Posts Tagged ‘Business Tips’

Finding The Best Hashtag To Use On Twitter

Thursday, February 27th, 2014

Twitter is that beloved social media platform that asks you to sum up your thoughts in 140 characters or less. It forces you to keep the message short and sweet, and arguably stimulate your creativity. And when it comes to creativity, hashtags are in a class all by themselves. After all, if you want people to click on the hashtag and follow, you need to make it interesting enough. Read on …

What The Heck Is A Hashtag?
A hashtag is a metadata tag that lets people search for and label social media updates. If enough people follow and promote it, the hashtag can trend, which means more people follow it. A hashtag can also be used as a means of describing a particular promotion or deal.
HashtagWould this be hashtag hash? – (Photo Credit: powerplantop)

Hashtag construction is simple and straight-forward; it’s a pound sign followed by characters. So for instance, #hashtagsrule could direct people to a discussion on your website about how awesome hashtags are. Using it in a tweet could look like this: “We have some great ideas about using hashtags! #hashtags rule”.

Getting The Most Use Out Of Hashtags
Okay, so now you know what a hashtag is, but how to put it to the best use?

You can use a hashtag for your own branding purpose. For instance, Ed Young Jr Ministries uses #hecknology as their hashtag and their brand. Make the hashtag unique to your brand. You should do a search for it on social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, GooglePlus, Instagram, and Pinterest, to see if anyone else is using it. If possible, keep the hashtag short and sweet (easier for people to remember and spell!). If your hashtag pertains to a particular campaign, then make sure the names complement each other. If your bar decided that instead of holding a Happy Hour from 4 to 6, you’d have a Crappy Hour from 2 to 4, you could do #crappyhour2to4.

Just in case you think that hashtags are all branding and trending, let’s bring up the concept of content hashtags. These hashtags point to content that helps to raise exposure of your business and improve SEO. For instance, if you run a hobby shop, your tweet may have hashtags that reference content on #modelwarships, #electrictrains, or #noroyarn.

There are no restrictions or guidelines in using hashtags over and over, but still, try not to overuse them; too much of a good thing, and all that. When you’re tweeting on Twitter, don’t exceed three hashtags. Furthermore, try to stay relevant to the topic at hand. Check out popular keywords and try to create hashtags based on them, but don’t ride the coattails of other trends; start your own!

And finally, avail yourself of some nifty tools, and speaking of which …

Tools You Can Use
… it just so happens tools are being discussed right here. Wow, you’d think this was planned somehow! Here are some cool tools for making better hashtags.

Hashtags.org- This free service shows what hashtags have been trending over the last 24 hours. Any heavy duty function like storing or monitoring hashtags will cost you.

What The Trend- This Hootsuite-owned resource lets you see global trends based on nation and city data. You can even track individual hashtags as streams in Hootsuite. The global trend tracking can be done either daily or monthly. While What The Trend is free, Hootsuite Pro has a monthly fee (though their basic service is free, and has fewer functions).

Trendsmap- This site visualizes the local use of hashtags and places them on a world map. This enables you to see trends by city, country, or even continent. If you own a local business, this tool is just right for you. There’s Free, Basic, and Plus levels of membership, each granting more functions. The Free level really just gives you the bare minimum, and is not meant for heavy use anyway.

All in all, hashtags help people find you online, alerting customers to a business that they otherwise may not have known about. Keep your hashtags informative, don’t overdose on them, and use trend-spotting tools to get some idea of what topics to link up with. Learn from others’ mistakes, and you’ll remain competitive. Good luck!

Byline: John Terra has been a freelance writer since 1985. He writes about everything from SEO strategies to home maintenance, and everything in between.

8 Points That Could Save a Start-Up from Messing Up

Thursday, February 20th, 2014

This article is built on the experiences of entrepreneurs who had fallen flat on their faces while trying to manage and host their start-up ventures.

We think of a mind-boggling business idea and expect it to spark up as soon as we prepare a proposal. Well, it never works that way. However good or bad an idea is, there are certain steps that need to be followed.

Before putting your idea into a set of plans and procedures on paper, here are a few things that need to be understood.

Business Startup

Business Startup

Is my idea functional?

Before getting caught in the excitement of your brilliant idea, spare a thought: can the idea be put into execution?

The concept needs to be grounded in bigger ideas for you to be able to sell it. Don’t tangle up too many ideas, focus on one at a time, and build different techniques to make them happen.

The objective here is to make sure that your idea can be pinned down to work out for the market.

Scoring funds isn’t easy

Take my word; capital will not come to you effortlessly.

You may have to pitch time and again to win investors to your side. Pitching is extremely significant. The dumbest idea can pass if the pitch is awesome.

Do thorough researches, take your time to prepare each slide to be presented, and propagate how unique your business proposition is.

If you feel it is taking too long to get funds and time is running out, pitch in your investments. It can help your business, and play the credibility factor when pitching to investors at the same time.

Be prepared to touch the highs and lows

The business is not going to flourish as soon as you start. It will take time to accomplish each milestone.

Additionally, it is important for you to be prepared in case the plan doesn’t work. Amend your strategies, be focused and push your organization to reach the targets.

If every move is drawing the results you desired, you can go for that extra mile to make your business better. But don’t be too hard on yourself or your employees.

Hire carefully and appreciate candidly

Only a good team, which believes and backs your idea, can let you take over the market.

Hence, hiring is going to be a challenging job for you. Ideally, your team should have skilled professionals, men and women with industry experience and members who have prior understanding of successfully managing a start-up.

Employees at every level need guidance, assurance and motivation, which are to come from you, the person who leads. A lot of effort is taken to build a start-up, so don’t miss out on appreciating employee efforts.

Work individually, but work more as a team

Needless to say, your team is vital to the success of your business.

The objective of the business can be reached faster and smoother if you are held together as a team. Organizational growth comes through sheer team work, and hence it is important to keep your employees as content as your investors.

Hear out the needs of the employees, provide them with adequate requirements and channelize them to use the limited resources available.

Bring the focus to limelight

With a considerable amount of work being allotted daily, it is easy to get carried away and slip into a whirlpool of confusions and heated exchanges.

It is definitely better to acquaint each team with the other ones, mainly to have them understand where they are heading in the middle of a mission. As a leader, you should take up the responsibility of constantly reminding (of course not nagging) them about the objectives of the business.

Time is precious – start acting!

When you are done with thinking and researching, the next step is to start acting, whichever small way possible.

It takes quite some time to build the brand; the earlier the better. You don’t need to wait for investors to fund in order to start your business. Begin with limited costs and resources.

Build networks and relationships

Bond with everyone – investors, employees, suppliers and stakeholders.

Start-ups usually tend to make mistakes or face hurdles frequently. Be it with resources, technology or monetary issues, it doesn’t matter. Building reliable relationships can actually help your company cope with such setbacks.

Most of these tips might have passed your thoughts, but it’s easy to forget them. To keep it simple, make a journal of everything that you did and things you have to do.

Your start-up can go terribly wrong if you don’t have these pointers on your mind. These are simple steps. Without them, you will end up pushing costs too high and fail to impress.

Author bio:-

Matt Davis a partner at Empire commercial Finance, a firm specializing in business mortgage Chester seeking to serve client of UK with ease.  A company with expert professional commercial finance brokers providing financial support for all start-up business 

Starting a Business on Credit: The Forbidden Financier

Thursday, April 4th, 2013

If you search for entrepreneurship advice online, it won’t take long to find experts shouting to avoid credit cards. They may cite the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which found that every $1,000 of credit card debt increases the probability that a firm will fail by 2.2%, or financial radio show host Dave Ramsey, who claims credits cards are the scourge of American finance.

They probably won’t mention a pair of Stanford Ph.D. students that spread funding for their pet project across three credit cards or the designer that developed small plastic guitars while paying with small plastic credit cards. Those entrepreneurs went on to create Google and Guitar Hero, respectively, and if those companies’ successes are any indication, using credit cards to fund startups can’t be all bad.

Credit Cards

Experts aren’t foolish enough to advise against credit dependence, but if you use them responsibly, credit cards serve as a valuable tools for growth. Consider these advantages to taking out a credit card for business.

Rewards

Pessimists hear “credit card” and think of compounding interesting rates, late payment penalties and plummeting credit scores. All of these things are potential consequences when owning a credit card, but that’s not the whole story. Rewards are a consumer’s chance to gain from the credit card industry. From airline miles to supply store discounts to cash bonuses, you need not look far to find rewards that offer a significant boost to your bottom line if you make payments on time. Things go south when you get behind on your payments, but credit card rewards add value to your business.

Credit Score

It would be one thing if card cards only served as cash advancements, but using plastic responsibly contributes to an important financial statistic: credit score. According to a post in the American Express OPEN forum by financial consultant Mike Periu, personal credit is a major point of interest for investors and lenders. You’re probably savvy enough to know that financing a business solely on credit isn’t wise, but building credit could open opportunities for outside investors. Lenders expect owners to have a FICO score of at least 700, according to Openforum.com.

Using a card to start a business puts your credit score on the line. Miss a payment, and you’ll see the score drop. Stay current, on the other hand, and your rising score will open opportunities to new investors.

Potential

In the end, financing a small business or startup with a credit card isn’t about rewards or your credit score. It’s about your dream and the chance to create something of value. The experts are right. Credit cards aren’t the best way to finance a business. You don’t always have thousands of dollars saved up, and there aren’t always venture capitalists waiting to write you a check. Credit cards afford you the chance to gamble on yourself.

If you believe in your business idea, don’t ignore credit cards as a possible financing tool. Who knows? You could start the next Google or Guitar Hero.

How to Buy Gold and Avoid Scams

Tuesday, March 26th, 2013

The continent of Africa continues to be the world’s fastest gold-producing region. The history, and events of today as they pertain to the continent are quite telling as to gold’s monetary value regardless of market conditions. Mali and South Africa have been two of the world’s top gold-producing countries for quite some time. Gold prices have risen by more than 500 percent since 2002, and will continue to rise as the global central banks continue their policies of liberally printing and debasing the value of world currencies. Wealth attracts criminal opportunity as we’ve seen with the country of Nigeria unfairly targeted in the well-known “Nigerian prince” scam. The following are some tips on gold investing and how to avoid being scammed.

Gold Investment

Gold Investment

Mining

The Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act of 2007 prohibits “unauthorized” exploration and excavation of minerals from the ground, including gold. The federal government has issued permits and titles to several individuals and companies to begin mining. But the process has been slowed because villagers, who’ve lived on the lands for centuries, aren’t leaving quietly, according to the Global Post. Locals are well aware of the precious metal’s presence all around them, but in the past haven’t pursued mining because of small returns on their time investments. This has all changed now that gold is selling on international markets for about 10,000 Naira ($60 U.S.) per gram.

Nigerians are forming local associations and unions to pool resources and slowly buy back the right to mine their lands, according to Voice of America News. Lead poisoning is common, however, for miners who don’t take the necessary precautions. Any associations and unions looking to mine should invest in a supply of dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), which removes lead from the body in case of poisoning.

Buy Bullion

Gold is now far too expensive for most Nigerians (and most others around the world) to buy at market prices, but is a great investment for those with the means. The main concern with buying gold bullion bars is, of course, being ripped off. A reputable online seller, such as US Money Reserve, will have disclosures and any risk factors on their website. The premium which any company charges over market value should never exceed five percent. The company should also have a verifiable address and phone number.

Gold Exchange Traded Funds

The best thing about gold ETFs (stocks) is that you can generally purchase shares for far less than on the per ounce gram basis bullion is sold. The Nigerian Stock Exchange added the NewGold ETF to its index in December 2011, which enabled investors to diversify without buying the physical metals. The fund has done relatively well in the subsequent 13 months after starting off slowly.

If you are trading in gold, do well to share with us in your comment. Cheers.

5 Ways to Compete in a Crowded Field

Friday, March 1st, 2013

Be noticed, stay nimble, and get customers.

If you want to start your own business in a field with a lot of contenders, or you’re the company that has had competition crop up around them like weeds, take note. Here are some great ways to keep your company agile in a changing market place, and get above the crowd to get noticed.

1. Focus on End User Experience

In January of 2007, nobody had heard of an iPhone; but 6 months later, nobody hadn’t. Apple didn’t release the first cell phone, or the first smart phone, or even the first touch screen; and they certainly didn’t invent apps. Virtually nothing about the iPhone was unique except that the company obviously cared about the users of the phone. They tailored an experience that was all about the user: they made it pretty, fool-proof, and backed it up with customer care that worked.

2. Be Something

You should be cheaper, closer, cleaner, and smarter than your competitors, but those things don’t make you’re company truly unique. Your company needs to be something. Many companies are becoming more charitable, doing things like donating a pair of shoes to the needy for every pair bought, or donating a portion of every purchased meal to a particular charity. Your company can organize events, clean-up days; encourage your employees to give back to the community, and in turn your company will get noticed and be known for something.

3. Don’t Outsource Too Much

For a small company it’s easy to spread yourself too thin. There are some things you should definitely outsource (like legal matters), but you should keep as much as you can as close to you as possible. Invest in tax and accounting software that will help you keep accounting resources in the office. If your company uses graphics heavily for advertising or for your actual business, invest in Adobe’s cloud suite to save time and money in completing jobs. The more you can keep in-house, the quicker you will be able to shift and adapt to the changing needs of customers, the volatility of the market, and the evolving techniques of the competition.

4. Be Socially Aware

Your company has an online presence, whether you manage it or not. Services like Yelp, Google Places, and CitySearch allow users to search and leave reviews for businesses, tipping off other customers of perks and drawbacks of the company. You need to be active in creating a positive social presence for yourself. Respond to reviewers, both negative and positive, personally—and with as much warmth and humor as you can manage. Create a Twitter account and a Facebook page to spread the news on promotions and deals and company activity.

5. Don’t Bash the Competition

As you start your business or as others around you begin theirs in your field, two things will happen. Companies will criticize you, and customers will as well. You should respond to criticism and try to address issues that your customers have, but you should never bash the competition; bringing their name into the discussion is nothing but free advertising. If you have to respond specifically about a competitor, address the issue as positively as possible.

Tara Wagner is a staff writer for TechBreach. She has worked from home for over a decade, and loves sharing news and advice with fellow telecommuting moms and dads. She’s fascinated by new tech and new ideas; and when she finds time to unplug, she enjoys long hikes in the mountains near her home. She lives in Denver.