Archive for April, 2009

Venture Capitalist to Head SBA

April 13, 2009 at 9:49 am · Filed under Small Business Finance

Karen Mills, the new head of the SBA has been a private equity investor and adviser since 1993. From 1999 to 2007 she was founding partner and managing director of Solera Capital, a New York based venture capital firm. She is also lead director of Scotts Miracle-Gro.

I think that’s better than appointing a Washington bureaucrat. Hopefully she will bring a new level of efficiency and productivity to the SBA.

More from the Washington Post.

President-elect Barack Obama this afternoon nominated venture capital expert Karen Gordon Mills to head the Small Business Administration.

“We must strengthen the small businesses that are the backbone” of the American economy, Obama said at a Chicago press conference. “With Karen Mills as administrator, America’s small businesses will have a partner in Washington” who will help them create jobs and understand the challenges they face.

More from Entrepreneur.com

The Senate confirmed venture capitalist Karen Mills to take over as the Obama administration’s chief administrator of the U.S. Small Business Association last week.

“Small business is the heart of the American economy,” the 55-year-old states. “There are over twenty-six million small businesses in this country and they create 70 percent of the new jobs. This means that to find our way out of the current economic crisis, we have to find ways to help small businesses stay in operation and even expand.

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Good Tips on Effective Communication

April 8, 2009 at 9:19 am · Filed under Email, Strategy

Use the 3 C’s of Communication–Effective Communication–Entrerpeneur.com

There’s a tendency, particularly in a tough economy, to try to be all things to all people. So some businesses that do X advertise that they also do Y and Z. They cast a wider net in hopes of bringing back whatever business they can get.

You actually stand a better chance of getting and keeping customers if you focus on what you do best and how it benefits them. Consumers are pickier than ever about whom they do business with, so you need to communicate your benefits if you want to stand out in the crowd. The way to do that is through the three C’s of effective communication. Take a look at your recent marketing efforts and see whether they pass the test of the 3 C’s:

1) Crisp and Clear
Being crisp is about telling people what you do in as few words as possible–and using that same crisp message in written marketing materials.

2) Customer-Centric
Promote your business in terms not just of your experience and expertise, but how what you do benefits them.  

3) Consistent
Once you’ve nailed down your crisp message, and you’re telling your story from your customer’s perspective, make sure you tell it consistently in your e-mails, on your website, in print materials, via the internet and in any other advertising and marketing media.

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SEO Basics for Small Business

April 8, 2009 at 7:57 am · Filed under SEO

Rev up the Search Engines – Entrepreneur.com

SEO is about attracting quality leads and buyers ready to make a purchase. Here are six tips for getting the most out of an SEO initiative, according to SEO expert Steve Wiideman:

  1. Start early. It can take up to six months for competitive search terms to see results through Google.
  2. Content really is king. Make a list of the top 20 search keywords relevant to your business and create content that’s thematically linked with those terms.
  3. Don’t use the same keywords over and over. Search engines have gotten smart enough to weed that out.
  4. Focus on Google. The magic formula is relevance and popularity. Having a well-written and well-structured website is a big part of the battle. Mentions and links from bloggers and other websites can be a big boost as well.
  5. How do you measure SEO? Create a benchmark. A good SEO expert can actually measure the amount of traffic that results in a lead or in somebody making a purchase.
  6. If you choose to work with an SEO consultant, find one that specializes in the needs of startups and growing businesses. If he or she tries to guarantee you an instant No. 1 ranking in Google, run the other way.

For help optimizing your small business website, check out Westchester SEO firm Spring Marketing Strategies.

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Primer on Twitter for small business

April 7, 2009 at 8:05 am · Filed under Social Media

Can Twitter Really Help Your Small Business? – Entrepreneur.com .

How Do Businesses Use Twitter?

  • A restaurant tweets daily specials.
  • A ticket agency tweets about-to-expire tickets.
  • A real estate agent tweets new homes on the market.
  • A chamber of commerce tweets local events and promotions.
  • A PR expert tweets publicity opportunities.
  • An entrepreneur tweets co-marketing opportunities.

Tina Hilton, owner of virtual assistance company Clerical Advantage, says Twitter can be a valuable use of time and energy. “I have never gotten a client directly from Twitter,” Hilton says. “But have had several referrals from people I’ve connected with on Twitter.”

Using Twitter, or other forms of social networking like Facebook or LinkedIn, takes the long view. Instead of providing instant sales, Twitter is another way to build relationships and develop credibility and trust.

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