening in my personal life.

This week was a Handful!

I’m not saying it has been all bad but it has been a really busy week.    I didn’t know what to blog about on my Friday post but I thought it would be good to tell you some stuff about me so you can understand where I sometimes come from when I blog about topics!

  1. My Hometown is Hopkinsville, KY.   This will always be where my heart is.   Nothing else has ever been anywhere closest to my heart than that little city!

  2. I’m a University Of Kentucky (Affiliate Link) Fan, I’ve got Hats and Umbrellas that say UK all over it!  I don’t watch all the time but when I do, I don’t stop watching for the game.

  3. I am in a Club call Starfleet Command, and I am always helping them with their website and other such things.  I simply love this group because everyone is so nice and we all like Science Fiction.

  4. I simply love to watch Japan Animation.   This is simply best part of how to draw animation.   Some of my favorite shows and movies  are Naruto Shippunden(Affiliate Link), Howls Moving Castle, Ponyo(Affiliate Link), and anything that has a lot of action in it.

  5. I’ve got High Blood pressure.  My Blood Pressure isn’t extreme but it is higher than the doctor would like.   He always says I should get more exercise but I really don’t have time for it or like it!

  6. I’m a little Over weight, again that goes back to my blood pressure problem.   They seem to be hand in hand, the doctors is constantly telling me to start exercising.

  7. I’ve got Dyslexia, it was much harder in high school with this problem than it is today.  I’ve worked hard to keep under control and I can now read and write much more proficiently than I could when I was young.

  8. Number 8 is of course about my CP Daughter!

I’ve done this to let you into my life.   If you would like to see more pictures of my 3 adorable kids, please leave comments below.   I’ve had fun doing this post and I hope it helped you to see a part of me that a lot of people never really get to see all the time .   I’d love to hear your comments and questions, please feel free to contact me either through the comments or through email(paul at this domain).   I hope you have a great Friday and remember to pass it on to others where you can!

Paul Sylvester

 

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4 Things you must do before hit publish!

Paul
Creative writing class-fine arts center (40269...

It’s all about the readers!

I’ve not been one to say this much, but if your read my blog you know I care about my readers.  I’m not saying that I will make your jaw drop most of the time but there are times that I think a blog post and want to help others when it comes to writing your own.  In this article we will discuss some basic writing ideas that I’ve come to realize and want to share with you.  I’m sure others have said something similar but I’m hoping to make it more understandable for the common reader and writer.

Before we can start talking about writing and blogging which to me are the same exact thing, some others might think of them differently.   I wanted to at least ask you some questions that we will be exploring in this article.

  • Why are you blogging?

  • How to come up with a topic!

  • Know your Audience

  • Is there a Length limit?

  • What are you trying to accomplish?

Who Influences YOU?

FOCUS ON ONE QUALITY BLOG!(Affiliate Link)
Guest post on related high quality blogs.
Collaborate with social-media savvy bloggers.

In all things you do FOCUS on RELATED collaborations!

Quantity Equals Failure. Success Focuses on Quality!


When you started blogging did you think you should have more than one blog, I did. I even tried that in the last year but I found that I didn’t get any more money than when I was blogging by myself.  I love to read what Gail writes about on her blog when she does because I get the most insight into how to blog just a little more.  I must admit, I need to start having more RSS feeds and expand my reading to even more blogs.  I have started to create a bigger list of blogs that I think I will enjoy to read on a weekly basis and this is my hope that I become a better blogger for you and others.

Writing Topics

Having been blogging for a few years, I’ve come to understand that if you don’t use the right topic, no one will come to visit your blog or read your blog post because it just doesn’t interest them to click.   Some bloggers have done some great topics Like Shevonne, who writes about her new phase of life.   She tries to get the reader involved and make them see that their is more to her than just about blog posts.    If you read her blog post you will see that she actually does a great job at drawing the reader and making them think about their own life and what phase they are in.   It is more engaging to the reader to actually have something to relate to whether it be on a blog or in person.  Find a Topic and start typing, it really doesn’t have to be a big blog post but it helps if you let your mind wander and keep it coming.

Try to limit the Length of Post!

 250 is enough
A long post is easier to forget and harder to get into. A short post is the opposite. 

Problogger

This isn’t always going to work when it comes to writing those blog posts.   I usually like to keep it under 1,000 words per post but I’ve found that sometimes, the more you write about a subject the more you will want to add to it.  Sometimes, you need to experiment and see what your readers will read and what comments you get from them.  I’ve even tried that with some of my latest blog posts but that isn’t always going to work for you and you should figure out what the sweet spot is for your blog.

Be Youself!

Trying to imitate someone is nice, and some may consider that flattery.  I don’t know if it is me or if your here just to because your found this article interesting.   Nothing can change who you are and who you will become, so just writing about a subject without at least adding your own flair of personality will not get you any where in getting people involved.   People want to connect with you and see your flaws and your personality more than they want to read a HOW TO or reviewing an product.   I’ve found this to be very true, if all your doing is just reviewing products, you may never see the true potential of revenue but if your connect with your readers in a blog post they will come back again, and again just because they want to see what else that makes you human!

Summary of the Post!

I’ve given you a lot to think about when you write a blog post and I am sure this isn’t going to be a
n easy article to digest but if your follow these rules then you will become a better writer and thus you will have people come to your blog more and more.   After all, if your writing about anything, you are wanting to connect with your readers in one way or another and that is the main reason for blogging for me at least.   Topics are only one way to engage the reader to come back time and time again.  I write to connect with my readers and If you liked this blog post please feel free to share it with your friends and family.   I’d love to hear your stories and comments because that helps me find out what I am doing wrong or what I am doing right.

If you like this post, feel free to subscribe to my RSS feed or Subscribe to my Email list.   I send one out every time I publish a blog post, so you can keep up to date on what is going on my website.

Paul Sylvester

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Why I use Google Affiliate Network!

Paul

Google Affiliate Network Summit 045 Google Affiliate Network Summit 045 (Photo credit: Affiliate)

There’s More than one way to skin a cat!

When all said is done, you have a big selection of affiliate networks that you can choose from.   You might even wonder which affiliate network is the best for your situation.   In this blog post, we will talk about some of the things that you can do to choose which one might be the best for your situation.   Not all Affiliate networks will be the same but this will at least let you understand which ones are right for you.

An affiliate network acts as an intermediary between publishers (affiliates) and merchant affiliate programs. It allows website publishers to more easily find and participate in affiliate programs which are suitable for their website (and thus generate income from those programs)

[Wikipedia]

Finding what works for you!

There are so many different networks you can use that you may have trouble knowing which one will work for you.  I will say before we go on that I do not know every single affiliate network but I have tried all the major affiliate networks and I will give you my opinions on each of them.

 Google Affiliate Network — I’ve been using this network from the get go, I will say that I’ve had some modest luck with this network.  I’ve made some money with network because of Glasses USA (Affiliate link).   I’ve always got paid for my commissions and they do actually care about your website and helping you get your commissions.

Commission Junction — I’ve tried this network and gotten some commissions from this network but it hasn’t really been a good relationship for me.  I didn’t really feel like they had my own website in mind.  I had to apply for all the merchants and never really had any luck with merchants wanting to have their advertising on my site.

Linkshare — Another good network that I didn’t have any luck with.   I know they have a wide variety of things that might be good for you but I really didn’t find anything that fit well with my website.  It always seemed to be more about page views then commissions.   They would always be someone wanting to be on my site that was unrelated to my blog.   I really didn’t feel that was a good fit for my website.

Linkconnector — I recently signed up to find out which programs they have on this site.  I haven’t been on their long and have already been offered to be part of merchants that are unrelated to my blog again.   These sites that were offered are nice for blogs or advertisers who is related in one way or another.   I bet these guys don’t even check the website they are offering to.

 Mal-Advertising!

Malware Advertising is something that I have come to understand just a little more and thus it is always going to be a problem for the affiliate networks because someone will come along and offer a service but are rarely understood because of the nature of advertising.   I am not saying that every time you sign up for a new advertiser that you are going always going to have one when you sign up but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t at least do your research before you start using their ads.   I’ve been happy with my selection of using Google Affiliate networks but I would love to hear which ones you use and why.   Just leave a comment and tell me and others who you recommend.

Paul Sylvester

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