1. First, make a contact list. How? For this example, I found that one of my client’s biggest competitors was getting loads of links from cnn, bankrate, mint.com, and other high profile media outlets. I found this out by using opensiteexplorer.org, a free tool for doing competitive link analysis. I recorded where my client’s competitor was getting all their links from, and who the editor/journalists were who wrote the piece. I noticed that this competitor was getting links mainly by being quoted in each article, with a link back to their site. This helped me a lot in my own outreach strategy, in #3. So now you’ve got a list of editors/journalists with their media outlet information.

2. Find contact info. How? I use cision, a media list service that covers 95% of the USA’s journalists and bloggers. Vocus has a similar service, but it’s more pricey.

3. Outreach strategy. This has 2 parts: A)How do you reach out to the media contact, and B)What do you say?

A. To reach out to a journalist/editor, you have to figure out their preferred method of contact. They all have very busy lives, and lots of times schedule articles and features months in advance. They will throw away your pitch if you don’t contact them via their preferred method of contact. Fax, email, phone are the most popular, but make sure you figure it out. Cision tells this to you already, very handy. Also, before you do any reaching out, make sure you have some ammo to make your outreach message pack some punch,

B. You have to research what other kinds of articles this person has published before, and use that in your pitch email. So you do something like:

Subject: Story Idea for [Media person's name] – [Story idea]

Body:

Hi [Media person],

I’ve read your articles x,y and z. I loved what you wrote there. I would like to offer you an exclusive interview with xyz that  would make a perfect addition to one of your next articles.

The story idea part is actually the hardest part of all this, because what’s so special about my client anyway? Well, by putting in the word ‘exclusive’, and making the interview something that fits in with what they’ve already written about, you’ve got a pretty good shot at something like a quote at least, and a full blown interview at best.

Hopefully this makes sense, and I’ll write a follow up to how successful I myself am in trying this. I’ve got an intern on the research as I’m writing this. Oh yeah, I have 5 interns working for me right now. Want to know how?

Build Brand Awareness

Building a business or fan page for your company and prominently displaying your logo can help build brand awareness. The first step, of course, is to create a stunning logo. Once this is accomplished, putting that logo on your company’s social networking site will ensure that it is seen by thousands of people. Ensuring that your brand is in the minds of the masses will increase your company profits with very little effort on your part.

Promote Deals and Discounts

One of the easiest ways to gain new customers or clients is to offer discounts. Consumers love nothing more than saving money, especially given the climate of our current economy. One of the best ways to get new business through your door is to offer discounts on your social media page that you don’t offer anywhere else. For instance, consider sending a ten percent discount coupon to anyone who “likes” your Facebook page or offer a free sample of your product to the first 100 people that follow your Twitter feed.

Stay Current

If you choose to use social media to market your company, you must stay current. One of the easiest ways to kill your business is to set up a social media account and let it die a slow death. Try to post to your page at least once a day, offering news about your business or related links. If you don’t have time to run your business and update your social media pages, consider hiring someone to do it for you; it will be money well spent.

Add Online Shopping

If you sell merchandise, incorporate online shopping to your Facebook page. Savvy shoppers look to the sites who offer the most convenience. No matter what you sell, if you can make it more convenient to shop than your competition, you’ll win the customer every time.

Keep it Entertaining

If your company isn’t in the business of entertaining people, it doesn’t mean that your Facebook page can’t be. People are more likely to support a business that comes across as light-hearted and fun rather than boring and stuffy. Try not to take yourself, or your business, so seriously on your social media page that you push customers to the competition. Links to funny, but relevant, videos, games, quizzes and news reports will keep people coming back to your site. Aim to mix real news and promotions with equal parts entertainment and you’ll see your profits soar.

Social media networking is the new key to success for companies. Small business owners who use social media to promote discounts, offer current information and entertain people see a boost in their profits in a very short time. If you haven’t created a social media account for your company, there’s no time like the present.

Victoria Fricke is a freelance blogger for keek.com as well as an avid vlogger. She often recommends keek to other blogging or vlogging enthusiasts as one of the easiest ways to upload and update videos, even from your phone. This is one of her favorite videos – Is the cinnamon challenge impossible?

Date: May 1, 2012

Bringing a Smile to Utah

National Smile Month is coming to Utah, as West Family Dental will be holding a special event to back the international campaign.

To show their support, the team from West Family Dental in Murray Utah, will be holding a ‘Best Smile in Utah’ contest from May 1 through May 30, 2012 that aims to put the smile into National Smile Month. By holding the contest on their facebook page, the team hope to raise awareness of how important oral health is. The grand prize is $1250 worth of free dental procedure(s) for the winner’s friend, family member, or themselves.

Dr West from West Family Dental said: “National Smile Month is an excellent opportunity to bring an element of fun to a serious issue.

“Good oral health is vital for a healthy smile as well as a healthy body, and we’ll be spreading that message at our facebook page via the contest.”

The Foundation’s Chief Executive Dr Nigel Carter said: “I’m delighted that West Family Dental has joined the many schools, colleges, health professionals and other dental practices in engaging with National Smile Month. It is a great reflection of local community spirit and an excellent way to promote good oral health.

“Taking place from May 1 to May 30, the campaign is an ideal opportunity to learn about oral health in a fun and positive way.

“By making an event as fun and imaginative as possible, we hope it will inspire more people to join in the fun than ever before while delivering the Foundation’s three key messages for good oral health of brush for two minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks and visit the dentist regularly – as often as they recommend.”

For more information please visit www.danwestdmd.com, and/or their facebook page: facebook.com/bestsmileutah

Editor’s Notes

1. The British Dental Health Foundation is an independent charity that along with its global arm, the International Dental Health Foundation, is dedicated to improving the oral health of the public by providing free and impartial dental advice, by running educational campaigns like National Smile Month and by informing and influencing the public, profession and government on issues such as mouth cancer awareness and water fluoridation.

2. National Smile Month was established in 1977 and is the UK’s biggest annual oral health campaign. The campaign is sponsored by headline sponsors Wrigley, Listerine, Oral-B and Steradent. The campaign runs in the UK from 20 May to 20 June 2012 is also being supported by Aldi, Argos, Bupa, Dencover, Denplan, Lloyds Pharmacy, Save Water Save Money, SleepRight, Smile-on and Wilkinson. The campaign promotes three key messages for great oral health:

• Brush your teeth for two minutes twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste;
• Cut down on how often you have sugary foods and drinks;
• Visit your dentist regularly, as often as they recommend.

While not every profession is suited towards telecommuting, there are several that are. Here are five of the best Internet-based jobs currently available:

Writer

If you have a talent with the written word, consider becoming a freelance writer. You can work for a content mill like Text broker or work for yourself, selling your articles to blogs. If you’ve got an interesting perspective on a topic, you may want to consider creating a blog of your own and selling ad space to generate extra income. Writers often have more freedom than others working online as they are able to set their own hours and work around the other aspects of their lives.

Web Developing

You can teach yourself how to develop websites but you may be better served taking part in a training program or degree course. In as little as two years, you can be professionally designing websites for other individuals and companies and generating a hefty salary. How much work you take on will be entirely up to you. Some developers choose to work only a few hours a week while others choose to make it a full-time career.

Graphic Design

If you have a creative flair, an eye for design and a love of colors, you can easily develop your skills and find work as a graphic or logo design artist. To be a successful Internet-based graphic design artist, you don’t necessarily have to have a degree, but you do need to have an outstanding portfolio. An easy way to build your portfolio is to offer work for free or discounted rates for individuals and companies with the condition that you retain rights to the design.

Customer Service

Customer service is still a booming industry and many companies are realizing that hiring people to work at home can reduce their operating costs. Companies like LiveOps, West At Home and Teletech offer individuals to work from the comfort of their own home, working flexible hours and making a decent wage. All of these opportunities require a dedicated phone line and a high-speed Internet connection to be able to perform assigned duties.

Insurance Broker

An insurance broker acts as the go-between for individuals or businesses and insurance companies. These professionals will help you find the best policy for your needs. Once you’ve decided that you need insurance, contacting a good insurance broker will give you the peace of mind in knowing that you are having a highly-qualified individual working on your behalf. Once an insurance broker starts looking for a specific type of policy for you or your company, you will find that they often locate other policies for you to consider.

If you are considering a new career that allows you the flexibility of scheduling your own hours and working around outside obligations, an Internet-based career might be just what you’re looking for. Whether you choose to become an insurance broker or a freelance writer, you may soon find yourself in the ranks of those who refuse to ever work in the brick and mortar world again!

Author Sandy Landsford is a home-based insurance broker and blogs for www.carinsurance.org.uk, where you can get a quote for cheap car insurance!

Many moms want to re-enter the workforce after raising their children. But a few years at home may make a mom unemployable for the highest paying careers. The best plan for updating a resume is receiving additional education. Women should explore their educational options with a MBA program. MBA stands for Masters of Business Administration.

Mendoza College of Business

The University of Notre Dame is located in Notre Dame, Ind. They offer a one-year and two-year MBA program at their Mendoza College of Business. Their accelerated program options are great for women who want a fast-track Master of Business Administration program. This option is an opportunity for women who are recent empty-nesters who want to waste no time in returning to the work environment with highly employable business skills.

Kellogg Graduate School of Management

This great MBA program is part of Northwestern University located in Evanston, Ill. They offer a part-time and full-time MBA program that is suitable for women who want either option of study. Their Master of Business Administration programs consistently rank in the top 20 MBA choices in the USA. This educational program has professors who are willing to be mentors to their students. In addition an alumni student body of 50,000 offers a network for further professional contacts and development. The part-time option offers the same professors and alumni network for moms who want to have a reduced class schedule; on Saturdays and weeknights.

Columbia Business School

Columbia University has a well-known business school located in New York City. They offer an Executive MBA and regular MBA program of study. Their focus is on hard work, initiative, skills, and creating opportunity while networking. They offer a practical approach with real-life business experiences. Located in one of the most populated cities in the world this school offers a great opportunity to network with alumni all over the world.

Fuqua School of Business

Durham, N.C. is home to the Duke School of Business. This university offers several MBA choices for moms wanting to return to school. They also have auxiliary campuses in several other locations. Master of Business Administration programs include a weekend, cross continent, global executive and daytime study program. Students can choose a course of study to learn entirely on campus. Alternatively, MBA students can choose options that combine distance learning with residence learning. Most of their MBA programs require approximately two years of study.

The Paul Merage School of Business

Located in Irvine, Calif.; the Paul Merage School of Business is part of the University of California. This school offers several varieties of MBA programs of study. Students can choose from a full-time, fully-employed, executive, or health care executive program. Classes are offered during the day, evenings, or weekends. The MBA programs can be completed in two to three years depending on the program chosen by the student. A prime focus of the Paul Merage School of Business is research which is imperative for a student who may want to progress to a PhD program of study.

Before entering a Master in Business Administration program a student must have adequate academic preparation and take admission tests. Usually admitted students will have a bachelor degree with a selection of general education and business courses. Additionally they may need to have a high grade-point average received at the bachelor degree level in order to be admitted to the MBA program. A student will need to take the Graduate Management Admission Test and receive a score that the MBA program requires. Some MBA programs will require personal references or an admission interview before acceptance to their program.

John Sanders is a corporate consultant and occasionally blogs for businessmba.org a site he recommends if you’re interested in finding out which are the Best Online MBA Programs – check out BusinessMBA.org today!

Rather than simply creating a website like so many other small business owners do, create a website and then take your marketing efforts a step further. Here are five unique ways that you can market yourself on the internet and put yourself a step ahead of the competition:

1. Viral Videos

If you have a budding actor deep inside of you, let him out! Many businesses have found, sometimes by accident, that their uploaded videos have become a hit, attracting national attention. To make an effective video, you’ve got to get creative. Rather than standing in front of a video camera expounding the virtues of your latest product, think of a way to incorporate popular culture into your video.

2. Tweet Effectively

If you use your Twitter account simply to spam people with advertisements, you’ll quickly lose followers, and a major source of cash flow. If you aren’t adept at Tweeting effectively, find a friend, family member or employee who can. Channel your sense of humor and post anecdotes, interesting links or informative information. Gain followers because of your personality, not because of your blatant advertising.

3. Join Forums

Spamming forums with links to your website will quickly get you banned and your IP address blocked. Instead of trying to sell your wares, participate in conversations in an open and honest manner. For instance, if you own a pet boutique, join pet forums and take part in threads that will allow you to voice your opinion. Forums are not a quick way to gain new customers but as time goes by, and your opinion and experience begins to matter, you’ll find that you gain fans and followers that you can turn into customers.

4. Flickr

Flickr is an often overlooked online marketing tool. When you sign up for Flickr, use your website address as your screen name. When completing your profile, use it to your advantage and describe your company, advertise your address and the name of your website. If you’ve got a company logo, make it your profile picture. When you upload photos, tag them but don’t use overt, hard-core advertising. For instance, if you upload a picture of the latest dog sweater you have for sale, caption it with a simple: “Here’s our latest edition to our 2012 sweater line”.

5. Chamber of Commerce

Just about every city or county in America has a chamber of commerce website. Tourists and locals alike often scour these websites when looking for businesses in the area. Don’t neglect to list yourself on the site! Your Chamber of Commerce’s site is where you want to aggressively market yourself. If you can toot your own horn without coming across like an egomaniac, go for it! You’ll want to make sure your potential customers choose you over your competitors.

There are dozens of ways to market on the web: social media, websites and email groups are all great ways to market your business. In addition to these traditional marketing techniques, consider the five unique ways listed here. Remember: the more ways you use to market your business, the better chance you have of reaching a wider customer base!

Teresa Brown is a small business owner and freelance writer, she blogs for Chamber of Commerce Miami.

Most of the tedious work required to start up a business does not require a lawyer. Writing a business plan, coming up with a decent business name, and reserving a domain name are all things that can be done by the layperson. All of these things can be done either online or with information found online. If the business will have a strong online presence, it is important to come up with a name for your business that is not trademarked, and also hasn’t been registered as a domain name already.

Other times lawyers are not necessary is when creating a shareholder’s agreement or an LLC. All of these things can be done on your own. Applying for an employer identification number (EIN) also doesn’t require a lawyer, but it’s important to pay attention to EINs with an online business. Many people sell things online without an EIN, but many wholesalers will not sell to people who have not obtained an EIN, so it may be important to have one. You can also create contracts, apply for licenses, and submit IRS forms without a lawyer. This holds true whether your business is physical or internet based.

There are a few times when a lawyer will come in handy. Two situations in which a business may need a lawyer effect physical businesses far more often than online businesses. These issues are if prospective, former, or current employees have sued over a hostile working environment or discrimination, or if your business is involved in an environmental issue. Online businesses may not have to deal with these because internet businesses often have no environmental effect, and because some online businesses do not have employees. If these issues do arise, however, an attorney is important.

If a business wants to make special allocations of profits and losses or contribute appreciated property to an LLC agreement or partnership, it is necessary to have a lawyer, whether the business is physical or online. The government filing complaints on a company, or an owner deciding to sell the company, are also times when an attorney is necessary. These are the most important situations to have an attorney on hand for, even if you think online businesses can handle these situations easily.

While there is no guarantee a business will ever need a lawyer, it is important to keep in mind the times when it may need one. Having an online business may save you from some headaches, but not all. It’s always important to have an attorney’s number on hand, just in case.
Jerry Gerber is a college student and in his spare time he writes for top-criminal-justice-schools.net. If you have an interest in pursuing a degree in criminal justice he recommends checking out their list of the Top 10 Best Online Criminal Justice Schools at Top-Criminal-Justice-Schools.net.

Some retail analysts argue that part of the success behind online shopping is the allure of getting away with a tax-free transaction. This is a common assumption that is a bit misleading from a legal standpoint. If a sales tax on certain retail transactions exists in a state, then consumers should be paying for that tax. There is a major problem with this as it relates to e-commerce: consumers are used to taxes being collected by the owners and operators of the brick-and-mortar stores where they do their shopping. In the absence of a tax collection and remittance mechanism for online retail transactions, many jurisdictions are cheated out of millions of dollars in the process.

What Retailers Need to Know

Multi-channel retailing is a strategy whereby a retail business owner establishes a physical presence, such as a storefront, in addition to an ecommerce operation. Owners of multi-channel retail stores, who have a brick-and-mortar presence in a state where sales tax is collected by law, must be aware that the law applies to their retail websites as well.

Let’s look at Florida, a state where retailers are bound by statute to collect and remit taxes on sales of most goods. A customer who walks into a small computer shop in Orlando is expected to pay a 6.5% sales tax on a purchase. If the owner of that computer shop sets up a website with an online catalog and ecommerce functionality, he does not have to worry about collecting sales tax from an online customer who purchases a computer that is being shipped to Delaware, a state with no statutory sales tax requirements.

In the example above, however, if a customer in Miami buys a computer online and has it shipped to his or her home, the ecommerce storeowner is responsible for collecting and remitting the required sales tax.

Streamlined Sales and Use Tax

If a shopper in Florida makes an online purchase from a store in Delaware, the consumer has a responsibility to pay the state of Florida the required tax. This no longer makes it a sales tax, but rather a use tax. The amount taxed on the goods purchased is the same, but the burden to remit the taxes shifts to the consumer.

As a result of the situation explained in the paragraph above, quite a few states have entered legislation to ensure that they aren’t cheated out of millions of dollars in unrealized revenue. Based on the degrees of legislation they have adopted, the various states can be placed into one of the following categories:

Full Member States: These jurisdictions are compliant with the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SST), a private sector initiative to provide uniformity for the inevitable taxation of all Internet sales transactions in the near future.

Associate Member States: These are states that partially conform to SST and are expected to come into full compliance in the future.

Non-Sales Tax States: These jurisdictions are not expected to participate in the SST initiative.

A significant portion of the SST initiative is to allow Certified Service Providers to enter into agreements with online retailers who are seeking advice in collection and remittance of sales taxes. Retailers are encouraged to look into these services, as trying to bring a multi-channel business into compliance in several states is a complex affair.

Author Nicki Stevens writes for AccurateTax.com, an SST certified service provider of sales tax software and experts on sales tax rates compliance.

If you have a knack for identifying the weaknesses in the way someone else is running their store, or yard service or restaurant – and you find yourself constantly coming up with simple solutions for them, you could be a closet entrepreneur! The next element is the ability to make things happen; if you aren’t great at putting ideas into action, find someone is and develop a partnership. Some of the world’s greatest business empires were created with one great idea put into action; such as Google, Facebook, Sears, Wendy’s, John Deere…we could go on ad infinitum.

Get Your Game On

Get ready to gamble on yourself – because you’ll need to. Confidence will be your wheelhouse; it will keep you from running aground, and allow you to inspire others when the going gets tough. Do whatever it takes to keep a positive mindset. Whether it’s daily jogging or Anthony Robbins’ tapes or both, your passion and health are the “highest and best use” that your body can give to a venture.

Make time for your family and friends. If they are short-changed while you work yourself silly, it may produce short-term happiness but there will be long term problems down the road. Your family is part of the commitment, and you will need their ideas and enthusiasm. Don’t go into a cave and convince yourself that you are really working 14-hour days “for them” – your life will go by and you will have missed their childhood, and their love and compassion may be tainted with resentment. Take them on your jog, teach them little tasks they can accomplish, discuss new ideas around the dinner table and let them give you feedback – they’re your kids, pass it on.

Put One Foot in Front of the Other

Do not, I repeat, do not think you’re going to take your new business from zero to sixty in a few months, or even in a year or two. If you grow too fast, you can very well outgrow your demand; you may misinterpret the advantages of gaining steady customers. Loyal buyers do not grow on trees – it takes time to build their trust and for them to get comfortable with following your guidance. Listen closely to their concerns as well as their praise; ask for opinions, run a poll on your website – people love to give their input!

Work a little every day toward your goals; immerse yourself into living and breathing your dream business. Talk to everyone you meet, look for a comfortable place in the conversation you can easily bring up your line of work – and don’t forget to hand them a business card before you walk away! Leave a card with your tip after finishing a meal at your favorite restaurants; you never know where your card could end up – waitresses and bartenders know everyone and are great networkers.

Can You Change Horses in the Middle of the Stream?

If you’ve always lived in the same house on the same street and have the same friends you went to grade school with, you may not be cut out for owning your own business –you might want to stick to stable outlets like a local general store or hair salon. Nothing wrong with that, it’s a noble enterprise and many folks do it successfully if it’s something they are good at and truly enjoy.

However, if you want to be an entrepreneur, change is not only inevitable it is mandatory. If you are starting up an online operation, for instance, you will have to consistently adjust your volume to meet current demands. You may have to branch out peripherally in order to bring in new revenue streams, while certain of your core services are in low demand. Survival is the word of the day; and regular infusions of reality checks and marketing genius will guide the compass you live by. Not for the feint of heart.

Hold Onto Your Cash Whenever Possible

Remember, and don’t ever forget, that it’s easy to qualify for money when don’t need it. When you have cash on the books, receivables larger than your payables, and good credit – you can pretty much name your tune. Lenders these days can be more than a little skittish after so many took a bath in the past five years. That said, in order to continue in business they’ve had to change horses themselves. Both personal and business credit cards are out there to fit most budgets these days; the lenders even offer tips on rebuilding credit – everyone is jumping in to help where they can.

Collateralize if you must, but make sure you have a really good long-term business plan to pay off that loan – not just one for the underwriters to pore over, but a real one for yourself. If it’s a risk you’re thinking of taking, and not a good bet, you’re better off waiting awhile. Sometimes when push comes to shove, you need to grow or get out of the way of your competition; of course, that’s the “good bet” and you should go for it unless you’re thinking of retiring.

Randy Sullivan is a small business consultant and content contributor for smallbusinessloans.com, a site offering assistance with both unsecured Business Loans as well as Business Credit Cards.

The Google Panda update was one of the major changes in 2011 and continues on into 2012 and beyond, as essentially this is what is known as ‘machine learning’ where Google trains its algorithm to learn from feedback it is given from human beings that review sites. Google Panda is all about quality content and it has a number of ways to work out if a site is good or not. One of the main things Google Panda looks for is poorly written articles that are not very long, too much advertising on pages, websites that are low in content and not providing good quality for the reader. Many affiliate marketing websites have come under the hammer from Google, as they often tend to be lower quality.

More recently though Google has rolled out an update that targets back linking, which is a major part of the way Google decides which sites rank well in the results. It has been very easy for webmasters to manipulate backlinks, by creating their own, and in large number. One of the most popular ways to do this is by signing up to blog networks, which allow you to post content on them with links in the article. One might think this is a fair trade, as the website gets unique content, and the author gets credit in the form of links to their site. However Google does not see it this way, and has started to deindex the sites in these networks, which has caused quite a massive alarm in the SEO community.

Google response to webmasters that create links for the purpose of improving their websites rankings is not to do it, and to instead just put up good content on your sites and let Google do the rest. Really though…this is total crap from Google and doesn’t work, it only works for big brands who already have a following and large offline presence. It makes it impossible for the small niche marketer to compete.

Google is a for profit organization and they are out to please the shareholders, and often do things that are not very ethical themselves. In fact right now the European Union is formulating a case against Google, claiming they are purposely manipulating their results to increase their profits. So in fact Google is not really about showing the best and most relevant content, they show what will make them the most money!!

The key for any webmaster trying to make money with SEO traffic, is to focus on quality content and when gaining back linkd, avoid overly spamming tactics that the masses use, and contact other webmasters in your niche, to build relationships with them, as they may well link back to you or allow you to post content on their sites. Also there are other less obvious link building methods that one can employ, such as press releases, forum and blog comments (if they are legitimate) and of course social media links.