Website Marketing Advice (Accounting Software Consultant)
October 31, 2007
Word of mouth and referrals have been the best marketing tools for our company/website.
Monthly newsletters - both print and email - have worked well for our clients. Your newsletter does not have to be long, but it has to provide useful (catchy!) information for your target audience and encourage people to go to your website. You may want to post your newsletter on your website as well and enable your visitors to sign up for your newsletter on your site. In order to do so you could sign up for a free trial (Constant Contact - 60 days, ExcerpoMail - 60 days), after adding some code to your website you will have a newsletter sign up button on your site and you can start growing your email newsletter mailing list. No printing costs! Permission based email marketing has a high ROI!
As a QuickBooks ProAdvisor you should have access to free copies of QuickBooks Simple Start software. You could make this FREE software available on your site and maybe throw in some free consulting -online training…(unless startup companies are not your target market). Create an online ad featuring your promotion. You could sign up for Yahoo Search Marketing. It is similar to Google AdWords program, but they offer free online training once you sign up. Training will provide useful information to people not familiar with online advertising.
You could offer additional online training options, teach customers how to use collaboration software (SharePoint etc.) or teach how to use online conferencing services (WebEx) to beginners for example. Some of my customers - exprienced business people, are still clumsy with computers. They would like to work remotely, but they have to learn how.
Write articles or maybe case studies featuring benefits of your services (how they meet the needs of your customers) and submit them to sources that your target customer goes to for information. Post these articles on your website.
Start a blog (free blog available at Blogger.com for example). You could offer tips for Quickbooks users, have a topic of the day, stories about questions your customers have asked, suggestions… etc. Encourage comments and feedback. Blog may also improve your website rankings if you use relevant content and post frequently.
I would not use Google AdWords unless you have done extensive keyword research and know exactly how your customers/potential customers search for services that your company offers. Otherwise you will end up with thousands of clicks (money out of your pocket) and no leads/sales. Microsoft offers a similar program that has worked better for our company. You may want to sign up for WordTracker free trial to find out how many times kewords that are of interest to you are used in search engines.
You may consider joining professional organizations that will let you create your company profile (including a link to your site). You may get leads from members as well as improve the rankings of your site.
Do you need flood insurance?
October 31, 2007
What to consider:
* Homeowner’s insurance does not cover flood damage.
* Flooding can happen in almost any part of the country, including those that are not in flood zones. Floods recently occurred in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma in areas that were far from rivers.
* In low-risk areas, it can cost as little as $112 a year. For a $250,000 house with $100,000 in contents coverage, the cost is about $30 a month. The average cost in the U.S. is $500 a year.
* A community has to be designated as a federal disaster area before any federal assistance is available.
* Homeowner insurance for basement contents includes only the washer and dryer, nothing else.
Credit Score
October 31, 2007
Damaging a credit score
The best loan interest rates go to those with the highest credit scores, but it’s surprising how many points a late payment can cost you.
A late car payment, for example, can reduce your score by about 100 points. A late credit card payment reduces it by 20 points.
October 31, 2007
Facebook privacy settings keep names, photos out of search engines
By now, the names and photos of Facebook’s 40 million users are available to anyone who searches for a name on Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft. The full profile of a user, which includes their interests, hometown, birthdate, and friends, is not viewable.
It’s good business for Facebook, which is projecting that the IDs will attract millions more people to their site, making it far more profitable. At the same time, the move has set off privacy alarms among customers who don’t want their listings to be public information.
The public searches show any Facebook member with a search privacy setting set to “Everyone.” Individual users, however, can change the setting and opt out of public searches.
Facebook started as a network for college students and expanded to include high schools and workplace networks. It has increased its membership four fold since it make its service available to everyone a year ago.
Now the company is placing more targeted ads on its site in order to generate even more income.
Many who are familiar with Facebook’s change in policy say the company has preserved its sensitivity to privacy by limiting profile listings, giving customers a chance to opt out, and giving them fair warning of the policy change.
Diversity
October 31, 2007
| The definition of diversity is changing
For many U.S. companies, diversity no longer means complying with federal hiring rules. As the world economy changes, they are diving into diversity in several different ways. Native culture: Those who do business in other countries have to be knowledgeable about national cultures and traditions. They hire people from those countries to help them gain the trust of the people and forge partnerships. At Weyerhaeuser, the timber giant with operations in 18 countries, local people are hired in Canada, Uruguay, New Zealand, and elsewhere. Religion: As companies hire more religiously diverse employees in the U.S., they are learning to adapt their workplaces to people of various faiths. Cross-culture networking: Affinity groups are social support groups for women, ethnic, and gay employees. Now, companies like Proctor & Gamble tap into affinity groups as cross-cultural tools for hiring, recruiting, and management training. John Deere has more than 20 affinity groups in other countries. Finding talent: U.S. companies are finding that they can no longer rely on finding domestic college graduates in engineering and science. There aren’t enough of them. Companies look for them at elite universities in Europe, Asia, and Latin America. |
Don’t shoot the messenger
October 31, 2007
Attacking bearer of bad tidings is a mistake, poor form
It’s called “shooting the messenger”, blaming the one who delivers bad news when the bearer actually had little or no control over the situation.
It doesn’t help, but a lot of us do it anyway. Management consultants say it gives us the feeling that we’re doing something about a situation when we’re not.
Some people are easier to blame than others, like waiters, customer-service people, and anyone who has to convey bad news about an insurance claim. These people usually aren’t responsible, but they get the blame anyway.
Customer service people may have to tell a customer about a delayed shipment or a denied refund. The problem is that they may be less qualified to explain a problem than someone who is actually involved, which can make the customer more hostile than before. It’s a mistake to have someone do a job you or someone else should be doing.
You know that it’s vital to be informed about problems as soon as they become evident. If you become known for terrible reactions to bad news, it’s more likely that people will try to cover up problems or handle them however they can. But without your input and skill, the problem can fester and become worse.
Not only is it poor form to get angry with the bearer of bad news, but knowing the truth and knowing it immediately is in your best interest.
Work Notes
October 31, 2007
Not wanting to be the boss
Getting promoted is not what some workers dream about today. Being a middle manager may be viewed as a hard job with long hours and the same lack of the flexibility as their current job. As baby boomers head to retirement, companies are worried about where to find the next leaders. Some are taking steps to make middle-management jobs more attractive. Many employees continue to covet middle-management positions and thrive in them once achieved. Some, however, would rather spend more time at home.
Find your own mentor
Recent college graduates and new hires are often assigned a mentor, someone usually arbitrarily selected as guide to get them started in their jobs. Then two problems can come up. First, the mentor doesn’t have the time or inclination to give advice. Second, though mentors may have held the same job sometime in the past, the job is now different and their advice is meaningless. If the new worker looks around for a friendly face and tries out one or two, an unofficial mentor may be found who will be willing to answer questions and advise on projects.
‘Dirty Jobs’ brings a message
Mike Rowe, the host of the Discovery Channel’s “Dirty Jobs” show, will do any job his two million viewers ask him to do, like hauling garbage, cleaning solid-waste tanks, or crime scene cleanup. He recently did his 150th show, which attests to its popularity. Rowe says people think our lives have become too easy. But when a ditch digger finishes, there is a ditch. A guy at a desk just has his desk. People with dirty jobs have their own philosophy. He says:
“They have that quiet knowledge that comes from knowing that even though your contribution may not be understood or appreciated, it matters.” They feel secure in that.