If you want to enjoy the benefits of viral marketing, you'll need to incorporate social media into your online marketing strategy. That's why it's a great idea to distribute your news releases through a PR service that includes embedded social media sharing buttons on each published document. After all, making your content easy for readers to share is one of the most effective viral marketing techniques that any business can use.
Understanding the Impact of Social Media
There are several reasons that social media have such a tremendous capacity to be effective. A few of the most powerful benefits of this type of online marketing include:
* Sheer numbers: A majority of consumers actively participate in social networking activities on a daily basis.
* Speed: Information distributed through social media outlets tends to travel from person to person very quickly.
* Credibility: Since people typically only to let individuals they trust into their social networking contact lists, it stands to reason that information passed through these channels is thought to have a certain level of credibility.
* Captive Audience: People who participate in social networking sites are there because they choose to be there. When your messages are presented in this way, they're being delivered directly to the desktops (or laptops or mobile phones) of a captive audience.
* Information Seeking: People who actively engage in social networking tend to utilize the sites and groups they participate in as resources for giving and receiving information. Social networkers who find useful information like to share it with their online contacts, and they also like to seek tips and suggestions from the individuals they network with in cyberspace.
___
Showing posts with label aaacbc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aaacbc. Show all posts
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Benefits Of Website Leasing
Website Leasing is a great way for small business owners to take advantage of getting their small business website online quickly while not using all of their capital in the process.
The Benefits of Small Business Website Leasing
1. Leasing a website allows you to spend less capital and utilize your capital for other business expenses, saving you money.
2. Leasing a website saves you time. Most companies offer a wide range of services meaning you do not need to seek out different professionals from multiple companies to handle your project.
3. Find a company you can trust! Make sure all of the fees are disclosed on the company website. Select a company that believes in ethical business practices.
4. Leasing a website can give you Flexible End of Term Options. Renew your lease, purchase your website or cancel your service and walk away. No strings attached.
5. By choosing to lease your website you are bundling multiple services and reducing the amount of your monthly expenses.
How It Works
Just like leasing a car, a small busines website lease agreement allows you to have a professional, search engine optimized CMS website built for your company now while giving you the opportunity to pay for it over time. At the end of your lease agreement you are given the opportunity to purchase your site and continue hosting it with your service provider.
How Much Does it Cost?
Different companies have different pricing structures. One of the best deals that we know of nets you a two year website lease agreement for as little as $24.99 per month. There are other costs associated with these types of plans including setup fees (typically a one-time payment).
What is a CMS Website?
A Content Management System (CMS) is used to structure your website's documents in such a way that you don't need to re-enter all of your information agai when it's time to change the look and feel of your site. All of your data is placed inside of a MYSQL database and this allows your data to be accessed quickly. Popular CMS platforms include Joomla, Wordpress and Drupal.
Why Is Search Engine Friendly So Important?
As a small business owner you should realize that 90% of people who use the internet use search engines to find what they're looking for online. Your business needs an online presence to allow your audience to find you quickly and easily.
___
The Benefits of Small Business Website Leasing
1. Leasing a website allows you to spend less capital and utilize your capital for other business expenses, saving you money.
2. Leasing a website saves you time. Most companies offer a wide range of services meaning you do not need to seek out different professionals from multiple companies to handle your project.
3. Find a company you can trust! Make sure all of the fees are disclosed on the company website. Select a company that believes in ethical business practices.
4. Leasing a website can give you Flexible End of Term Options. Renew your lease, purchase your website or cancel your service and walk away. No strings attached.
5. By choosing to lease your website you are bundling multiple services and reducing the amount of your monthly expenses.
How It Works
Just like leasing a car, a small busines website lease agreement allows you to have a professional, search engine optimized CMS website built for your company now while giving you the opportunity to pay for it over time. At the end of your lease agreement you are given the opportunity to purchase your site and continue hosting it with your service provider.
How Much Does it Cost?
Different companies have different pricing structures. One of the best deals that we know of nets you a two year website lease agreement for as little as $24.99 per month. There are other costs associated with these types of plans including setup fees (typically a one-time payment).
What is a CMS Website?
A Content Management System (CMS) is used to structure your website's documents in such a way that you don't need to re-enter all of your information agai when it's time to change the look and feel of your site. All of your data is placed inside of a MYSQL database and this allows your data to be accessed quickly. Popular CMS platforms include Joomla, Wordpress and Drupal.
Why Is Search Engine Friendly So Important?
As a small business owner you should realize that 90% of people who use the internet use search engines to find what they're looking for online. Your business needs an online presence to allow your audience to find you quickly and easily.
___
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Seven Hints for Selling Ideas
Regardless of how good it is, no idea sells itself. Before getting commitment to proceed with an idea for a new product, process, venture, technology, service, policy, or organizational change, innovators must sell the idea to potential backers and supporters, and neutralize the critics. They must find resources, expertise, and support. They must convince colleagues to advance the idea in meetings they don't attend.
People whose ideas get traction — that manage get out of the starting gate — take advantage of this practical advice for selling ideas.
1. Seek many inputs. Listen actively to many points of view. Then incorporate aspects of each of them into the project plan, so that you can show people exactly where their perspectives or suggestions appear.
2. Do your homework. Be thoroughly prepared for meetings and individual discussions. Gather as much hard data as possibly to have command of the full facts, and speak knowledgeably from a broad information base. Know the interests of those to whom you're speaking, and customize the message for them.
3. Make the rounds. Meet with people one-on-one to make the first introduction of your idea. It's always a good idea to touch base with people individually before any key meetings, and to give them advance warning of what you and others are planning to say at the meeting. Then they can be prepared (and coached) in your point of view. And you know theirs, so you can modify your proposal accordingly.
4. See critics in private and hear them out. One-on-one meetings are especially important when you expect opposition or criticism. Groups can easily turn into mobs. Avoid situations in which critics can gang up on you, or when a group of people leaning positive turn negative because the listen to a few loud voices. Never gather all of your potential critics in one room hoping to hold one meeting to brief everyone all at once. This kind of event mainly helps them discover each other and their common concerns, so they coalesce as a group united in opposition to the idea.
5. Make the benefits clear. Arm supporters with arguments. You might rehearse them for meetings in which questions about your project will come up. Stress the value that the idea will produce for them and other groups. Remember that selling ideas is at least a two-step process. You sell one set of people so they can sell others. You convince them to back you because you reduce the risk to them by giving them the tools for selling their own boards or constituencies.
6. Be specific. Make your requests concrete, even while connecting your idea to unassailable larger principles. Wait to approach high-level people until your have tested the idea elsewhere and refined your vague notions. The higher the official, the more valuable and scarce his or her time, and thus the more focused your meeting must be. Use peers for initial broad discussions, then ask top executives for one simple action.
7. Show that you can deliver. People want to back winners. Early in the process, provide evidence, even guarantees, that the project will work. Later, prove that you can deliver by meeting deadlines and doing what you promised.
___
People whose ideas get traction — that manage get out of the starting gate — take advantage of this practical advice for selling ideas.
1. Seek many inputs. Listen actively to many points of view. Then incorporate aspects of each of them into the project plan, so that you can show people exactly where their perspectives or suggestions appear.
2. Do your homework. Be thoroughly prepared for meetings and individual discussions. Gather as much hard data as possibly to have command of the full facts, and speak knowledgeably from a broad information base. Know the interests of those to whom you're speaking, and customize the message for them.
3. Make the rounds. Meet with people one-on-one to make the first introduction of your idea. It's always a good idea to touch base with people individually before any key meetings, and to give them advance warning of what you and others are planning to say at the meeting. Then they can be prepared (and coached) in your point of view. And you know theirs, so you can modify your proposal accordingly.
4. See critics in private and hear them out. One-on-one meetings are especially important when you expect opposition or criticism. Groups can easily turn into mobs. Avoid situations in which critics can gang up on you, or when a group of people leaning positive turn negative because the listen to a few loud voices. Never gather all of your potential critics in one room hoping to hold one meeting to brief everyone all at once. This kind of event mainly helps them discover each other and their common concerns, so they coalesce as a group united in opposition to the idea.
5. Make the benefits clear. Arm supporters with arguments. You might rehearse them for meetings in which questions about your project will come up. Stress the value that the idea will produce for them and other groups. Remember that selling ideas is at least a two-step process. You sell one set of people so they can sell others. You convince them to back you because you reduce the risk to them by giving them the tools for selling their own boards or constituencies.
6. Be specific. Make your requests concrete, even while connecting your idea to unassailable larger principles. Wait to approach high-level people until your have tested the idea elsewhere and refined your vague notions. The higher the official, the more valuable and scarce his or her time, and thus the more focused your meeting must be. Use peers for initial broad discussions, then ask top executives for one simple action.
7. Show that you can deliver. People want to back winners. Early in the process, provide evidence, even guarantees, that the project will work. Later, prove that you can deliver by meeting deadlines and doing what you promised.
___
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Problem With The Facebook Culture May Be Fatal
Facebook's imbroglio over privacy reveals what may be a fatal business model. Some people live on Facebook and they are furious at it. This was the technology platform they were born into, built their friendships around, and expected to be with them as they grew up, got jobs, and had families. They just assumed Facebook would evolve as their lives shifted from adolescent to adult and their needs changed. Facebook's failure to recognize this culture change deeply threatens its future profits. At the moment, it has an audience that is at war with its advertisers. Not good.
Here's why. Facebook is wildly successful because its founder matched new social media technology to a deep Western cultural longing — the adolescent desire for connection to other adolescents in their own private space. There they can be free to design their personal identities without adult supervision. Think digital tree house. Generation Y accepted Facebook as a free gift and proceeded to connect, express, and visualize the embarrassing aspects of their young lives.
Then Gen Y grew up and their culture and needs changed. They started looking for jobs and watched, horrified, as corporations went on their Facebook pages to check them out. What was once a private, gated community of trusted friends became an increasingly open, public commons of curious strangers. The few, original, loose tools of network control on Facebook no longer proved sufficient. The Gen Yers wanted better, more precise privacy controls that allowed them to secure their existing private social lives and separate them from their new public working lives.
Facebook's business model, however, demands the opposite. It is trying to transform the private into a public arena it can offer advertisers. In doing this, the company is breaking three cardinal cultural norms:
1. It is taking back a free gift. In order to build profits, Facebook has been commercializing and monetizing friendship networks. What Facebook gave to Millenials, it is now trying to take away. Millennials are resisting the invasion to their privacy.
2. Facebook is ignoring the aging of the Millennials and the subsequent change in their culture. Older Gen Yers want less sociability and more privacy as actors outside their trusted cohort enter the Facebook space in search of information and connection. These older Millennials want more privacy tools for control of their information and networks.
3. Facebook is behaving as though it owned not only its proprietary technology platform but the friendship networks created on it. It doesn't. Millennials believe that ownership of their networks of friends belongs to them, not Facebook, and resist their commercialization.
Facebook, under intense pressure, is belatedly agreeing to streamline and strengthen its privacy tools. That will lower the anger of its audience but increase the anxiety of its advertisers. The brand value of Facebook has already taken a hit and competing social media platforms that promise privacy are beginning to appear.
What lessons can we draw from the Facebook flame-up? Lifecycle changes can trump generational change and cultural values perceived as crucial at the age of 13 can be very different at 20. A business founded on the values of a generation, such as Facebook, has to keep up with, and respect, evolving lives and needs.
Ownership in the social media world of networks is different from selling products and services in the traditional marketplace. Understanding the underlying cultural context of "free," "gift," and "creation" is important to businesses, including and perhaps especially high tech companies. It is not impossible to monetize that which is free. Apple did that with 99 cent songs on iTunes. But it is difficult.
Giving economic value to social networks is the new holy grail in advertising and the media. An army of economists and mathematicians are at work on this task. To date, most of the work has focused on metrics — how many friends, how many linkages, how much influence. Facebook's problems with privacy highlight the need to understand culture as well.
___
Here's why. Facebook is wildly successful because its founder matched new social media technology to a deep Western cultural longing — the adolescent desire for connection to other adolescents in their own private space. There they can be free to design their personal identities without adult supervision. Think digital tree house. Generation Y accepted Facebook as a free gift and proceeded to connect, express, and visualize the embarrassing aspects of their young lives.
Then Gen Y grew up and their culture and needs changed. They started looking for jobs and watched, horrified, as corporations went on their Facebook pages to check them out. What was once a private, gated community of trusted friends became an increasingly open, public commons of curious strangers. The few, original, loose tools of network control on Facebook no longer proved sufficient. The Gen Yers wanted better, more precise privacy controls that allowed them to secure their existing private social lives and separate them from their new public working lives.
Facebook's business model, however, demands the opposite. It is trying to transform the private into a public arena it can offer advertisers. In doing this, the company is breaking three cardinal cultural norms:
1. It is taking back a free gift. In order to build profits, Facebook has been commercializing and monetizing friendship networks. What Facebook gave to Millenials, it is now trying to take away. Millennials are resisting the invasion to their privacy.
2. Facebook is ignoring the aging of the Millennials and the subsequent change in their culture. Older Gen Yers want less sociability and more privacy as actors outside their trusted cohort enter the Facebook space in search of information and connection. These older Millennials want more privacy tools for control of their information and networks.
3. Facebook is behaving as though it owned not only its proprietary technology platform but the friendship networks created on it. It doesn't. Millennials believe that ownership of their networks of friends belongs to them, not Facebook, and resist their commercialization.
Facebook, under intense pressure, is belatedly agreeing to streamline and strengthen its privacy tools. That will lower the anger of its audience but increase the anxiety of its advertisers. The brand value of Facebook has already taken a hit and competing social media platforms that promise privacy are beginning to appear.
What lessons can we draw from the Facebook flame-up? Lifecycle changes can trump generational change and cultural values perceived as crucial at the age of 13 can be very different at 20. A business founded on the values of a generation, such as Facebook, has to keep up with, and respect, evolving lives and needs.
Ownership in the social media world of networks is different from selling products and services in the traditional marketplace. Understanding the underlying cultural context of "free," "gift," and "creation" is important to businesses, including and perhaps especially high tech companies. It is not impossible to monetize that which is free. Apple did that with 99 cent songs on iTunes. But it is difficult.
Giving economic value to social networks is the new holy grail in advertising and the media. An army of economists and mathematicians are at work on this task. To date, most of the work has focused on metrics — how many friends, how many linkages, how much influence. Facebook's problems with privacy highlight the need to understand culture as well.
___
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Recognizing Valuable Search Engine Marketing Services
Many Internet marketing companies are offering search engine marketing services. Not all of these so called services are worth the cost, and in some cases will actually draw unwanted attention to your website. There are a few things to look out for when looking for a search engine marketing company.
What kind of services do they provide and do they guarantee the top listing? If they are, watch out. In most cases what you are paying for is something you already have access to. If a search engine marketing service is guaranteeing that your website will show up at the top of a search page, then chances are you are paying them to sign up on as a sponsored link on a search engine. This is something you could easily do yourself at sometimes half the cost. Another tactic is to offer to have "keyword" articles written, this is different then search engine optimized articles. Keyword articles are usually nothing more then gibberish. They are articles that contain repeated phrases and keywords all published on a website with the aim of making a search engine rank that site highest due to the repetition of certain words or phrases. These kinds of articles can easily get your website completely removed for search listings since it is a violation of most search engines standards. Other companies may send you software that does nothing, but jumble up several key words and do not produce positive results.
These are just a couple of things to look out for when choosing to enlist the services of a search engine marketing or consulting company. In order to make sure that you are getting valuable search engine marketing services, it is important to use an online database that can show what kind of reputation a service provider has gained. By seeing a long history of consistently meeting customer needs up front you can be confident that the search engine marketing company you choose will deliver. Finding the perfect company is easy. Choose AAACBC Inc. and you won't be disappointed with your results.
___
What kind of services do they provide and do they guarantee the top listing? If they are, watch out. In most cases what you are paying for is something you already have access to. If a search engine marketing service is guaranteeing that your website will show up at the top of a search page, then chances are you are paying them to sign up on as a sponsored link on a search engine. This is something you could easily do yourself at sometimes half the cost. Another tactic is to offer to have "keyword" articles written, this is different then search engine optimized articles. Keyword articles are usually nothing more then gibberish. They are articles that contain repeated phrases and keywords all published on a website with the aim of making a search engine rank that site highest due to the repetition of certain words or phrases. These kinds of articles can easily get your website completely removed for search listings since it is a violation of most search engines standards. Other companies may send you software that does nothing, but jumble up several key words and do not produce positive results.
These are just a couple of things to look out for when choosing to enlist the services of a search engine marketing or consulting company. In order to make sure that you are getting valuable search engine marketing services, it is important to use an online database that can show what kind of reputation a service provider has gained. By seeing a long history of consistently meeting customer needs up front you can be confident that the search engine marketing company you choose will deliver. Finding the perfect company is easy. Choose AAACBC Inc. and you won't be disappointed with your results.
___
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Freelance Jobs – Great Business Opportunity
One of the most lucrative ways to generate income for living nowadays is through freelancing. You can have this done as your regular source of income or just a par time. The money you can earn is just depending on how much time you can allocate for freelance jobs and how enthusiastic you are to offer a competitive result.
However, if you do not have any experience to help you in establishing foundation in the arena of freelance jobs, this area of endeavor can be daunting to your part. For those who intent to ride on this business bandwagon, you must think it twice and always remember, though, freelancing can be made as your career, not all people who engaged in this area are successful.
Some freelance jobs where you can engage yourself are: freelance writing jobs, freelance photography jobs, freelance graphic design jobs.
Below are some essential tips for individuals who are just starting to step towards freelance jobs. These are surely applicable if you want to join in this venture.
First, bear in mind that establishing contact is really essential for individuals who are just starting. By making contacts, you can have access to potential clients that can give you freelance job assignment. It is important to note that it is very much better if you have done various project in years because this build trust and establish contacts to possible clients. Furthermore, this way gives you the opportunity to be recognized in the arena of freelancing.
It is also of that important that you build a genuine reputation in this particular industry. So, make it sure that every freelance job you do, make it to be the product of your most capacity. Remember, your reputation depends on how you handle jobs assigned to you and how you generate your productions.
Since great things start from humble beginning, it is significant to you to start in small scale freelance jobs. Time will come, when you gain your clients’ confidence, you’ll be able to elevate your work as freelancer. You can still do freelance while still having your regular job.
Werther you are planning to engage in freelance writing jobs, freelance photography jobs, or freelance graphic design jobs, please be reminded always that good reputation is always have an integral part for you to succeed as freelancer. And to have that gain, you must be able to do your freelance tasks at your most upheld standard.
___
However, if you do not have any experience to help you in establishing foundation in the arena of freelance jobs, this area of endeavor can be daunting to your part. For those who intent to ride on this business bandwagon, you must think it twice and always remember, though, freelancing can be made as your career, not all people who engaged in this area are successful.
Some freelance jobs where you can engage yourself are: freelance writing jobs, freelance photography jobs, freelance graphic design jobs.
Below are some essential tips for individuals who are just starting to step towards freelance jobs. These are surely applicable if you want to join in this venture.
First, bear in mind that establishing contact is really essential for individuals who are just starting. By making contacts, you can have access to potential clients that can give you freelance job assignment. It is important to note that it is very much better if you have done various project in years because this build trust and establish contacts to possible clients. Furthermore, this way gives you the opportunity to be recognized in the arena of freelancing.
It is also of that important that you build a genuine reputation in this particular industry. So, make it sure that every freelance job you do, make it to be the product of your most capacity. Remember, your reputation depends on how you handle jobs assigned to you and how you generate your productions.
Since great things start from humble beginning, it is significant to you to start in small scale freelance jobs. Time will come, when you gain your clients’ confidence, you’ll be able to elevate your work as freelancer. You can still do freelance while still having your regular job.
Werther you are planning to engage in freelance writing jobs, freelance photography jobs, or freelance graphic design jobs, please be reminded always that good reputation is always have an integral part for you to succeed as freelancer. And to have that gain, you must be able to do your freelance tasks at your most upheld standard.
___
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Finding A SEO & SMM Specialist
SEO & SMM is a growing market. As the internet continues to grow and expand, search engine optimization and social media marketing has become much more important. Site owners need individuals to visit their pages, and with the help of a SEO & SMM expert, they can get the hits they need to improve their conversion rates.
What, exactly, though does a SEO & SMM specialist do, though? Some of the best sites, those that are packed with the most information, are buried under pages of results. People end up never seeing the sites that might be most helpful to them because the internet is so crowded. A SEO & SMM expert consults with site owners to find the best keywords for them. From there, the two parties can decide how to best optimize the pages so viewers can find them easily. While some keywords are more and more difficult to optimize for than others, a good SEO & SMM expert will help to find the keywords that will work out best for your site and your budget. Once the pages are optimized, the SEO & SMM expert will help to get your site submitted to the right directories and set up your external linking systems to continually increase your page rank. In many cases, SEO & SMM experts will work with other professionals including freelance writers and web designers to offer you the best overall pages.
Finding the best SEO & SMM consultant for your project, though, can be a bit difficult. Sites like the Equan can help you find the perfect freelance search SEO & SMM specialist to help put your site in the top tiers of page rankings. Hundreds of experts will view your project and post bids for you to choose from. Which is not an easy task, that’s why it is maybe best to hire directly a team of SEO & SMM experts like AAACBC Inc because once you've decided on the best SEO & SMM expert team, you will be on your way to higher page rankings.
__
What, exactly, though does a SEO & SMM specialist do, though? Some of the best sites, those that are packed with the most information, are buried under pages of results. People end up never seeing the sites that might be most helpful to them because the internet is so crowded. A SEO & SMM expert consults with site owners to find the best keywords for them. From there, the two parties can decide how to best optimize the pages so viewers can find them easily. While some keywords are more and more difficult to optimize for than others, a good SEO & SMM expert will help to find the keywords that will work out best for your site and your budget. Once the pages are optimized, the SEO & SMM expert will help to get your site submitted to the right directories and set up your external linking systems to continually increase your page rank. In many cases, SEO & SMM experts will work with other professionals including freelance writers and web designers to offer you the best overall pages.
Finding the best SEO & SMM consultant for your project, though, can be a bit difficult. Sites like the Equan can help you find the perfect freelance search SEO & SMM specialist to help put your site in the top tiers of page rankings. Hundreds of experts will view your project and post bids for you to choose from. Which is not an easy task, that’s why it is maybe best to hire directly a team of SEO & SMM experts like AAACBC Inc because once you've decided on the best SEO & SMM expert team, you will be on your way to higher page rankings.
__
Thursday, March 25, 2010
You’re a Retired Professional Athlete… Now What?
You were a professional athlete. You most likely spent your whole life working towards the goal of earning a living by playing sports. Some might say you were born with a ball (or a pair of goggles, or a joust, or running sneakers) in your hand. You spent your youth playing organized sports, missing out on weekends full of video games with your buddies because you had a weekend tournament, instead. Your whole life has been about sacrifice, for the game you love, and the game that eventually loved you back with money and fame. Now you’re retired, and you’re a little scared, confused even. Where do you go from here?
Some athletes choose to retire, move away from the spotlight, hang out with their family for a while, and make up for lost time. Others (not many) have made enough money in their playing career to support themselves and their loved ones for the rest of their lives without doing much of anything, and are content doing so. However, for most athletes, the money will run out, and more importantly, they aren’t happy just ‘doing nothing.’ Those are the athletes I’m speaking to now.
Building an Online Presence Will Help You Stay Relevant
The eyeballs are shifting. People are spending more and more time on the Internet rather than in front of the television, and that trend won’t change. If you want to stay relevant, maintaining a personal site and building an online presence is the best option. Through social media, you can interact with the fans who supported you throughout your playing career, while earning new fans along the way. The content you create is up to you. If you no longer want to talk about or associate yourself completely with your sport, you don’t have to.
Conclusion
Just because your playing days are over does not mean you have to leave the spotlight. In fact, your retirement is a chance to expand your brand, and to connect with the people who showed you support during your career.
Which retired athletes who’ve left the spotlight would you most like to see online? Which retired athletes have done a good job of maintaining their presence through a personal website and/or social media?
___
Some athletes choose to retire, move away from the spotlight, hang out with their family for a while, and make up for lost time. Others (not many) have made enough money in their playing career to support themselves and their loved ones for the rest of their lives without doing much of anything, and are content doing so. However, for most athletes, the money will run out, and more importantly, they aren’t happy just ‘doing nothing.’ Those are the athletes I’m speaking to now.
Building an Online Presence Will Help You Stay Relevant
The eyeballs are shifting. People are spending more and more time on the Internet rather than in front of the television, and that trend won’t change. If you want to stay relevant, maintaining a personal site and building an online presence is the best option. Through social media, you can interact with the fans who supported you throughout your playing career, while earning new fans along the way. The content you create is up to you. If you no longer want to talk about or associate yourself completely with your sport, you don’t have to.
Conclusion
Just because your playing days are over does not mean you have to leave the spotlight. In fact, your retirement is a chance to expand your brand, and to connect with the people who showed you support during your career.
Which retired athletes who’ve left the spotlight would you most like to see online? Which retired athletes have done a good job of maintaining their presence through a personal website and/or social media?
___
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
The Concorde Fallacy in Business and Life
In graduate school I knew a lot of miserable people. The academic grind had beaten them down, robbed them of the passion they once felt for their areas of expertise. Not me! I had pushed my chips into the center, giving myself over to my work (math modeling of animal learning and behavior–the specifics are irrelevant to my current topic). I spent long hours in the lab writing and crunching numbers, and then went home to read journal articles. Everything was swell. Then, suddenly, without any particular precipitating event, I began to feel the way many of my colleagues did—tired and depressed, dreading each day.
As I joined the ranks of the miserable, I grappled with the fact that I had moved clear across the country and spent 4 years of my life, hours upon hours, pursuing this topic. I was good at it. How could I now hate it? Clearly, I had too much personally invested to just quit! Surely things would get better when I finished the PhD, or got that first Post Doc position, or the first real academic job, or finally earned tenure some 6 years after that. This pattern of thinking is extremely dangerous and irrational, yet all too common in life and in business. And it took me months to get a grip on it before I packed up and left.
Behavioral economists call this tendency the Sunk Cost or “Concorde” Fallacy (Concorde after the exorbitantly expensive sonic Jet project undertaken by the French and English governments). When making a decision we ought to be concerned with how best to allocate our current and future resources—be they money, time, or effort. However, as is often the case in Economics, oughts and is’s are not the same. Instead of behaving optimally, we tend to focus on decisions we’ve already made, money already spent, time already elapsed. And we make poor decisions.
This concept itself is far from a new one, but I hope my story will resonate for some of you. When you know in your gut that your current course is doomed, gather the courage to combat this fallacy. In my case it was about changing careers, there are options aplenty for anyone who can identify their passion. But I think there is also a broader message for entrepreneurs and businesses. If your website doesn’t convert even though you paid some hotshot a lot of money to make it look snazzy, it’s time to fix it. If you are marketing a product that doesn’t make sense for consumers, move on. If your business model is broken, you know deep down that the little tweaks are not the answer. Re-think it or start anew.
What are you invested in that you ought to abandon?
___
As I joined the ranks of the miserable, I grappled with the fact that I had moved clear across the country and spent 4 years of my life, hours upon hours, pursuing this topic. I was good at it. How could I now hate it? Clearly, I had too much personally invested to just quit! Surely things would get better when I finished the PhD, or got that first Post Doc position, or the first real academic job, or finally earned tenure some 6 years after that. This pattern of thinking is extremely dangerous and irrational, yet all too common in life and in business. And it took me months to get a grip on it before I packed up and left.
Behavioral economists call this tendency the Sunk Cost or “Concorde” Fallacy (Concorde after the exorbitantly expensive sonic Jet project undertaken by the French and English governments). When making a decision we ought to be concerned with how best to allocate our current and future resources—be they money, time, or effort. However, as is often the case in Economics, oughts and is’s are not the same. Instead of behaving optimally, we tend to focus on decisions we’ve already made, money already spent, time already elapsed. And we make poor decisions.
This concept itself is far from a new one, but I hope my story will resonate for some of you. When you know in your gut that your current course is doomed, gather the courage to combat this fallacy. In my case it was about changing careers, there are options aplenty for anyone who can identify their passion. But I think there is also a broader message for entrepreneurs and businesses. If your website doesn’t convert even though you paid some hotshot a lot of money to make it look snazzy, it’s time to fix it. If you are marketing a product that doesn’t make sense for consumers, move on. If your business model is broken, you know deep down that the little tweaks are not the answer. Re-think it or start anew.
What are you invested in that you ought to abandon?
___
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Gary Vaynerchuk - Social Media Diva
Gary Vaynerchuk - Social Media Diva from Art of Talk TV on Vimeo.
The new web connects people - Now you can reach people directly!
_
Study: Most Effective B2B Social Media Tactics are IT ‘Lite’
According to a new study involving more than 1,700 small business leaders, companies marketing to small businesses would be well advised to focus on social media tactics requiring little IT investment, such as webinars, podcasts and establishing a presence on top social networking sites, before pursuing more IT resource intensive initiatives such as creating a company-managed online community. The study, conducted by Business.com, finds that that four of the top five most effective social media tactics for engaging small business decision makers do not require significant IT investment or involvement. The exception – company blogs – should be backed by both a strategic content strategy and the resources necessary to create this content on an ongoing basis before it allocating IT resources to blog creation or management.
The small business social media study examined the social networks and other social media resources small business owners and managers turn to for business-relevant information. In contrast to the common perception of social media as inherently “social” or interactive, study participants using social media for business were much more likely to use resources which don’t require interaction, such as webinars and podcasts (67%) or reading product reviews (63%), than they were to participate in online discussions (29%).
The top five social media resources used by small business leaders are:
Webinars / Podcasts – small business leaders consider webinars and podcasts to great resources for professional development, industry research and learning about potentially-relevant products and services, saving them the time and expense of attending in-person training.
Ratings & Reviews – provide useful input into the business buying process, particularly those ratings or reviews provided by other small businesses using the product or service.
Company / Brand Pages on Social Networking Sites – social network participation is now mainstream for U.S. adults, with 46% using sites such as Facebook and 25% participating weekly. Small business leaders are increasingly turning to these sites to find the latest information about important vendors, products and services.
Company Blogs – small business leaders praise company blogs – at least, those that are “well written, current and with good thought leadership articles” – as great sources of information about business-relevant products, services and the underlying character of a company.
Social Media Search – while some of the business-relevant information on social media sites can be found through general search engines, a great deal cannot. Realizing this, over half of small business leaders using social media search for business-relevant information directly on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Business.com Answers, SlideShare and many more.
B2B social media marketing initiatives require Marketing and IT to work closely together to prioritize projects, allocate resources, manage execution and maintain new systems and features. One key implication from this study for companies marketing to small businesses is that Marketing can, and should, actively pursue B2B social media initiatives which require little IT investment before taking on more resource-intensive projects.
For example, rather than placing a company-managed online community the core of the emerging social media strategy – a community where, according to this research, it will be very challenging to build participation by small business leaders – establish a company presence on one or more social networking sites and focus initial community development efforts on those sites. By focusing first on external, IT ‘lite’ social media opportunities, companies marketing to small businesses are more likely to reach a far larger portion of their target audience in the short run, begin developing a following and learn key lessons that inform what social media features and functionality are actually necessary on the company web site.
Learn more about the given opportunities and what’s in it for your business with AAACBC Inc. - just get in touch
___
The small business social media study examined the social networks and other social media resources small business owners and managers turn to for business-relevant information. In contrast to the common perception of social media as inherently “social” or interactive, study participants using social media for business were much more likely to use resources which don’t require interaction, such as webinars and podcasts (67%) or reading product reviews (63%), than they were to participate in online discussions (29%).
The top five social media resources used by small business leaders are:
Webinars / Podcasts – small business leaders consider webinars and podcasts to great resources for professional development, industry research and learning about potentially-relevant products and services, saving them the time and expense of attending in-person training.
Ratings & Reviews – provide useful input into the business buying process, particularly those ratings or reviews provided by other small businesses using the product or service.
Company / Brand Pages on Social Networking Sites – social network participation is now mainstream for U.S. adults, with 46% using sites such as Facebook and 25% participating weekly. Small business leaders are increasingly turning to these sites to find the latest information about important vendors, products and services.
Company Blogs – small business leaders praise company blogs – at least, those that are “well written, current and with good thought leadership articles” – as great sources of information about business-relevant products, services and the underlying character of a company.
Social Media Search – while some of the business-relevant information on social media sites can be found through general search engines, a great deal cannot. Realizing this, over half of small business leaders using social media search for business-relevant information directly on sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Business.com Answers, SlideShare and many more.
B2B social media marketing initiatives require Marketing and IT to work closely together to prioritize projects, allocate resources, manage execution and maintain new systems and features. One key implication from this study for companies marketing to small businesses is that Marketing can, and should, actively pursue B2B social media initiatives which require little IT investment before taking on more resource-intensive projects.
For example, rather than placing a company-managed online community the core of the emerging social media strategy – a community where, according to this research, it will be very challenging to build participation by small business leaders – establish a company presence on one or more social networking sites and focus initial community development efforts on those sites. By focusing first on external, IT ‘lite’ social media opportunities, companies marketing to small businesses are more likely to reach a far larger portion of their target audience in the short run, begin developing a following and learn key lessons that inform what social media features and functionality are actually necessary on the company web site.
Learn more about the given opportunities and what’s in it for your business with AAACBC Inc. - just get in touch
___
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
About Yummy-Cebu.com - the biggest food party in the foodland safari of Metro Cebu
Yummy Cebu is a community platform dedicated to finding yummy places to eat in the Foodland of Metro Cebu. The Site was officially launched on December 01st, 2009 and started to rock on December 16th when the first users noticed that there now was an accurate and updated place on the net to voice out.
Today Yummy Cebu is growing and starting to fulfill its purpose we have growing numbers of registered Food Critics who all in their own style take part in mirroring the food safari of Metro Cebu onthe net. At present the entries and blogs linked to our eating places and restaurants are on the first page of Google results and are giving our visitors, the travelers passing through and our fellow Cebuano’s an accurate and updated picture of what is really out there in terms of food and entertainment. As true food lovers and fans of our beloved home Cebu we pledge to you and to Cebu to continue to strive for the best, most fun and most accurate and updated informative and social media site reflecting Cebus Food Safari. So if you wonder where to eat in Cebu – check Yummy Cebu for the answer!
The platform hosts numerous Blog entries, Photo entries, hilarious Videos, an informative rating page and a Food Directory featuring profile pages for Cebus Restaurants bringing the Establishments in connection with their representative Blogs and so with in direct connection with their customers.
Our idea while creating Yummy Cebu was simple – we wanted to create a place on the internet that would allow any potential client to voice out and share his or hers experience no matter if good or not so good. Giving an accurate and honest picture of not only the establishments but the whole City. The platform is free and fun, the community is growing and there is a great sense of camaraderie.
So while Yummy Cebu continues to grow we have decided to add to the concept and create additional sites for those who seek a more complete picture of our Island.
www.gimmick-cebu.com is our platform to keep you posted on the possible past times in Cebu, the vivid night life of the city and the real fun in our tropical paradise.
www.vacation-cebu.com will be launched shortly and will focus on the accommodation possibilities in the City of Cebu as well as the resorts and Hotels along our gorgeous cost lines.
www.shopping-cebu.com will be a place to share your shopping experience in Cebu, share that one spot where you got the latest hard drive for the most competitive price or the hottest pair of Malaysian shoes as well as to show and warn you fellow Cebuanos as well as our visitors to identify the worst service and the most dreadful rip off in town so shop owners be aware Shopping Cebu will be launched April 2010!
Now visit: http://www.yummy-cebu.com
___
Today Yummy Cebu is growing and starting to fulfill its purpose we have growing numbers of registered Food Critics who all in their own style take part in mirroring the food safari of Metro Cebu onthe net. At present the entries and blogs linked to our eating places and restaurants are on the first page of Google results and are giving our visitors, the travelers passing through and our fellow Cebuano’s an accurate and updated picture of what is really out there in terms of food and entertainment. As true food lovers and fans of our beloved home Cebu we pledge to you and to Cebu to continue to strive for the best, most fun and most accurate and updated informative and social media site reflecting Cebus Food Safari. So if you wonder where to eat in Cebu – check Yummy Cebu for the answer!
The platform hosts numerous Blog entries, Photo entries, hilarious Videos, an informative rating page and a Food Directory featuring profile pages for Cebus Restaurants bringing the Establishments in connection with their representative Blogs and so with in direct connection with their customers.
Our idea while creating Yummy Cebu was simple – we wanted to create a place on the internet that would allow any potential client to voice out and share his or hers experience no matter if good or not so good. Giving an accurate and honest picture of not only the establishments but the whole City. The platform is free and fun, the community is growing and there is a great sense of camaraderie.
So while Yummy Cebu continues to grow we have decided to add to the concept and create additional sites for those who seek a more complete picture of our Island.
www.gimmick-cebu.com is our platform to keep you posted on the possible past times in Cebu, the vivid night life of the city and the real fun in our tropical paradise.
www.vacation-cebu.com will be launched shortly and will focus on the accommodation possibilities in the City of Cebu as well as the resorts and Hotels along our gorgeous cost lines.
www.shopping-cebu.com will be a place to share your shopping experience in Cebu, share that one spot where you got the latest hard drive for the most competitive price or the hottest pair of Malaysian shoes as well as to show and warn you fellow Cebuanos as well as our visitors to identify the worst service and the most dreadful rip off in town so shop owners be aware Shopping Cebu will be launched April 2010!
Now visit: http://www.yummy-cebu.com
___
How a Freelance Writer Can Help Your Revenues Grow
The inherent competitive nature of business, coupled with a tightening economy, forces all entrepreneurs to question how they can grow their revenues during a recession. When consumers are tightening their wallets, how can you set your business apart to win their hard-earned dollars?
In economically stringent times, where consumers are each spending less, expanding your customer base is the best way to increase your revenues. With the help of a freelance writer, you can take advantage of several marketing and SEO opportunities that will grow your customer base. Working with a freelance writer specializing in online content is one of the most effective, yet affordable, marketing campaigns you could implement for your business.
Hiring a freelance writer to improve your web copy
An experienced freelance copywriter can revamp your website content, making your copy more appealing to your visitors. Good freelance writers have an ability to completely understand your branding strategy and portray your message in a highly effective way – often better than you originally visualized.
For example, if you have website that sells holiday gift baskets, your freelance writer can transport the reader into visualizing (and even tasting) the delectable luxuries that satisfy even the most discriminating palate. This is far more powerful than your current website content which reads, “This three-tiered gift basket has many tasty snacks and treats.”
If you find that your sales are slumping with the economic times, it may be appropriate to hire a freelance writer to improve the conversion of your website content – helping you to capitalize upon the traffic that is arriving at your website and maximizing the value of each sales ticket.
Choosing a freelance writer to improve your content’s SEO
Not all writers are created equal; some are strictly trained in journalism, while others have solid experience in copywriting. When it comes to maximizing your online presence and revenues, it is critical to choose a freelance writer that understands SEO. Even if you have the world’s best web copy, without visitors to your website, those compelling lines of prose do not help your bottom line.
Your freelance writer should understand how to eloquently use your keywords, sprinkling them into the articles to boost SEO standings, while still ensuring that your website content sounds very natural to the “human” reader. A 3% to 5% keyword density is what your article writer should utilize, and your content writer should also understand other important SEO content considerations, such as latent-semantic indexing, or LSI.
Employ an article writer to build your backlinks
The most affordable marketing campaign is one that is free. And if you can increase your natural search engine listings, then you have the most powerful marketing tool in the world – yet it comes completely free. Having a solid SERP is akin to enjoying a storefront in Times Square, yet without paying any rent.
To the end of raising your search engine results page ranking, hiring an article writer is one of the quickest ways to boost your SEO. An article writer who is versed in SEO will create compelling, valuable content that will not only increase your website’s SEO, but your online expertise as well. You can submit these articles to directories, ezines, and blogs, as well as publish them on your own website. The backlinks these articles will create are an excellent way to build your search engine rankings, especially in the specific keywords your freelance writer optimizes.
Your freelance writer is one of your most powerful marketing tools. Whether you want SEO articles, powerful web copy, intriguing blog posts, or newsletters that will develop a loyal readership, your freelance writer can help you grow your revenues – even in economically stringent times.
___
Monday, March 1, 2010
AAACBC Marketing Consultants - Business Marketing Professionals
Do you need to promote your business but lack the proper resources or staff?
Maybe you are feeling overwhelmed, or just don’t know where to begin. Perhaps you know what needs to be done, but you lack the time to do it all yourself. The solution is hiring a freelance marketing consultant. A freelance marketing consultant can help you promote your business online and off, through press releases, social and media networks, blogs, printed pamphlets, online newsletters, and many other methods.
Before a freelance marketing consultant can get to the actual work of marketing and promoting, your consultant will need to learn about your business, evaluate your goals, and get inside your customers’ heads. The secret to good marketing is to know your customer base. Freelance marketing consultants work hard to get to know your target customers, learn what they’re needs are, and find out where they can be found and how to reach them. For example, if your business operates entirely online, and your target customers are teenagers, you won’t want to waste your money placing advertisements in senior citizen magazines. An experience freelance marketing consultant will not only be able to put himself in your customers’ shoes, but also know the best way to communicate with customers in order to sell your product. Your consultant will be able to devise the best marketing plan for reaching your customers and increasing your sales at the best possible price.
If you’re on a tight budget, a freelance marketing consultant can recommend the most cost-effective promotional methods. Often, marketing online is the most practical, low-cost choice. A freelance marketing consultant specializing in your industry will likely have connections to get your online and offline marketing needs implemented at a reasonable cost.
Although marketing consultant firms like AAACBC can often execute your marketing plan more quickly, the cost for employing such a firm will cost you more than hiring an independent freelance marketing consultant but it's worth it!
___
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Hedging with FX options
Corporations primarily use FX options to hedge uncertain future cash flows in a foreign currency. The general rule is to hedge certain foreign currency cash flows with forwards, and uncertain foreign cash flows with options.
Suppose a Philippine manufacturing firm is expecting to be paid US$100,000 for a piece of engineering equipment to be delivered in 90 days. If the PHP strengthens against the US$ over the next 90 days the Philippine firm will lose money, as it will receive less PHP when the US$100,000 is converted into PHP. However, if the PHP weaken against the US$, then the Philippine firm will gain additional money: the firm is exposed to FX risk.
Assuming that the cash flow is certain, the firm can enter into a forward contract to deliver the US$100,000 in 90 days time, in exchange for PHP at the current forward rate. This forward contract is free, and, presuming the expected cash arrives, exactly matches the firm’s exposure, perfectly hedging their FX risk.
If the cash flow is uncertain, the firm will likely want to use options: if the firm enters a forward FX contract and the expected USD cash is not received, then the forward, instead of hedging, exposes the firm to FX risk in the opposite direction.
Using options, the Philippine firm can purchase a PHP call/USD put option (the right to sell part or all of their expected income for peso at a predetermined rate), which will:
- protect the PHP value that the firm will receive in 90 day’s time (presuming the cash is received)
- cost at most the option premium (unlike a forward, which can have unlimited losses)
- yield a profit if the expected cash is not received but FX rates move in its favor
Monday, February 8, 2010
Offshore Outsourcing: Freelance the Past, Virtual Employees the Future?
The internet has enabled the freelance sector to grow exponentially in recent years. Freelance work over the internet has mainly grown in fields such as software development, website design, advertising, proofreading, law, accounts and copy editing. The work consists of short term projects that can generally be completed within a few weeks or months. The vast majority of freelance work done over the internet in these sectors is offshore outsourced to freelancers and freelance companies based in India and more and more in the Philippines.
The offshore outsourcing of freelance work to remote freelancers in countries such as India is undoubtedly a profitable practice. Companies and individuals can have their projects completed by freelancers from India, for a fraction of what the cost would be in the USA or UK. Furthermore, there is no compromise on the quality of work, for the freelancers have the same qualifications and skills as their equivalents in the USA. For these reasons it is not surprising that companies alone from the West have increased their freelance outsourcing by 28.35% over the internet in the past five years.
Although, a very productive strategy the limitations of freelancing are clearly evident. For companies or individuals that have on-going work they need to outsource, using the freelance “route” would not be appropriate. This is where aaacbc.com and its Virtual Employees take over from the freelancer as the new future of the offshore outsourcing industry.
aaacbc.com enables employers from around the world to employ their very own full time dedicated employee from Cebu/Philippines. The advantage with this model is that you can reduce your costs significantly and unlike freelancing, continuously outsource your work. As a result, the Virtual Employee will serve a new offshore outsourcing market, one which will not eradicate but certainly reduce the dependency on the freelancer.
How Does it all Work?
aaacbc.com is a Philippine company and is the crucial third party that makes it possible for employers not only to outsource but to also actually employ their very own employee from Cebu Philippines. From start to finish aaacbc.com is present to make it possible for you to employ your own employee.
To begin with, the aaacbc.com recruitment department actively searches and then shortlists several candidates for the position you seek to fill. We then submit to you the shortlisted candidates resumes and you can then interview/employ any of the candidates. aaacbc.com can provide you with an employee in any office field, from programming, law and accounts to data entry, admin assistants and call center agents.
The infrastructure and facilities a Virtual Employee will have at his/her disposal will be far superior to those available to freelancers working from home. This is because once you select a Virtual Employee to start working for you; your employee will work for you from our office. aaacbc.com will provide your employee with fast broadband internet connection, a new PC, TFT monitor screens, scanners, fax and any software required, (including Microsoft office 2007)..etc. Furthermore our office is maintained to international standards with A/C, large work stations for the employees, our own generator for non-stop electricity supply…etc. We also provide your employee with a telephone which will have a local telephone number from your country, (a US/UK/Aus ..etc telephone number) thus making it very easy for you to call and speak with your employee. This in addition to instant messengers, email, Skype and video conferencing makes it possible for you to communicate, work with and collaborate with your employee. With sufficient technology employees can work remotely for you from anywhere in the world; working physically from the same office is no longer necessary. aaacbc.com creates an office environment whereby your employee can work directly for you despite your employee not working directly from your office. When freelancing or working with a freelancer the same level of infrastructure and facilities cannot be matched or assured.
When freelancing although one can outsource in a vast number of office fields there is certain limitations. For instance, one could not hire a call center agent freelancer or a nuclear physicist freelancer. Unlike with freelancing, with aaacbc.com there is no type of office employee you cannot hire. The reason for this is because firstly aaacbc.com itself recruits the employees and so locating/providing any type of office employee is of no difficultly. Secondly your employees work from our office where they are provided with all office facilities they need to work, e.g. a telephone with local US number from a call center agent. Thirdly, because the aaacbc.com business model is to provide full time employees a lot more employees in a lot more office fields are willing to work as Virtual Employees, (as opposed to freelancers) because of the job security. Hence, whilst hiring a freelancer to work as a call center agent is logistically unfeasible, aaacbc.com has the infrastructure to make this possible. Furthermore, where a nuclear physicist would not work as a freelancer because of lack of job security, with aaacbc.com such an employee can be provided.
Employer-Virtual Employee working relationship:
The aaacbc.com business model is that your employee works for you and with you just like an employee who works from your office. The only difference of course is that your Virtual Employee works for you remotely as opposed to physically from the same office as you. Thus your Virtual Employee will take instructions from you, report/submit their work to you and interact/collaborate with you. aaacbc.com simply manages your employee on your behalf. We pay your employee, provide all office space and equipment, monitor them whilst they work, provide any technical assistance if required and ensure they have everything necessary to work. aaacbc.com is furthermore a source of support for both employer and employee; on call and present at all times to ensure the whole outsourcing process runs smoothly.
When freelancing, one does not have the same level and interaction/collaboration with a freelancer. This is because freelancers work for clients on a short term basis and often work for several clients at once. Furthermore freelancers may not have all the office equipment and office infrastructure, (e.g. fast broadband internet connection) necessary to interact and collaborate effectively with a client virtually.
Accordingly aaacbc.com and Virtual Employees are the future of offshore outsourcing. The aaacbc.com business model creates an offshore outsourcing first, by combining the ability to outsource whilst also being able employ your very own employee. Hence employers now have another option to freelancing, as with aaacbc.com employers have the low cost that comes with outsourcing and the high effectiveness that comes through hiring your very own employee.
___
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Freelance Bookkeeper – Better Than Hiring Your Own Bookkeeper
Freelance Bookkeeper is a good idea if a company wants to have more time to do their product enhancement and company building. Companies in America may prefer them over others because of proximity. But location doesn’t really have to be a problem though. New technology can now afford a freelance Bookkeeper to serve all areas of the world.
Hiring a freelance Bookkeeper would be good for the company because doing so frees them up from organizing their financial records. They will not need to get a bookkeeper for the company anymore so additional employee is hired. They no longer have to train new employees. They just contract a freelance Bookkeeper to do everything for them and that’s it.
The company has so many choices of freelance bookkeepers. But the company must choose one that they can trust not to misuse company financial information. A freelance Bookkeeper would be a good choice if he can do the job well and he has the expertise in the industry that the company hiring him belongs to. In effect, expertise is what the company gains too when they opt to outsource bookkeeping. They no longer have to train their employees and they immediately get the expertise when they hire a good freelance bookkeeper.
Another advantage of hiring a freelance Bookkeeper is that people who are doing freelance are usually very conscientious on their work because they know their success depends on it. Employees, on the other hand, may slack on their work at times. By hiring a freelancer to do the company bookkeeping, the company actually does avoid such situations. In effect, the company is able do away with waste and inefficiency. The company can hire a lean group of personnel and concentrate on producing their products and serving their market better. They would be able to serve their customers better and make them happier as a result.
A freelance Bookkeeper would generally be eager to please the company on their requests as long as they are on reasonable terms. This again facilitates easier and smoother business operations. Company decision makers will have the reports on time and also when they need them. So they will be able to do a better judgment in their positions when decisions are called for.
Freelance bookkeepers would also tend to update more often so this again presents savings on the part of the company. They don’t have to provide regular trainings for their staff because these bookkeepers are already doing it on their own and on their own expense. If the bookkeeper is able to integrate to the company’s way of doing business and the company accepts the style of the bookkeeper they contracted, benefits would definitely surface. The company would realize the savings they are aiming for. In turn, more resources would be allocated for product development, marketing and even customer relations. The company will be able to operate with least cost and in optimal ways. The company would have greater chances of growing and achieving company goals.
_
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Is Hiring a Freelancer Right for Your Business? (three Reasons Say “yes”!)
Who are they?
Freelancers work in almost every industry: construction, translation, finance, management, sales, design and many, many more. They’re your neighbor, your friend, the nice lady down the street, the man in the coffee shop always typing away on a computer. Many surveys indicate that most freelancers are male (according to Labor Statistics, by 2005 about 65% of the freelance population) and over thirty years old.
While many independent contractors work from home, just as many go to physical locations to work, either a private office or wherever the hiring company needs them. They are professionals just like you and I; a large percentage received on the job training or went to college to do what they do. Several hold degrees. Many stayed in typical work environments for over ten years before working for themselves.
In short, freelancers are business professionals who chose to, not work at home, but work for themselves. They are as trained and skilled as an employee would be, if not more so in some instances, and serious about their business.
Is hiring a freelancer right for your business?
Many business owners think hiring a freelancer just won’t work for their particular company. More than a few really do believe that independent contractors are a waste of time, money and resources. However, if this were so, if that basis of thought were true, would there really be over ten million freelancers running around? Would anyone who performed contractual jobs even have a business? For that matter, why are freelancers so in demand?
Reason #1: Cost
Monetary considerations are usually in the forefront of any business owner’s mind. Can we afford this? What are the initial costs? What’s the ROI? These thoughts come to mind in every area of business, including hiring a freelancer, but you might find yourself pleasantly surprised.
How much a particular freelancer will cost you depends on several factors: length of the project, difficulty of the project, location of the freelancer and level of technology are just a few. For instance, a freelance web designer may charge US$20 an hour or US$1,000 for a project no matter how much time they put in. As in any hiring situation, you’ll find those that cost less and those that cost more.
However, the difference between employees and contracted individuals is that the individuals can afford to charge less, and often do. Freelancers usually don’t have to worry about transportation, gas, or clothing (for work) costs. Business owners will not have to pay employee benefits or wage taxes.
In addition, freelancers come from all over the world. Depending on your monetary needs, you can use offshore outsourcing (contractors from out-of-country), national outsourcing or homesourcing (contractors are in your locality).
Reason #2: No direct employees
It isn’t normal practice that a business is built with nothing but freelancers, but it does happen. More than a few Internet-based businesses use strictly freelancers, either on a by-project basis or as a loose-knit company.
One of the main reasons is the lack of direct employees. There are no reason to worry about. If a contractor doesn’t perform as expected, there are no hire/fire policies to follow; you just don’t use them again. The working “atmosphere” tends to be more relaxed, while still maintaining professionalism. You are not their boss; you’re their client. It does make a difference.
In addition, there’s no need to hire office space; the Internet is the office space. With collaborative software, VoIP capabilities, email, messenger and many other online programs, it’s extremely easy to create a working atmosphere without the need to be physically there. There are no office politics and no personal dynamics between employees to deal with; the only “requirement” is that they get along with you.
Reason #3: Broad spectrum of specializations
There is, quite literally, a freelancer out there to meet any need. Freelance web designers who offer SEO/SEM as well; copywriters who also provide logos; virtual assistants who perform sales work – the list goes on.
Specialization is an excellent tool. Someone who knows web design forwards, backwards and inside out is an excellent resource; if you have all your content, this is the person to hire. If you have the design but need copy, a specialized copywriter will fit your needs. However, if you need website design, copywriting and SEO/SEM, you need a company – or a freelancer who has decided to learn as much as they can of fields related to their chosen area.
So, are freelancers right for you? Are they right for your business? The only person who can answer that is you. However, if you’re looking for ways to tighten the budget, narrow down the issues and broaden that bottom line, look into freelancing. You never know, you may just end up hiring that nice lady down the street.
Hire your freelancer on equan platforms – us – uk – de – in – hk – ph – just register publish your project, it’s all for FREE
___
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Start Your Career With Freelance Engineering Jobs
Make the right business connections in the world’s fastest-growing freelance marketplace.
If you’ve left an engineering job at a big company and you’re looking to build a career as a freelancer, you’ll soon be checking out the many, many websites that advertise freelance engineering jobs. Finding the right job means sifting through the ads to find the ones that really have legitimate engineering jobs and which ones are scams to be avoided. If you intend to telecommute, for example, make sure the ad you’re answering is really for a telecommuting job. Sometimes employers will check a box for “telecommuting is OK,” and leave it active, even if the job requires you to work in the office. Also, listen to your instincts about a freelance engineering job. If an ad gives you a strange feeling, don’t apply. If an advertising employer asks you to do something that sounds fishy, don’t respond. Your intuition can be your greatest tool in your search for freelance engineering jobs, if you listen to it. Think about the traditional classified job ads you’ve seen and compare online ads to those.
You can also request an investigation into any company by doing an Internet search for the company’s name or website address plus the terms, “scam,” “fraud,” and “ripoff.” You can also check the Better Business Bureau (BBB) Online or RipoffReport.com. Scammers find new ways to rip people off every day, though, so just because you don’t find anything, that doesn’t mean they’re legitimate.
Once you’re ready to apply for freelance engineering jobs, put on your best professional attitude and follow the application process to the letter. There are countless people looking for work – and, believe it or not, some of them are chemical engineers, civil engineers and college-educated mechanical engineers – who can’t figure out how to properly fill out a job application. So just showing that you know how to follow instructions will put you well ahead of the game!
Here’s another tip if you’re seeking a freelance career – don’t have a silly e-mail address. Being “bunyjoe7766″ or “gogofan” may be cool in chat rooms, as a professional your e-mail address is your identity. So go to Hotmail or Gmail or another free e-mail site and get yourself a handle that befits a professional freelance engineer.
There are lots of freelance engineering jobs available – stick around Equan and read further, and you’ll find plenty of tips on getting a great start on the new freelance career!
_
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
