September, 2012 | BizSieve.com

How Small Businesses Should Approach Online Reputation Management

In the past, small businesses didn’t have to worry about terms such as “online PR”, “SEO”, or “reputation management” But with the constant shift towards the Internet, it has become increasingly important to stay aware of your online presence. Whether you realize it or not, a poor reputation can have lasting effects on your small business. However, you don’t need extensive technical know-how or years of experience in public relations; simply take advantage of the online reputation management resources around you. The following tips can help you manage your presence and what others and saying about your business:

Monitor Your Presence

Use Search Engines:
To get an idea of your current online reputation, you’ll want to first perform an assessment on your name and brand. Use search engines such as Google or Bing to search your business’s name and relevant keywords, and look at what appears in the first few search results. If there are any negative results or links that reflect poorly on your business, then this may be a sign of the damage control ahead of you.

Check Social Media:
Search engine results are not the only place where your business can appear. More and more customers are using social media to fuel their dialogue about niches, industries, and relevant businesses. Therefore, you’ll also want to check on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter in order to gauge what others are saying about your name. Depending on your business, you’ll also want to expand your search towards more niche-specific sites, such as Yelp and Foursquare.

Set Up Alerts:
Even if your search engine results are free from any bad reviews or sentiments, there’s no reason why it cannot appear in the future. Google Alerts are a great way to keep tabs on your business’s name and niche, as it sends recurring emails straight to your inbox. In addition, there are a variety of other tools, such as Social Mention that can help you manage the dialogue through social media channels.

Manage your Reputation

Deal with Negative Content:
If you encounter any bad press or links in search results, then you may want to try to remove the content, if possible. Try reaching out to the owner of the site or blog, and ask politely if they can remove any harmful information related to your site. This practice also applies to social media – if someone has tagged you in an embarrassing status update or picture, then you may want to disassociate yourself with the content as quickly as possible. But this process can be tricky – if the owner is unresponsive or refuses, then you may want to avoid pressing the issue, as this can result in more harm than good.

Own Your Name:
One great way to build up your online reputation is to make sure that you “own” your name as much as possible. For example, your business should have a website, along with a blog, that prominently displays its name in the URL. Doing so will provide your business with a credible platform through which it can produce good content and counter any negative press. In addition, you’ll want to make sure that you own all social media accounts associated with your business, to ensure that no one else can speak for your name. In general, make sure that you follow good SEO practices, so you can maintain an authoritative position in searches for your name and business.

Grow your Online Name

If you’re looking to progress your online presence, then you’ll want to take proactive measures to grow your reputation. Make sure that you respond to feedback, reviews, or comments received on any social media channel. Doing so will demonstrate that you are involved with your community, along with your audience. In addition, if you possess a blog or social media account, you’ll want to produce consistent content on these channels, as this will boost your authority. In general, conduct your online practices as you would online, and your business will gain the benefits of such positive practices.

About the Author: Sara Fletcher is a professional blogger who writes on a variety of topics, ranging from SEO, social media and business. She loves to learn all she can about online marketing, and is always looking for the next writing opportunity.

Writers vs. Industry Experts: How to Make Sure You Hiring Both in Your Writer

It is no secret that guest posting is becoming more and more popular for businesses. While marketing the content on your own website is important, it’s also important that you have content spread out across the web by contributing guest article. Doing so offers several very large benefits:

Your content is put in front of the eyes of a new audience interested in your industry.
You get to show off your expertise through great articles.
You will form connections with other companies across the web.
Your article will likely get extra promotion if it is posted on a site with a greater following.
You will get a backlink for your article; thus improving your SEO.
If you create a partnership, you could likely get content from other websites. This will help cut down on the workload for you while bringing a new audience (the audience of the author or the company where the author came from) to your site.

hiring a writer

Because contributing guest articles does offer so many features, more and more companies are starting to hire full-time writers. In the majority of cases these writers work from home and are given a certain number of articles to write per month or per quarter. It’s also important that if your company is going to hire writers you’re hiring writers that can write about topics related to your industry. This then begs that inevitable question: Am I hiring someone who is a good writer, someone who is an expert in my field, or someone who can do both?

The Writer’s Your Company Needs and Why It’s Tough to Find Them

Most company owners will tell you that hiring is one of the most stressful aspects of running a business, especially if you’re still in the startup stages. It can be tough to interview for a position that you yourself don’t know much about, and this is the boat that many companies are in when it comes time to hire writers to contribute guest posts because the professions is still fairly new.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad writers our there. Everyone wants in on the guest-posting phenomenon because it usually allows you to work from home—and writing is easy. Anybody can write a page or two about a topic because all they have to do is Google it and find some information, right? Wrong. It is this mentality that has made hiring great writers difficult for businesses.

Even if you can manage to find someone who really is creative and can really write, you need to make sue that they can write about your industry. You don’t want your writer simply spinning articles—you want your writer out there showing new audiences that your company has original ideas and can analyze top industry news.

How to Make Sure Your Writers Know What to Write and Not Just How

Below are a few steps to ensure that you have this type of writer representing your company:

1. Experience Matters When It Comes to Writers

It can be very difficult for someone right out of college to understand how to write blog content and to understand fully a subject matter, making experience important. For example, college graduates usually graduate with an English degree, making him/her a great writer, or a business (or any industry) degree, making him/her and expert in the field. However, you can absolutely take a college graduate and give them a chance to get that experience. It is highly recommended that you hire them on as an intern or freelance writer first to see if a). He/she actually likes the work or b). He/she can handle both the writing style and the content.

2. If You See a Great Article, Do Some Research on the Author

Many guest contributors don’t actually work for a company, but are simply freelancing or trying to gain visibility for his/her own personal website. Therefore, if you see an article that you think is great, spend some time doing research on the author. Read the byline to see if the writer already works for a company, and then find him/her on social media. If you see that he/she has written several articles like the one that caught your eye, reach out and make a connection!

3. Give Topics/Websites That Require a Writer to Read the News In Your Industry

As a full-time writer myself, I know that one of the most difficult aspects of the job is coming up with great topics. If you’re hiring someone new to the business and they aren’t overly familiar with your industry yet, tell him/her what you want them to write. This will force your writer to read the news and begin to find websites that offer great information. Let them know where they can find the authoritative voices online.

4. Talk With Experts In the Field about Great Writers

Any business that has gone through hiring guest contributors before will understand how difficult it can be to find good writers. Talk with them and see if they know any freelancer writers who might be interested in doing work for you. This will be a bit more difficult because companies typically don’t want their writers writing for the competition, but it’s usually worth a try!

5. Make Sure the Writer Has Experience With Internet Writing.

Internet writing is very different than other types of writing because you need to focus on SEO, promotion through social media, blog style, and target audience. Although this is not going to guarantee that a writer is an expert in your niche, it will guarantee that the writer understands how online content works.

Have you hired writers to guest post in return for backlinks to your site? How did you make sure that you had someone who could write as well as someone who understood the buzz in your industry?

About the Author: Amanda DiSilvestro is a graduate of Illinois State University. Although she graduated with an English Education degree, she found herself working as a full-time blogger at Highervisibility.com, nationally recognized as one of the top seo firms in the country. Connect with HigherVisibility on Twitter to learn more!

For Small Business Owners: The Benefits of Outsourcing Payroll Services

Owning a small business is like walking a tight rope holding a cash register in one hand and a profits and losses ledger in the next. You’re constantly attempting to manage your multiple roles while remaining steady on a thin, tightly-stretched chunk of nylon. As a small business guru, you might be looking for any way to lighten the load, without putting a tremendous strain on your limited resources. This is where outsourcing your payroll services comes into play, and before you assume this expense isn’t necessary for your handful of employees, there are several benefits to this service. Here are a handful of reasons why turning to a professional payroll services provider is a wise investment.

Save Some Precious Time

Many companies hire an in-house payroll specialist or book keeper, while other intrepid owners take on this Herculean task themselves. If you’re a hands-on owner that has been keeping the books in order for years, imagine all of the family picnics, trips to the beach or snow fights you’ve missed in the name of tracking your costs and doing payroll. When you hire an outside company to handle your payroll, it frees up time to actually enjoy your life and interact with customers.

The Tax Man Cometh

Tax laws are constantly evolving, and without outside help or a degree in finance, it can be impossible for a small business owner to keep up. It’s estimated that the average business owner pays the IRS $845 in penalties simply because they aren’t aware of the latest tax laws concerning payroll. A reputable payroll services company provides a tax guarantee, which gives a peace of mind that greatly outweighs any added expense.

Reduce Your Long-Term Costs

The initial cost of hiring an outside payroll services company, including consultations and software improvements, is going to cost you a fair amount. Overtime, however, the money you’ll save on potential tax penalties, hiring an in-house bookkeeper or throwing your hands in the air to have your books balanced by a tax professional is well worth the start-up.

Keeping up with Technology

Last year, you installed the latest, user friendly payroll software available at your local big box department store. It set you back a pretty penny, but when you were able to keep accurate payroll records, including tax liabilities, it was well worth the added expense. Fast forward one year, and after recent tax changes, your expensive, out of date payroll software can potentially cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars in IRS penalties. The majority of payroll service companies implement the most up to date software, meaning you won’t be in trouble once tax time inevitably rolls around.

Employees Come and Go…

You’ve employed the same bookkeeper for years who knows your payroll system in and out. Unfortunately, he just handed you his two weeks’ notice. As you scramble to find his replacement, you realize his “system” is complicated and, realistically, it would take weeks for a new bookkeeper to get up to speed. A payroll service company isn’t your employee, and won’t walk into the office, throw down his ledger and move to Barbados on a whim.

Track Your Payroll Costs

With everything going on in your small business, it can difficult to keep track of every facet of the operation. Eliminate one major headache by outsourcing your payroll needs. You’ll know exactly—to the dollar—how much is spent keeping payroll straight each month, instead of discovering how much you overpaid at the end of the year.

A Brighter Future

You’ve spent 80 hours a week, plus weekends, growing your small business since day 1. The fruits of your labor are finally beginning to ripen, meaning you can expand and take on more employees. This is an exciting prospect, but also means your payroll just became a lot more complicated. Instead of hiring an additional bookkeeper and hoping for the best, put your worries to rest by outsourcing your payroll needs. As your business expands, you’ll require a team of professionals with the tools and knowledge to handle this exorbitant workload.

Outsourcing your payroll eliminates the burden many small business owners find too cumbersome to handle. If you’re still unsure about the return on your investment, ask a fellow business owner who has benefited from hiring an outside payroll services company; chances are he or she will tell you to make the change.

About the Author: Janice Harrison is a guest blogger and small business owner. For the first two years of owning her company, Janice completed payroll herself; however, as the business grew in size, she found it logical to outsource the task to professionals and advises all business owners to consider doing so.

Latest Trends in Recruitment

Resume experts foresee radical changes in recruitment strategies used today. As the current market presents a wealth of possibilities to candidates, it is necessary that the organization adopts a strategy to score over its competitors.

Recruitment pitch
Image by Hey Paul Studios

Some of the recruitment strategies adopted by the organizations are listed below:

Outsourcing processes

For over a decade, HR processes have been outsourced from different firms. The personnel drawn from other companies may assist the organization in screening eligible candidates. The organization may then pick a suitable candidate from the short listed candidates. The firms that provide outsourcing services are always equipped with talented resume experts who may be commissioned to different organizations. Of course, they charge an intermediate fee for their services.

The benefits of this process are:

The organization is saved the hassle of planning human resources in advance.
Operational flexibility, competitive advantage and Value creation is ensured for the organization.
The organization can channelize their energy towards the levels of HR processes.
The organization is freed from the cares of crafting salary packages and filtering the needless candidates in entrusting their cares to resume experts.
A lot of the organization’s time and money is saved.

Branding

The recruitment process is substantially eased if the prospective candidates view the organization as an established firm that supports the interests of the employees.

Marketing the organization by means of advertisements goes a long way in creating a favorable image of the company, but it is also necessary that the organization lives up to the image.

Referrals

In spite of the internet and the rising marketing strategies, referrals continue to remain as the best source of hiring talent. Certain organizations grant the liberty of recruiting, screening and pre-conditioning candidates to reliable employees.

Raiding

Organizations have sensed the advantage of buying rather than developing talent. Raiding is the process of snatching competent talent from another organization in the industry. The candidate might be the employee of a rival firm but the organization entices the employee with a better salary package and other fringe benefits.

Staffing resources temporarily

Engaging the services of a temporary employee is on the rise. The hires can handle the variations in workload and can be considered eventually for permanent retention.

Recruiting online:

Large firms use the wealth of information available over the internet to short list suitable candidates. Backed by technology, the process of recruiting is eased. The career options and vacancies are showcased all over the internet. Some people seeking a job consult resume experts to draft their curriculum vitae so that employers go over their resume. Experts in the job industry have stressed the benefits of e-recruitment:

Cost reduction.
No third-party involvement.
Time for recruitment process is drastically lessened.
Selection of the most suitable candidates.
Enhanced efficiency of recruitment process.

The organization must gauge the candidate’s ability and emphasize on relevant subjects like: culture, training investment, environment, social responsibility of the company and development. Bonuses are also an efficient way to lure eligible talent.

About the Author:

Penny is an expert with www.resumeedge.com/. For more information from resume experts, visit their website.

4 Social Media Sites that Will Generate Business

If you’re a business owner who’s done any amount of marketing research, chances are you know the value of an effective social network marketing strategy. These social media networks are literally vast watering holes full of consumers, and if you’re not taking advantage of their accessibility, you’re missing out. Utilizing social media to gain business is probably one of the easiest marketing strategies out there. By making smart choices and sending the right message, you can effectively reach millions of customers on your own, without having to hire professional help. While you’ve most likely heard of these top 4 social media sites, you may not be using them to their fullest extent. So we’ve broken them down to help you boost your business ASAP!

Image by Mario Sundar

Facebook

This social media giant is the number one choice for business owners who want access to millions of consumers and their wallets. With 845 million active monthly users, Facebook offers plenty of opportunities for businesses to connect to the public. Try adding Facebook connect buttons to your website, use Facebook to connect and interact with your customers and add incentives like coupon postings or special deals on your Facebook page. That’s just a few ways to get started using Facebook for your benefit, and it’s all free.

Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn is a professional social media site by design. Rather than building a friend or fan base, you are able to build a network of people who are interested in the exact services or product you are offering. Companies not only use LinkedIn to generate business, but it can be used in the hiring and networking processes as well. By creating a clear, concise description of your company, adding a call to action that will get people excited about your product and promoting your group, you can attract thousands of people to your network that you would otherwise never have reached. Just make sure everything is grammatically correct and extremely professional—LinkedIn isn’t a Facebook replica!

Twitter

While Twitter is most commonly known for its connectivity to the personal lives of the stars, more businesses are turning to Twitter for marketing purposes. There are so many Twitter business tools available that it can sometimes be overwhelming. However, it isn’t necessary to dive in head-first. By simply creating a Twitter account for your company and connecting with people, you will get your brand out there. Keep your information up-to-date, follow leading individuals in your industry, retweet (retweeting is quoting someone else’s tweet!) useful information and make an effort to be retweetable. Not only will you gain followers, but you will reach new consumers every time someone else retweets your correspondence. With over 500 million users, Twitter can be your business’ best friend.

YouTube

YouTube is often overlooked as a valuable social media marketing website. However, not only do YouTube users watch over 4 billion videos a day, but you can integrate your YouTube videos into your Facebook and Twitter pages. Try posting a few do-it-yourself videos for a simple service your company offers. Not only will viewers appreciate the free advice, but they’re likely to remember your name when it comes time to opening their wallet as well. Let’s say a car part retailer offers free installation videos on YouTube. Not only do they reach a huge viewership, but when it comes time to purchase the car parts, their name is fresh on the minds of their consumers.

Old-school marketing strategies are not exactly a thing of the past. While these old techniques are successful reaching one group of people, online social media sites can span the globe with information on your business. Your brand has the potential to make it into the living rooms of people all across the world. All you have to do it get your name out there!

About the Author: David Skimmer is a business consultant who enjoys web design and is a contributing author for backgroundcheck.org