Public Relations: Antidote for Small Business Failure
When small businesses fail, the wreckage is often assigned to undercapitalization, among other mistakes. Seldom is failure attributed to a lack of effective communications that might have modified the behavior of sales prospects in a positive way, thus averting bankruptcy.In my view, raising money for new businesses is a skill best left to others, but smart, aggressive communications is not. As the entrepreneur, you cannot rely on your financing source to create the broad public exposure your business needs if it is to survive. Ideally from Day 1, you must take the lead in this vital effort accepting the fact that good results come only after careful planning and implementation of a realistic and workable public relations strategy.Before you achieve real growth and prosperity, your target audiences must not only become aware that your company exists, they must be motivated to take action. Doing something about how your business is perceived means a well-planned public relations program that can reach, persuade and move those prospects to action.At the root of it all, is a simple truism we all know but tend to forget: people act on their perception of the facts. If the small business owner is to have an effect on those perceptions, he/she must deal with them promptly and effectively.So the question for you, Ms. or Mr. Small Business Wannabe, is, have you thought about some of the unattended perceptions out there that could nudge your fledgling business closer to bankruptcy than success? Percepti

Your Online Business – Do You Really Want One?
Do you really want an online business? This is a simple question, but you should really mull over what you are getting into, and whether you really can or want to make the commitment. People who are new to the Internet, are sometimes mislead into believing that a website is easy to do. The answer to that belief is -- Yes and No. I’ll give you a hint at what skills you need and what to be aware of before you venture online.Computer SkillsFirst and foremost, you should enjoy working on a computer. Why? You will find that you may have to commit quite a few hours on the computer when you are building your online business. If you don’t enjoy the computer, you might want to rethink your options.Second, to eliminate frustration and keep your productivity up, you should have some keyboarding skills. Meaning, you should at least be able to type 25 wpm and know or learn, how to cut and paste. To help to increase your keyboarding skills, look at the site Learn 2 Type (http://www.learn2type.com/index.cfm?action=TypingTest). It’s a free site that can help you with your basic typing skills.Third, since you are going to be the chief cook and bottle washer of your business, you also need to know how to maintain your computer. On the Internet you need to protect your computer from hacker attacks. So acquaint yourself and your computer with anti-virus, anti-spam, and firewall software – you won’t regret the outlay.Internet SkillsYou should have some basic Internet skills. Such as, uploading and downloading pictures images, and

Podcasting Step by Step: From Content to RSS
There’s a lot of hype surrounding podcasts now. People have been downloading it as a source of fast and useful information (one which they can listen to at their own leisure—in the car, in bed, during coffee breaks). And now, more and more users are thinking of creating their own podcast too, because it’s so easy to do.One reason why podcasts have crossed over from the “techno-geek” world and into the hands of the Average Joe is that their formats are so flexible. You can do interviews, record audio books, even give stirring sermons and lectures. For example, even a small church community can put up a website and include last Sunday’s Bible study in a podcast. Or a group of teachers can create study guides for students, from reviewers to additional information they didn’t have time to tackle in the last lecture.Here's a step-by-step guide to making your first podcast.First of all, make your audio content. There’s no one formula for this, and you will find on the Internet many podcasts that adopt different formats to suit their particular content. Study the ones you like to get ideas, but remember this tip: the most successful audio formats are those that present ideas in short, logical bursts. In TV and radio, 30 seconds is considered an eternity for one idea. If your podcast is longer, at least divide the information into 30 second mini-segments, or break up an interview with “headers” that lead the listener from one thought to another.Second of all, choose a platform or application. You can find many of them on the Internet, an

7 Reasons Why You Should Submit Your CV To Jobsite Databases
There are many online job sites which allow you to upload your CV into their database. Employers then search these databases looking for suitable candidates to match positions they are offering. Here are 7 great reasons why you should submit your CV online and therefore improve your chances of being matched with the perfect position.1. Your CV is your link to potential employers and is your way of saying, “Look at me, look what I can do”. Huge amounts of employers search through CV banks looking for matches for positions they have to offer. By including your CV in as many databases as possible, you are increasing your chances of an employer finding you. 2. Some sites specialise in certain careers. By submitting your CV to a site in your field you are making sure that you get the best chance possible of finding a perfect match that meets your criteria. 3. Most CV banks keep you updated with information regarding your CV, such as how many times it has been looked at; what type of people are looking; and when. This way you know that at least employers are looking, even if you haven’t been offered an interview yet. 4. Most jobsite databases don’t charge you to use their services, the vast majority are some free. Submitting to these sites increases your chances of finding work without it even costing you a penny. 5. Editing your CV online is easy. All online databases give you the option of updating your CV if and when you need to. This is essential especially if yours is being looked over. Even if you haven’t any new

Getting Every Penny on the Table
In my younger days I was a member of the Jaycees (Junior Chamber of Commerce). Membership at the time was limited to young men 21-35. In Tacoma, our largest fundraiser was the yearly fireworks stand.Near the end of June we would sign a contract for an order of fireworks based on the previous year's sales. The fireworks company would deliver the modular panels of the fireworks stand to its location (the same street corner each year), and we would screw and wire it together.The fireworks chairman would schedule husbands and wives for their shifts and we would all do our duty. It wasn't hard work. Actually, it was fun. We talked and joked with each other as we waited for customers, just like most businesses. We cleaned up our messes and sometimes like little children we would set off a few fireworks from time to time to alleviate boredom. The last crew would generally close up and then cross the street to the Mountain Tavern for a beer or two and a game of pool.In selling fireworks we would see single adult males, parents, grandparents and children . . . lots of children. The fireworks were labeled "safe and sane" so we could legally sell fireworks to any age. Most of us had grown up playing with fireworks both legal and illegal.It didn't take me long to develop my sales attitude. Having worked at my parents' motel from the seventh grade up to college, I knew about selling to the public. And as the son of small business owners I knew how important each sale was. For the Jaycees this was the fundraiser that allowed us to run many of

7 Tips to Get More Mileage Out of Your Online or Offline Publicity
You worked hard to get a story on your business in a popularwebsite or your local paper. Don't let your efforts ends there --here are seven tips to help you maximize your online and offlinepublicity: 1) Reprint, Reprint, Reprint! A favorable article on your company or products is marketing gold- it implies that the publication or website has given itsendorsement. The best part is that you can enjoy the benefits ofthis "third party endorsement" long after the article hasappeared. If you want to re-print an article from an offline publication inits entirety, you must get permission from the publication.  Mostpublications have special re-print departments to help you. The same rules apply for stories appearing on websites.  To re-print, take a screenshot - make sure to include the logo of themedia outlet. If there is a particularly juicy section of the article thatyou'd like to highlight, make sure to use a "blow-up" quote toenlarge and separate it from the rest of the article. 2) Add it to Your Website What better place to drumbeat your newly acquired media placementthan your website.  If you get a lot of publicity, set up aspecial area (for example, "As Seen In") to display yourplacements.  For a great story, highlight it on your homepage.Susan Blair does a nice job of displaying her publicity successesin her "Articles" section at http://www.blairenterprises.net Not