tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50751693565577530602024-02-27T02:09:38.268-05:00Better Business Bureau - Business News and Opinion BlogGet the latest business news and trustworthy tips from your BBB. Start With Trust®.Better Business Bureauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02599884696066094573noreply@blogger.comBlogger259125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-60554851430923986892016-06-30T20:55:00.003-04:002016-07-01T14:04:40.955-04:00We Can Hear You Now! How to Keep Business Communication Crystal Clear. <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">While the adage is true, “watch what you say,” it’s equally important to consider how and where you say it, too. The success of your small business relies on professionally-executed communication. A strong combination of the what (content), how (style) and where (channel) in your communication will prove triumphant and productive for your brand. </span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EiwTyKcBehU/V3W3JBoF8uI/AAAAAAAABJY/PUaj8zMLEPEyreEQwvsAtOBImSw7CedJgCLcB/s1600/man%2Bholding%2Bexclamation%2Bpoint%2Band%2Bquestion%2Bmark%2Bcommunication.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EiwTyKcBehU/V3W3JBoF8uI/AAAAAAAABJY/PUaj8zMLEPEyreEQwvsAtOBImSw7CedJgCLcB/s320/man%2Bholding%2Bexclamation%2Bpoint%2Band%2Bquestion%2Bmark%2Bcommunication.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SAY WHAT? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You receive an email from a colleague who needs a favor. It includes a lot of slang and ends with “know what I mean?” And you think to yourself, “no, I have no idea what you mean!” It’s common practice to be too casual when we communicate in professional settings. Perhaps, it’s in an effort to appear cool or suggest that something is “no big deal.” The thing is, if we don’t understand what's being requested, how can we judge if it’s a big deal...or not? </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do your best to not leave someone guessing. A request to edit a budget shouldn’t be comparable to working through a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sudoku</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> puzzle. Take time to be clear and concise. Personalities, gender, age and differing levels in the office hierarchy can all affect someone’s interpretation of your message. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be mindful and considerate of punctuation (it matters) and animation. Emoji’s have a time and a place and ALL CAPS almost always get lost in translation. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Invite opportunity for follow-up and or feedback. For example, ‘great job’ is vague. ‘Great job on that sales pitch -- it was engaging and inspirational’ is clear and constructive.</span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t assume. If in doubt, leave it out. Your sense of humor is not a carbon copy of your co-workers’ and there is a good chance they’ll be left wondering, if you were kidding. Save your stand-up routine for friends and family. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MORE THAN WORDS. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Successful exchanges aren’t just the content you deliver. Your reception, willingness to participate and reaction are all factors that play into effective communication. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you say you'll be “available,” it’s important to also be approachable. Wearing headphones when you’ve said you’re ready to help, sends mixed messages. However, if your door feels like it’s forever revolving, think about posting and hosting Office Hours. Set aside time when people can come by to see you. It’s flattering to be popular but you’ve also got work to do, we get it. Being organized about communication doesn’t downplay its importance. People will appreciate and respect your time, too. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With that said, not all office interactions are perfectly planned. Even if it’s spontaneous, people will leave a conversation with a formed perception. Take a deep breath or ask if they can come back in 5 minutes, so you can tie-up loose ends before chatting. That prep-time could prove valuable in managing and maintaining a relationship and make a positive outcome more likely. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Body language sends people a nonverbal message. If it’s poor, the communication can lose a lot of its value. Pointing fingers and folding your arms are negative behaviors. Also, a lack of eye contact during conversation is a no-no. Your facial expressions or lack thereof could leave someone feeling disrespected. Regardless of your role in a business, being engaged and focused on the other party will leave them feeling relaxed and empowered instead of perplexed and disregarded. Do unto others as you’d want done unto you. </span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AWR255w96IY/V3W3-h5ykPI/AAAAAAAABJg/mZvISnGHHw0XF4VQ90y_79E2TST8pnfnACLcB/s1600/Email%2Breceived%2Bon%2Bcomputer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AWR255w96IY/V3W3-h5ykPI/AAAAAAAABJg/mZvISnGHHw0XF4VQ90y_79E2TST8pnfnACLcB/s320/Email%2Breceived%2Bon%2Bcomputer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TUNE IN. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The channel you choose for your communication plays a hefty role in its success rate. Your medium of choice should match your message. Would you leave a sticky note to address a Human Resources issue? If so -- abort that mission. The sticky note might be easier but not always appropriate or considerate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Technology breathes life into most businesses. But not all platforms are created equally when communication is concerned. Remember your audience when you choose your channel to communicate. Is texting or a group text the best arena for detailed conversation about next month’s big picture project? </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-use-social-media-engagement-to.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Social media</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a powerful tool but it’s easy to get comfortable using it personally and blur lines of communication professionally. Just because you chat with your co-workers in </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whatsapp</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> when outside of the office, doesn’t mean you should discuss Q2 goals there as well. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Email is probably your go-to means of office communication, right? Since this is probably true for everyone -- that’s a lot of emails. Keep them to the point, if possible -- one screen long. Make the subject line relevant to the topic(s) covered and adjust it as needed. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Phone calls are a dying art -- guilty as charged -- but they do still happen and can be very necessary. Respect others’ time and keep the conversation focused. There’s a (really) good chance neither one of you want to be on the call but it could save you 2 days of email exchanges. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maintaining a face-to-face -- or at the very least verbal -- connection will always hold value in the workplace. Don’t get stuck in a technology rut. Distance making the heart grow fonder doesn’t exactly apply to business. Of course, there will be scenarios where you can’t be in the same place at the same time but making it a habit could create unnecessary friction. Make effort to congregate with colleagues, even if it’s only a monthly event. And if something involves feelings, default to in-person or phone. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If in-person meetings are infrequent or geographically challenged, try incorporating an organizational tool into your team structure. Our office uses </span><a href="https://trello.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trello</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to communicate due dates, check lists and status updates on projects. It’s especially helpful for collaborative efforts. When you’re working independently towards a common goal, it’s helpful to be on the same page or in the case of Trello, the same “board.” I do caution, a tool like this isn’t a standalone. Communication about expectations and strategies is best left to in-person meetings when possible. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Well-delivered, well-timed and considerately crafted communication saves you time and frustration. Why create a reason to repeat yourself (only more clearly), re-meet, or communicate on multiple channels? I’m exhausted just thinking about it. Not sure what tone or channel is best in a particular situation, take a moment to ask yourself, “how and where would I want to learn about this.” We can hear you now. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BBB’s News and Opinion Blog serves as your source for business topics and industry news like tips on </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-to-make-smart-hiring-decisions-for.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hiring for your small business</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-use-social-media-engagement-to.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ways to grow engagement with your audience using social media</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. For more information you can trust, visit us at bbb.org/boston, like us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBBconnection" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on </span><a href="http://twitter.com/bostonbbb" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bbbconnection/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instagram</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Written by</span><a href="https://twitter.com/stephmbenz" style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none; white-space: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephanie Benz</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. M</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>A</i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, ME, RI & VT.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gRdUQsdgNQ" style="text-decoration: none;"> </a></span></span><br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-79670695804155312862016-05-26T19:22:00.001-04:002016-05-31T22:45:41.236-04:0010 Ways to Increase the Reach, Popularity and Success of your Business<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you having a hard time finding folks who want what you’ve got? It could be time to (re) evaluate the state of your business. There’s no shame in wanting to improve the reach, popularity and success of your business. You can -- and should -- make time to investigate where you’re falling short. </span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UyCbR879GLo/V0d9P9tlvCI/AAAAAAAABBI/no89uPlOpmkEUWNA_HDulEhfiFPapFKWwCLcB/s1600/business%2Bman%2Bclimbing%2Bgraph%2Bsuccess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UyCbR879GLo/V0d9P9tlvCI/AAAAAAAABBI/no89uPlOpmkEUWNA_HDulEhfiFPapFKWwCLcB/s320/business%2Bman%2Bclimbing%2Bgraph%2Bsuccess.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wherever they go, you go.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> If your business is in a competitive marketplace, especially if your model includes a storefront, it might be worth considering moving communities to be closer to your primary audience. If you can’t or don’t see a move as a manageable option, pursue your audience via marketing. Where does your customer base or potential clientele spend their free time? How do they travel to work? Maintain a presence through advertising to passively get your message in front of your ideal crowd. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Show up.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It’s vital that your product and services are positioned in the right places online, in order to get noticed by your target demographic. BBB’s online Accredited Business directory serves as a reservoir of trustworthy businesses for the consumer when they make a purchasing decision. Will a potential client find you listed as Accredited? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">83% of people are more likely to purchase from a business displaying the BBB Accreditation Seal</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Plus, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7 out of 10 consumers prefer to do </span><a href="https://business.facebook.com/hashtag/business?source=feed_text&story_id=10154797664100830" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">business</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with a </span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/public/sales/join2" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BBB </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Accredited </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Business</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iR4RIFCUYwA?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you’re using social media to connect with potential customers (and you should be), don’t forget about </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/BBBofEasternMAMERIVT" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YouTube</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Producing how-to’s on topics that relate to your business or helpful tips trending in the industry can be excellent for framing your business as a marketplace leader. Demonstrating use of your product, your business’ participation in events you support in the community, and testimonials of your current customers sharing positive experiences are all worthwhile video content to further your reach. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Elementary, my dear business owner.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Always err on the side of simple when it comes to messaging. Short customer attention spans are an obstacle all businesses face. With that said, thank you for continuing to read this post! Overcome the customer’s tendency to move on by keeping your message straightforward. Also, make it easy to share, so they can spread the word on social media when they “like” it. Shed all the fluffy stuff while painting a clear picture of what you’re offering and how it will solve their problem(s). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yo, I’ll solve it.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Speaking of which, is your product or service in fact solving a problem for the customer? Because, this is gold. Measure the importance of this concept in gold doubloons and it would be worth, well, A LOT. If you aren’t sure that you’re providing a solution for your customers, try polling them to determine if you’re filling a need. Social media makes conducting </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-use-social-media-engagement-to.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a survey painless</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Or, when you send email to your customers, ask them to write you a </span><a href="http://bbb.org/customerreviews/boston" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Customer Review</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. You’ll get priceless feedback on their experience, while they share what they’ve learned with others. 92% of consumers read reviews. They give you a leg-up on the competition and, bonus, it’s free marketing. Is your customer service stellar or stinking? Is the product or service living up to its promises? Find areas for improvement via </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/01/11-tips-for-retaining-customers-treat.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">what your loyal customers are saying</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and apply it to getting more exposure for your business. Brilliant. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shout it from the rooftops. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once you establish what problems you’re good at solving, communicate this to the universe. Your social media accounts, blog and newsletter can be great vehicles to tell your story. If there’s a benefit -- such as the aforementioned problem-solving powers -- you offer, unlike others in your space or just one your customers love, highlight it! It could be your turnaround time on shipping orders, a “hidden gem” use for a product, or simply how effective your service has proven to be. Whatever it is, leverage it! Don’t be keep it a secret. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Comparison shop</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Look at other businesses in your space, or one with a similar business model, or better yet -- one you admire. What is that thriving business doing to get their product or service into the hands of the people who want it most? How can you differentiate what you offer from what they offer? It’s never too late and always wise to be up to date on what “the others” are doing. Check out business(es) on </span><a href="http://bbb.org/complaints/boston" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to see what complaints they have against them and what the issues focus on. Maybe there’s something missing in their business model that you have. Oh, and make sure you’re responding to your complaints, too. Sometimes a complaint is just a misunderstanding. Addressing it in a timely manner </span><a href="https://youtu.be/QCD0veDo_Ac?list=PLm3clwSpaPBFT33ocp7YliioJdSBBhJ65" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">could alleviate an issue altogether</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and potentially offer insight into your business. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Convert them with care (and class). </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make it easy for customers to leave the competition. Once you highlight your big benefit or service and it catches on, welcome them with open arms. Offer a new customer a sneak peek at your latest product or maybe it’s free shipping on their first order. Most importantly, if they leave someone else to choose you -- it’s imperative that you deliver. Be careful what measures you take to entice them. Biting off more than you can chew when luring in competitor’s clientele could come back to bite you. No one wants to try a new product or service, only to be disappointed. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take advantage of your assets.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Draw from your business’ strengths such as talented staff, a strong Board of Directors, connections in the industry or healthy financial backing. Tweak what needs tweaking, by using your existing resources. One free and easy-to-execute but easy-to-overlook strategy? Looking to your employees for answers. Your team is on the front lines dealing with the customer day-to-day and learning firsthand what isn’t working. What do they think could be at the root of the issue? They could hold the key to getting your brand into the right hands. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t close the door on change.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Just because you’ve been doing something for 10 years, doesn’t mean you should keep on keepin’ on. For example, be mindful of your sales cycle. When is product moving? When is it stagnant? If something isn’t selling and weighing you down, consider taking it out of the pipeline. If that invites anxiety over the thought of unsold merchandise, try creating a demand. Offers like “limited time only” could go a long way in moving product to be phased out. The market evolves and your business needs to as well. Intimidating to-do lists are the hardest to tackle but the reward is far greater than the medial ones. Embrace change and look at it as an opportunity, especially if the writing’s on the wall that something needs to give. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be the best, around. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ultimately, focus on what you do best. And if you’ve realized that you aren’t, get back to basics. Determine what it is that makes you unique and build from there. You already know what your strengths and weaknesses are because you asked your existing clientele. Use that feedback to determine how the customer benefits from choosing you and share it with the ones you’re trying to reach. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BBB’s News and Opinion Blog serves as your source for business topics and industry news like tips on </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-to-make-smart-hiring-decisions-for.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hiring for your small business</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-use-social-media-engagement-to.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ways to grow engagement with your audience using social media</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. For more information you can trust, visit us at bbb.org/boston, like us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBBconnection" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on </span><a href="http://twitter.com/bostonbbb" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bbbconnection/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instagram</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Written by</span><a href="https://twitter.com/stephmbenz" style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium; line-height: normal; text-decoration: none; white-space: normal;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephanie Benz</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gRdUQsdgNQ" style="text-decoration: none;"> </a></span></span></div>
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-16067155106465435332016-04-27T09:07:00.001-04:002016-05-09T14:41:26.777-04:00How to Make Smart Hiring Decisions for your Small Business<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facing a competitive and crowded labor market is a common challenge for small businesses. Rather than “the talent” competing for your job openings, it’s other businesses competing for the same talent. Add into the mix -- that as a small business owner -- a new hire essentially means adding a new family member. The employee becomes part of your presumably small inner circle. So as an entrepreneur, how do you acquire top talent -- against stiff competition -- who will also fit into your existing tribe? <b>9 ways to step-up your recruitment strategy: </b></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b1AIhNVK3ho/VyAgnjBZCGI/AAAAAAAAA94/SC3YKfWLVk4ueP71-mNoovrFdg6qRHSSQCLcB/s1600/hiring%2Bsigns%2Bhire%2Bwer%2527e%2Bhiring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-b1AIhNVK3ho/VyAgnjBZCGI/AAAAAAAAA94/SC3YKfWLVk4ueP71-mNoovrFdg6qRHSSQCLcB/s320/hiring%2Bsigns%2Bhire%2Bwer%2527e%2Bhiring.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>REACH OUT.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Consider looking outside your business’ immediate area to grow your team. If the locals don’t seem to fit the bill, or don’t answer your call for openings, stretch your reach to neighboring communities. The right candidate won’t mind making the move geographically and/or commuting a little further for the right workplace scenario. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>SEEK OUT THE SEEKERS</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Try looking on job search sites in the job ‘wanted’ section. This might include Craigslist and even the relevant newspapers. Candidates who are proactively and eagerly looking for work are likely ones you can count on to perform. Looking for new grads to fill empty shoes? Ensure your opportunities can be easily located and applied to via mobile apps and social media networking sites like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Indeed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Millenial job seekers are not just doing their job searching online. According to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 15.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-2015-accenture-college-graduate-employment-research.aspx," target="_blank">Accenture Strategy’s 2015 U.S. College Graduate Employment Study</a>, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">64% of 2015 graduates have used a mobile app to search for a new gig. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>TRY FLEXING.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Still not finding the right full-timers or the local labor pool seems particularly barren? Consider hiring a freelancer. Freelancers are often excited about helping a growing business. They can learn something new and contribute in the early stages of building your brand. Most come armed with a variety of experiences and a diverse portfolio. Plus, freelancers can contribute to your business on an as-needed basis. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>START SPREADING THE NEWS.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Referrals from successful employees -- who are already happy working for and with you -- or investors in your business can provide qualified leads. A passive job seeker who is connected to you via a respected colleague might just be a star candidate. Consider this, they are experienced and dedicated to their craft and are recommended by someone you trust. Oh -- and they aren’t job searching, so the only competition you’ll have is their current place of employment. </span></div>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GzM4YCoJlNs/VyAdrY7934I/AAAAAAAAA9k/Z5CBofCP4DoCNHLvZkBYl6FVPiqSZKeBgCLcB/s1600/puzzle%2Bpieces%2Bhiring%2Bpuzzle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GzM4YCoJlNs/VyAdrY7934I/AAAAAAAAA9k/Z5CBofCP4DoCNHLvZkBYl6FVPiqSZKeBgCLcB/s320/puzzle%2Bpieces%2Bhiring%2Bpuzzle.jpg" width="320" /></a><b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>HIRE FROM INSIDE THE LINES</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-2015-accenture-college-graduate-employment-research.aspx" target="_blank">72% of 2015 college graduates participated in an internship program</a> during their collegiate career (up from 65% in the prior year). An intern will have the opportunity to learn your business from the inside out and potentially get involved with a number of departments/projects/colleagues during their tenure. It’s a plausible solution to finding talent that fits. You have the advantage of determining if they will work well with your existing employees, while at the same time learning the business. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>BE MEMORABLE.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> There is both risk and reward in working for a small business. Do your potential hires know the reward, if they’re expected to set the DVR and burn the midnight oil? Promote your culture -- for example, what is unique about your business? Show candidates what they can expect via a tour of your space on their interview visit. It might even be worthwhile to have them shadow someone besides the hiring manager (namely you) before a decision is made. If an applicant rejects an offer, as for feedback about your culture. Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate. Ask your current crew what’s missing and you not only win brownie points for including them in the process but you’ll be poised to attract other people looking for the same benefits. Success for your growing business starts “at home” and if your employees aren’t “feeling” the culture you’re creating, they won’t be a long lasting investment. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>GIVE A LITTLE</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Be willing to offer more to your employees. The “more” doesn’t necessarily have to come in the form of dollar signs. Many new hires are satisfied with a well-rounded package of salary and benefits. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/3051732/the-future-of-work/how-companies-can-attract-the-best-young-talent" target="_blank">Sixty percent of the class of 2015 said they would prefer to work at a company with a positive social atmosphere</a> and earn a lower salary than make more money someplace where it's less fun to work.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Flexibility also goes a long way and can gel nicely with the vibe of a young business. Think about allowing some role players the option of working remotely as a perk.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>SCHOOL THEM</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Skills can be taught but personality is a plus and drive is a must. During a search, consider potential employees who are ready to embrace the adversity that often crops up with a small business. Also, ask yourself if you'd enjoy lunch with the new worker bee because if personalities don't click, how will you connect on projects? Having skilled employees who match both your vision and your enthusiasm is inevitably important. If someone is in a constant state of discomfort, it will show in team meetings and in front of a client. A willingness to train the right person will prove fruitful in the long run. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>TALK IT OUT</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. When you hold an interview, ask what a candidate does outside of the workplace? An employee’s hobby could prove to be a hidden gem skill set for your business. And this same line of questions, could also help you determine his/her potential fit in your workplace. Do they like to play softball and your business has a team or maybe he or she is active with local charities and your business encourages philanthropy. In a similar vein, how do they envision the future? While working at your small business may not be their life-long dream (although, bonus if so!) having this conversation can unveil how motivated the individual is to grow as a professional. Ambitious leaders-to-be will see working for you as a valuable experience and this exchange could reveal ideas worthy of being implemented by your brand when the new hire hits the ground running. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Does your small business have proven recruitment strategies? Share them in the comments! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BBB’s News and Opinion Blog serves as your source for business topics and industry news like <a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/01/11-tips-for-retaining-customers-treat.html" target="_blank">tips for customer retention</a> and <a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-use-social-media-engagement-to.html" target="_blank">how to use social media engagement to grow your business</a>. For more information you can trust, visit us at bbb.org/boston, like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bbbconnection" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, or follow us on <a href="https://www.twitter.com/bostonbbb" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/bbbconnection" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Written by</span><a href="https://twitter.com/stephmbenz" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephanie Benz</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gRdUQsdgNQ" style="text-decoration: none;"> </a></span><br />
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-45517728093208722182016-04-15T07:30:00.000-04:002016-04-15T09:39:24.902-04:004 Things that Really Matter for your Business’ SEO Strategies<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7142857142857142; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SEO (Search Engine Optimization) </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is one of the many ways of marketing on the Internet and it is becoming synonymous with content marketing. How effective a business’ SEO is, depends on many different factors. At the end of the day, every online business, small or big, needs to have a proper SEO strategy in order to make the most of their search engine rank and overall online visibility to improve their online traffic. There are other methods for businesses to remain visible and easily searchable online but proper Search Engine Optimization is the most effective because it gives you visibility on search engines where billions of searches are performed every single day.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Businesses have to be extra careful with their Search Engine Optimization these days because Google has made SEO a serious business. It was quite easy for SEO professionals to work for a website’s ranking in the past but with the passage of time, things have been made more strict. Though there is a lot that can be talked about when SEO is in question,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> here are a few things that must be given proper attention in order to guarantee the success of any SEO strategy:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Content is Still King</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Search Engine Optimization should not be discussed without talking about the importance of content. When Google’s Panda update was rolled out, it was thought in the beginning that content would lose its worth and value. Little did people know that Google was running that update to improve the quality of content on websites. When the Panda update from Google rolled out, it had a great effect on the websites that were ranking high on Google at that time. It was soon realized that Panda was supposed to make SEO experts improve their website’s content.</span></div>
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/7yqQ5sKqcAbzJQNQ5e74x57ntlhmc5oE0OBMQwwGUGf0LPQPShqfgiPIC4aeT3qMFJgkrSHzzmun5d-FFPBgcFaKL1_sLZuu-J7Bv62reiJTPP4KS2Qm_l0eo8dGDY9MP-GX8Jfl" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="SEO notebook and pen.jpg" border="0" height="266" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/7yqQ5sKqcAbzJQNQ5e74x57ntlhmc5oE0OBMQwwGUGf0LPQPShqfgiPIC4aeT3qMFJgkrSHzzmun5d-FFPBgcFaKL1_sLZuu-J7Bv62reiJTPP4KS2Qm_l0eo8dGDY9MP-GX8Jfl" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'proxima nova'; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.71429; white-space: pre-wrap;">For example, if your website contained duplicate content you could be sure you were going to get punished by Google. If the content of your website did not add value to the corresponding web pages, you were going to get punished for that as well. Slowly, websites moved away from stuffing keywords in their content only to get indexed and ranked higher in Google’s search results. In the same way, Google came up with the Hummingbird update that also focused a lot on the quality of content on the websites. In a nutshell, it’s crucial to offer quality content on your website and be sure that your pages are not light on content. Of course, don’t just add content to game the search engine system, add content that makes each page more valuable for your visitors. Remember it’s all about creating a nice online experience for your customers.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speed of the Website</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It has been proven over and over, that the speed at which your website loads has great effect on search engine ranking. The reason why Google pays so much attention to website’s loading speed is that it matters for the visitors. If visitors did not pay much attention to website loading speeds, we would expect Google to ditch this element from ranking algorithms. Most recent statistics have shown that website visitors will not stay on a website, if it takes more than 3 seconds to load. The percentage of visitors that will leave the website for a loading time more than this is 40%.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7142857142857142; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In simple words, if you want your website to rank high amongst Google’s top search result pages, you will have to improve your website’s loading time. If your website takes longer than 3 seconds, you can say goodbye to the 40% visitors who could be potential customers, too. You will have to work on the website’s coding and design in order to know all the things that are causing your website to load slowly. The web host you have chosen for your website, might also need consideration from you because the performance of their servers and bandwidth could affect your website’s loading time directly. Be sure to check your site with </span><a href="https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google Speed Test tool.</span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Quality of Backlinks</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The latest search engine optimization is all about quality links. When Google’s Penguin waddled into the world of SEO, it punished all the websites that had too many links that were of poor or spammy quality. Websites that had a huge number of backlinks were happy to welcome Google’s Penguin update initially, because they thought they had everything in place to stay in the top results. That was not the case when the Penguin update drew closer and was implemented.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img alt="seo link building tips" height="251" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/tqVlJlv6I4xCWtOVOi55KAmVcEHLqeq_BuDMTmGPi5X3tsPXH3kvMPAGBSu98wGhg2E_SKZeTl3j6zyXDmgLSYfxVrON_hpk1sfiHz_zxuddijXP8uZmSMcPC6Fy2wZSY3F8YLYV" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7142857142857142; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Soon the websites with poor, spammy links were penalized and saw their rank start to fall. Google then allowed the websites to ward off some of the beatings from the Penguin update through their link disavow tool. All of this was only done to improve the quality of backlinks. If you wish to see your website in the top results you will have to work diligently on quality backlinks. It’s best to get links from websites that have a good reputation on the Internet (high Domain Authority) and that are not involved in anything shady. You can visit the </span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Better Business Bureau</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to look up a business and reference customer reviews, complaints and other resources regarding their practices before engaging with them in an online relationship. Websites infested with viruses and malware -- and those promoting bad content -- are going to pull you down in search results with them. It’s best to focus your link building efforts on the top 5 companies in your industry that are considered very trustworthy by your industry peers. Then have another list of sites that are perhaps not quite the A players in your industry but the B Team. You will probably have better luck with these B players initially because the A’s typically receives a lot of requests for guest blog opportunities and use of external links. You might even want to target a third tier of sites too, the C Team. You can use the </span><a href="https://moz.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Moz</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> bar tool which is free to assess each of these sites to determine their Domain Authority (DA) score.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Important On Page Factors</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. There are many on-page factors that decide how high your website will rank on Google search results. For example, it is important that you make your title tag with the keyword in it. When your website’s web page appears on the Google search result pages, it’s the title that appears most prominently. Furthermore, the description tag of your website should also contain your main keyword along with other secondary keywords. Another thing that most experts suggest is that the content on your web pages should be long enough to look informative to people. As a good rule of thumb, each page should have at least 500 words.</span></div>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.7142857142857142; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Canonical tag is another important item needing attention, if you have a huge website with many web pages. This tag plays a hefty role for ecommerce websites because duplicate content for ecommerce websites is inevitable. With the use of canonical tag, signals can be sent to Google that even if there is identical content on two pages of the website. Google must not consider the content duplicate but treats both the pages as one. Don’t forget about the images on the pages since they are unavoidable too. Always put a description with the image and a clear caption.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you follow these core SEO tactics, your site should be in good shape and over time -- with consistent effort -- your rank should rise. Please note, the tactics and factors mentioned in this post are just some of the top strategies and not all inclusive. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Want more on the topic of SEO? Get tips on </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2015/08/effective-keyword-strategy-and-use-for.html" style="line-height: 1.71429; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">effective keyword strategy</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for strong SEO results. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">BBB’s News and Opinion Blog</span></a> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">serves as your source for business topics and industry news like </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-use-social-media-engagement-to.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">how to use social media engagement to grow your business</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/01/11-tips-for-retaining-customers-treat.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tips for customer retention</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. For more information you can trust, visit us at</span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org/boston</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBBconnection" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on</span><a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bbbconnection/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instagram</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Written by Guest Blogger, </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/+ChristianHabermann/posts" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christian Habermann</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of BBB Accredited Business, <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://auctusmarketing.com/" target="_blank">Auctus Marketing</a></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ymebqh0zKPlyCu-m1VEyJ11fJpBWvPDF--TwjOoXF0GI974yNwnYvs86O9H_9i0MlVf2fYfKQchyphDIOUQ3rssC5SoWYrS9mkDho6ShFx3tYKKpQdqC8X-_C70JAQwuyUYoL7Vx" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Christian Habermann" border="0" height="100" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ymebqh0zKPlyCu-m1VEyJ11fJpBWvPDF--TwjOoXF0GI974yNwnYvs86O9H_9i0MlVf2fYfKQchyphDIOUQ3rssC5SoWYrS9mkDho6ShFx3tYKKpQdqC8X-_C70JAQwuyUYoL7Vx" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="100" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Christian Habermann is the founder of Auctus Marketing and is a leader and innovator in the online marketing world. He is very involved in the local startup scene in Boston, MA. He co-founded ConsumerUnited.com, now Goji.com, which is one of the fastest growing online insurance companies and has made the Inc. 500 List the past 3 years. He loves to help companies of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 500s, embrace the online marketing world to grow their business. He is the author of "SEO for 2014” and holds an MBA in marketing from Vanderbilt.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "proxima nova"; line-height: 31.7953px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you an Accredited Business and have interest in guest blogging for BBB? Connect with Senior Social Media Associate, </span><a href="http://twitter.com/stephmbenz" style="font-family: 'Proxima Nova'; line-height: 31.7953px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Stephanie Benz</a><span style="font-family: "proxima nova"; line-height: 31.7953px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for details. </span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-80151454805742834942016-03-18T07:00:00.000-04:002016-06-30T21:15:58.096-04:00How to Use Social Media Engagement to Grow your Business<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<b><a href="http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/social%20media" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Social Media</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:</span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and micro-blogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos). </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have a common definition -- but are you left wondering, how can I effectively use social media to grow my business? According to a <a href="http://mycustomer.com/resources/driving-growth-through-customer-engagement" target="_blank">customer engagement report produced by Microsoft</a>, 97% of small and medium-sized businesses view engagement as a top priority for their business but 41%</span><span style="font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> say they don't make the most of </span><span style="font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">their social media presence</span><span style="font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 20.24px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Here are 15 ways to build up engagement on your social media platforms:</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>FRONT AND CENTER. </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make it easy for people to find your business on social media. Your social buttons should be easily recognized on your website. It’s also helpful to cross-promote your accounts with one another. </span><a href="http://google.com/+BBBinEMAMERIVT15" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google +</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45bCEzBRJvk" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YouTube</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> make this especially easy, encouraging you to include a list of your social pages when you build your “About Us” sections. As a general rule of thumb, your social media channels should be complete and always include a link to your business’ site and/or contact info. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>EMBRACE YOUR SPECIAL SAUCE.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> What’s your wheelhouse? Find it. Love it. Use it. Projecting a consistent message and aesthetic -- for example, incorporating your business’ color scheme in your Instagram posts -- on social media will keep folks attentive and interested in what you have to share, say and sell. Being genuine will prove impactful when your audience is faced with choosing your product or your competitor’s. Stay sincere and they’ll stay engaged. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>THINK FIRST, POST SECOND.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Before you hit “send,” “publish,” or “share,” do your due diligence to keep your messaging professional, even if the post is light-hearted. Rushed (read as: grammatical and spelling errors) or confusing content could translate to losing a follower. Investing a little time in proofreading will save you time potentially spent explaining away a wince-inducing message. Thoughtfully-produced content will pull users into your social media circle and closer to your brand. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>EASY DOES IT. </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Share about your brand’s ongoings but stick to the 80/20 rule. That’s 20% about your business and 80% about something or someone else. Why? Sharing </span><a href="http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/8020-rule-why-just-20-your-social-media-content-should-be-about-your-brand" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">useful content from respected sources</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> builds legitimacy for your brand and you in turn build a reputation as a reliable resource. When using other’s content, tag them to let them know you’ve given them a public shout-out. There’s a good chance they’ll recognize you in return. It isn’t uncommon for unspoken alliances to form between brands and unofficial ambassadors on social media, simply by sharing and favoriting posts. Try it, you might “like” it! [Sorry, I had to!] </span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dz_O0CT-kVU/VutK53yo3nI/AAAAAAAAA7M/sffhPor6kXIFUaNxvIJyBh4QBMLcdu8_Q/s1600/social%2Bmedia%2Bterms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dz_O0CT-kVU/VutK53yo3nI/AAAAAAAAA7M/sffhPor6kXIFUaNxvIJyBh4QBMLcdu8_Q/s320/social%2Bmedia%2Bterms.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>MIX IT UP. </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep things interesting. Use images, emojis (emoticons), hashtags, videos and gifs in your social media posts. Via an </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amex Open Forum </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Study </span><a href="https://blog.bufferapp.com/best-time-to-tweet-post-to-facebook-send-emails-publish-blogposts" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">emoticon posts have a 33% higher share rate</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 33% higher comment rate and 57% higher like rate on </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Hashtags allow you to reach not only your direct followers but any non-followers interested in that tag. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TrackMaven</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> shares that </span><a href="https://blog.bufferapp.com/5-data-driven-ways-to-get-your-facebook-post-seen" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">posts with hashtags</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> see 60% more interaction (clicks). </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Similarly, according to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hubspot</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, tweets with images see a 55% increase in leads. The numbers don't lie. Using visuals improves engagement. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>CRISS-CROSS.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Cross-promoting content across your social media accounts expands your reach and potentially draws followers of one account, over to another. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharing a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YouTube</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> video on your other social media mediums could prove very powerful for your business, especially if what you have to offer is better expressed in a visual format. Another common practice is sharing </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instagram</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> posts onto other social channels. It’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">worth noting, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">according to </span><a href="http://simplymeasured.com/twitter-analytics/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Simply Measured</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> photos uploaded directly to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> receive 5x more engagement vs.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Instagram</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> posts that are shared to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. So, that strategy may vary for your brand. Try different approaches to see what unveils stronger results. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>TOOL TIME.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Take advantage of the tools offered by the social media platforms you use. Most have a basic analytic section allowing you to dissect your activity and the behavior of your audience. Best practice: Make note of what time of day your posts generate top engagement and what type of messages are getting the most impressions and/or likes. If you take the time to review your audience’s behaviors, you’ll have an easier time reaching them and keeping them engaged. If you’re paying for a service like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hootsuite</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sprout Social </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to post onto your social media accounts, schedule a call or online chat with your rep to understand their offerings and what’s included in your contract. The better understanding you have of the tools you use to reach your audience, the better outcome you’ll see. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>LISTEN UP. </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Conducting social listening can be as easy as searching for a hashtag, following a trend of interest, or watching another account. For example, keeping a keen eye on your competition could shed light on how to engage a larger audience for your own business. It’s not sneaky to be aware of your competitor’s social media activity, it’s savvy. Consider monitoring platforms for trending topics, do they affect your business? If so, how could you benefit from being involved in the conversation? Participate in social conversations that promote annual holidays and community events. As long as you stay true to your brand and aren’t forcing your involvement, you’ll align yourself with new audience members aka potential customers. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>SAY HEY.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Interact with your followers. They’re following you for a reason and it’s your job to keep them in your corner. Post consistently in both tone and timing (remember your Special Sauce from above). Avoid going long stretches without sharing content on your platforms, people lose interest easily -- they have options and you have competition. An un-follow is as easy as…POOF. Likewise, respond to all comments on your social posts. Your social media accounts might be the only way an individual connects with your brand. Make it personal but keep it professional: Signing responses with your initials or name (if characters allow) proves you aren’t a robot and </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/01/11-tips-for-retaining-customers-treat.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">strengthens the relationship you’re working to establish or maintain.</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> No one likes robotic conversation. Sorry, robots. The same goes for when you address a party, use their first name. Offer additional follow up via direct message or email depending on the social platform’s offerings. This builds trust and comfort and therefore future engagement possibilities. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>TWEET, TWEET, REPEAT</b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A tweet has an 8-minute lifespan. Translation: Don’t be afraid to repeat an important message or one that has proven to engage people via your </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> account. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wisemetrics</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 55% of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">users repeat their tweets. On average, a </span><a href="http://www.wiselytics.com/blog/should-you-repeat-your-tweets-facts-and-figures-from-1m-tweets/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2nd tweet gets 86% as much performance as the first run.</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It’s well worth repeating when it’s a given you’ll reach even more folks with your message. Also, c</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">onsider </span><a href="http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/133460-how-does-twitter-s-new-quote-tweet-feature-work-and-why-is-it-so-good" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">quote tweeting</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and retweeting content so the audience sees you give credit where credit is due and that you appreciate their engagement.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>GET CHATTY.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Engage in other accounts’ live chats on social media. This is a wordy way to get in front of your pursuits while offering valuable content. Want to give it a go, yourself? Try </span><a href="http://www.definitiontoday.com/content/how-to-host-a-succsessful-twitter-chat" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hosting a live chat</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. This can be a solo effort or you may choose to co-host with an ambassador or influencer of your brand. A chat can occur in several forms but most popular would be a Q&A or an “ask anything” format. In a nutshell, both require a hashtag and someone monitoring the account in real-time. Use an easy-to-type hashtag, so you can find participants’ questions and replies during your chat. Welcome them, thank them and follow up with them. </span><br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EjHEeLskkpg/VutCQJGZ0gI/AAAAAAAAA6g/80NsqR0o0fkussdmsq5xlUJyysu6iWh3A/s1600/TwitterPromo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EjHEeLskkpg/VutCQJGZ0gI/AAAAAAAAA6g/80NsqR0o0fkussdmsq5xlUJyysu6iWh3A/s400/TwitterPromo.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recently, we held a live chat via BBB’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Twitter</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> accounts. We opted for the open framework aka “ask us” format -- implementing an #AskBBB hashtag. What did we learn in our first experience hosting? Consider the timing -- when will people be online BUT also be available to chat. Part I of our chat was held at lunchtime. The posts got a lot of views but people were maybe prioritizing their taco and guacamole (oh, the nerve!). With that said, views (otherwise known as impressions) are always good. The next level would be reaching those same people when they’re available to engage. Part 2 of our chat took place in the evening and saw both impressions and an increase in engagement. We'll apply these metrics to the next chat we conduct. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>GET IN THE ZONE.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Participate in forums and groups such as those hosted on </span><a href="https://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1164/~/groups---getting-started" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. When someone interacts with you in a group, ideally you’d like them to end up on your </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">profile and learn something about your business. Provide helpful and relevant content and have an open profile that suitably represents your brand. In addition to organized groups, sporadically interact with the accounts you follow on your social media platforms. It shows you’re paying attention and not just following for the gesture of a follow. Plus, your interaction will be a reminder of your willingness to be a resource. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>GIVE IT AWAY, NOW.</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> If your budget (and HR department) permits, consider hosting contests via your social media accounts. Maybe it’s requesting a page” like” with a user adding their email address in the comment field. Or asking for the follower to repost a picture on Instagram and tag a friend in the copy? Either are short order tasks for folks who want -- and like -- to win! Make sure to </span><a href="http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/17-tips-for-successful-facebook-contests/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">clearly define the rules</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and have it approved by the appropriate channels in your chain of command. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LET THEM DELIVER</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ask your followers to share your content. Loyal followers will see this as an opportunity to be a driver of your brand to their friends, “hey, did you know about these guys.” Keep your call-to-action simple. Instructions that are too involved will distract and turn off your audience. Encourage users to share content and thank them for doing so! Did a user share something positive about your brand? Or </span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/reviews" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">review their experience</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with you? Why not ask them if you can share it on your website as a testimonial and link back to that social platform from your site. It promotes your brand, a positive consumer experience and your social media channel. Talk about a triple threat! And if an account mentions you, jump right in! Re-share their message and always (always) thank them. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>GET TO THE POLLS. </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Running polls is easy on platforms like </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Twitter</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Facebook</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Do you care about your audience’s opinion -- that deserves all caps -- YES, YOU DO! Why not ask them? Polls are a simple maneuver to involve your followers and hopeful followers-to-be, while at the same time collecting their preference on a topic, product or service. You name it. Have fun with it. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How do you engage with your audience on social media? Have you found techniques that work for your brand? Share in the comments below! B</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BB’s News and Opinion Blog serves as your source for business topics and industry news like </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/02/taxes-how-small-business-can-tackle-tax.html" style="line-height: 2.16786; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ways your business can tackle tax season</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2016/01/11-tips-for-retaining-customers-treat.html" style="line-height: 2.16786; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tips for customer retention</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. For more information you can trust, visit us at</span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="line-height: 2.16786; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org/boston</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBBconnection" style="line-height: 2.16786; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on</span><a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" style="line-height: 2.16786; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont" style="line-height: 2.16786; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">Written by</span><a href="https://twitter.com/stephmbenz" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Stephanie Benz</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;">, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT.</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gRdUQsdgNQ" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></a></span><br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-69347124600858258532016-02-23T13:04:00.000-05:002016-02-23T22:10:42.712-05:00Taxes: How Your Small Business Can Tackle Tax Season<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.656; white-space: pre-wrap;">For many business owners, tax season is perceived as headache season but taxes don’t have to be a hassle. Strategies like keeping your records in order all year long, familiarizing yourself or your staff with the relevant deductions and regulations as well as understanding your tax return post-filing will prove valuable. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.656; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are several tips to help you master taxes.</b></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vdMKEQkI0V0/VsyYnCnZhiI/AAAAAAAAA4A/7v3eFs2s_fM/s1600/tax%2Btime%2Bcomputer%2Bscreen%2Bhand%2Bmouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vdMKEQkI0V0/VsyYnCnZhiI/AAAAAAAAA4A/7v3eFs2s_fM/s320/tax%2Btime%2Bcomputer%2Bscreen%2Bhand%2Bmouse.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vdMKEQkI0V0/VsyYnCnZhiI/AAAAAAAAA4A/7v3eFs2s_fM/s1600/tax%2Btime%2Bcomputer%2Bscreen%2Bhand%2Bmouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About 60 percent of small business owners say they</span><a href="https://defendmainstreet.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Bring-Small-Business-Back-White-Paper2.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">spend more than 40 hours a year dealing with federal taxes.</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.656; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dial down the stress and save some time by staying organized year-round. You don’t only need well-kept numbers for tax prep purposes but business owners often need to provide financials when in the pursuit of investors or lenders. Why not glean twice the benefits simply by being systematic about what you spend? Sifting through receipts and files a day before deadline is no one’s daydream. Stay one step ahead by making the time to be organized. Put a system in place or bring someone on board who has the time and expertise to assist.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Don’t Miss a Minus</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make the time you invest into organizing your tax records worth it. Understand what qualifies your personal effects and spaces as write-offs and keep accurate track of their usage. Don’t overlook deductions like your car and your home office. Track mileage and parking charges you’ve incurred for business travel. Is your home the primary location where you conduct your business? Or is there a space in your home dedicated exclusively to your business operations? You can deduct the relevant expenses. New to the business ownership bracket? Claim start-up business expenses like computers, furniture and inventory. Courting new clients? You can write-off</span><a href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc512.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">50% of business entertainment expenses</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> like business lunches. Stick with the trend of being organized and record who attends and the nature of those outings. You won’t regret having records to back-up the deductions you’ve claimed when it means avoiding an audit or at least being prepared, in case the IRS randomly selects your return.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Make it your Business to Know, or Go Pro</span></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">According to the National Small Business Association, <a href="http://www.nsba.biz/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-Taxation-Survey.pdf" target="_blank">nearly 60 percent of business owners</a> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">say administrative burdens were the biggest problems posed by federal taxes. Tax code is complicated -- especially with new regulations in place such as</span><a href="https://www.irs.gov/Affordable-Care-Act/Affordable-Care-Act-Tax-Provisions" style="line-height: 1.656; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">healthcare law</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the permanent tax break via an</span><a href="https://www.nationalfunding.com/laws-legislation/section-179-tax-deductions-become-permanent/" style="line-height: 1.656; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">extension to Section 179</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which addresses deducting depreciable assets (equipment) up to $500,000 based on an organization’s gross revenue [</span><a href="http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/270128" style="line-height: 1.656; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Section 179 Infographic</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">] -- perhaps so much so that code is a catalyst for many small business owners to hire a tax preparer come tax season. It’s crucial to check tax laws every year. If you have an in-house accountant or bookkeeper, confirm he/she has access to the most current information which is not only vital for tax filing in the present but for planning for your business’ future. Hiring a tax professional means added money and time spent for a typically already budget conscious small business but the NSBA’s report revealed that</span><a href="http://www.nsba.biz/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-Taxation-Survey.pdf" style="line-height: 1.656; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">85 percent of business owners surveyed</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> relied on a professional to prepare their returns. With a looming hope for lower taxes on small businesses, make sure you take the time to research a trustworthy tax preparer before you <a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/tax-tips" target="_blank">pay someone to crunch the numbers for you</a>. It’s important to avoid penalties and equally important that you’re getting all those deserved deductions.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Roll Call</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s essential to accurately classify your employees. Full-time employees and freelancers (independent contractors) are two very different animals when it comes to tax filing and reporting income. Remote worker bees and telecommuters continue to make more appearances in workplace dynamics -- and on payrolls -- and in many cases are a necessary element for small business success. Be careful, don’t get fined because your employees’ roles with the business are not accurately defined. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Intuit</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> offers a worker “</span><a href="http://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/1099-w2-employee-calculator/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">wizard</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” to help you classify team members as an independent contractor or employee.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Review to Avoid a Repeat</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It takes time but it’s a simple practice to put into place. Reviewing your business’ return with an accountant will provide guidance for future endeavors. Understanding the return and what it means for your business will unveil areas needing improvement and how you can avoid tax mishaps or set yourself up for similar success moving forward.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/IRS-Tax-Calendar-for-Businesses-and-Self-Employed" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">IRS Calendar for Small Business and Self-Employed</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/news-events/bbb-scam-alerts/2015/10/scam-alert-scammers-impersonate-the-irs/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Watch out for Scammers Impersonating the IRS</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.bbb.org/scamtracker/boston/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Report a Tax Related Scam</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Online-Learning-and-Educational-Products" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Online Tax Tools for Small Business</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Rhode-Island-Tax-Workshops-Meetings-and-Seminars" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Rhode Island Tax Awareness Workshop</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Vermont-Tax-Workshops-Meetings-and-Seminars" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Vermont Small Business Seminar</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.mass.gov/portal/business/taxes/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Massachusetts Business Taxes and Employer Obligations</span></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/corp/smallbusiness.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Maine Secretary of State's Small Business Resources page</span></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BBB offers a <a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/tax-tips" target="_blank">directory of qualified tax preparers and accountants</a>, important IRS resources and tips on how to avoid tax scams for the 2016 tax season. </span></span><span style="background-color: #f4f4f4; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">F</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">or more information you can trust, visit us at</span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="line-height: 1.80655; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org/boston</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBBconnection" style="line-height: 1.80655; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on</span><a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" style="line-height: 1.80655; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont" style="line-height: 1.80655; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Written by</span><a href="https://twitter.com/stephmbenz" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephanie Benz</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT.</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gRdUQsdgNQ" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meet Steph</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-79872092616571839422016-01-21T19:46:00.001-05:002016-02-15T19:47:54.701-05:0011 Tips for Retaining Customers: Treat them like Royalty to Maintain their Loyalty<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you struggle to keep customers on board with your brand -- don’t worry, you aren’t alone. Via a 2015 survey conducted by </span><a href="http://news.constantcontact.com/research/personal-sacrificesprofessional-rewards-small-business-owners" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Constant Contact</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, retaining existing customers (40%) is one of the top 3 leading concerns among U.S. small business owners. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Regardless of your business’ industry, age, location or demographic, holding onto your customers is vital to your brand’s lifeline. Your customer base is the bread and butter of your bottom line. So what can you do? Treating them a little like family will go a long way. If you want loyalty, treat them like royalty. Can’t be too hard, right? Here are 11 </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tips for retaining customers. </span></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0csA650sBM4/VqF55ARxr9I/AAAAAAAAA1U/L02sd0GlBH4/s1600/customer%2Bretention.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0csA650sBM4/VqF55ARxr9I/AAAAAAAAA1U/L02sd0GlBH4/s320/customer%2Bretention.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Start with a firm handshake. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This works both literally and figuratively. Whether meeting your customers (or prospective customers) in person or virtually, first impressions are critical. Strive to position your business in a positive space in his/her memory. Making a strong introduction will serve you well when it comes time for a customer’s future purchase decisions. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make them feel at home. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A welcome package or program is an essential piece of your relationship with a customer. An introductory phone call, email or visit demonstrates that the brand is personally invested in the customer. Offering a welcoming environment to your customer base will allow you to set expectations, provide policies and learn more about those supporting your business.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t fade away. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Competition is fierce in every market. Nurture your customers with</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">periodic phone calls, visits and recognition. </span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/programs-services/speakersbureau/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BBB’s Community Outreach Team</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is out in the field, connecting with Accredited Businesses in our service area. Our Specialists take this time to answer questions, update on BBB offerings and align a face with the brand. According to </span><a href="https://strativity.com/april-news-the-influence-of-frequency-delight-on-loyalty-infographic/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Strativity</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, frequency of interaction builds loyalty and advocacy: 87% daily, 64% weekly, 49% monthly and 33% few times/year. Staying in touch with your customers allows you to show appreciation for their support as well as keep your brand top-of-mind (and hopefully in front of your competitors). It also presents an opportunity for educating on product and service offerings.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Easy like Sunday morning. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make working with your business painless. Daunting processes, especially online, detract from the customer experience. Keep things easy to navigate. The same goes for when it comes time to renew a contract with your customer. The easier it is for the user to stay loyal, the more appealing it will be and the higher likelihood they’ll continue to choose you. Customers crave an effortless and efficient experience. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Customers are the real MVP.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Keep your regulars happy by incorporating the art of personalization. Whether it’s an email, phone call or marketing materials -- do your best to customize their experience with your brand. Make your MVP’s feel like VIP’s. A small gesture like a birthday email with a discount or recognizing </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">their</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> business’ milestone will go a long way. Personal offers and recommendations based on their past participation or purchases show you listen to what your customer needs. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make memories. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just because you make it simple to engage with your business, doesn’t mean it can’t also be memorable. What’s the first thing you’re likely to discuss after interacting with a customer service specialist? Were they nice, helpful, patient or the complete opposite? SDL conducted </span><a href="http://www.sdl.com/ilp/cxc/rules-of-customer-experience.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a global study</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> across three generations and 9 countries and found once a customer experiences what they consider a major customer experience failure, 64% will stop recommending the organization, start looking for an alternative brand or actively disparage the company via word of mouth, social media or other online channels. Be remembered for the right reasons. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be timely and reliable. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As is true in any relationship, communication is key. A study organized by Aspect Software on </span><a href="http://www.aspect.com/uk/company/news-and-events/press-releases/customer-serve-thy-self-new-study-reveals-millennials-desire-for-self-service-digital-interaction-to-change-customer-service-forever" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">consumers and their preferences</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> regarding customer service revealed 76% of American shoppers view customer service as a "true test" of how much a brand values them. This means the pressure is on to not disappoint. Don’t panic. Communicate in a timely fashion when fielding inquiries and be accessible. If customers can’t find you to communicate with you, how can you hold up your end of the relationship? Offer official hours for customer service and when your team can’t be available -- ensure that your website offers as much info as possible for troubleshooting when you go dark. Include FAQ’s and how-to’s. Building a dynamic with your customers that includes consistent and reliable communication will breed loyalty. This is equally important when a customer is unhappy. If and when a business receives a complaint via BBB, there is an opportunity for your business to efficiently resolve what might have only been a misunderstanding. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span> <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QCD0veDo_Ac?rel=0" width="560"></iframe> <span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Show gratitude.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> It goes without saying that producing a quality product or service is imperative in order to keep people coming back. After you’ve made that stellar sale, it’s equally important to thank your customers for well, being a customer. Don’t assume your customers know how much they mean to you. You appreciate them, so why not tell them? And while you are at it -- ask them to tell you about their experience. </span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/reviews/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Customer reviews</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> can provide helpful feedback to help you get a jump on competition, learn about improvements needed and grow your relationship with the customer. And when you get that feedback -- especially if constructive -- don’t let it fall on deaf ears. Let customers know you heard their suggestions and invite them to try something new, different or improved. In some cases, a simple survey with your long term customers can be very eye opening.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Celebrate, good times -- c’mon.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The more your customers feel like an MVP, the more likely they’ll be to continue supporting your business. Try reminding them with rewards. The small time and money you spend to reward your devotees will pale in contrast to the return you could see. Offer renewal and or referral programs. Show appreciation for your customers who recommend your product or service to family and friends with a discount or added perks. Better yet, if rewards -- like that 10% coupon you offer, could be shared -- </span><a href="https://www.newnorth.com/loyalty-stats-you-need-to-know-in-2015/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">70% of consumers would shop more often and 45% would spend more! </span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep spinning, to keep winning. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Continue to win over your customers by staying relevant. The Earth will keep spinning and so should your brand. In order to continue to offer a solution to a problem, you may very well need to evolve. Stay mindful of what the marketplace is dictating along with what you’re learning from your loyal customers and adjust your business plan as necessary. For example, </span><a href="http://www.smartinsights.com/marketplace-analysis/customer-analysis/digital-marketing-statistics-sources/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">80% of Internet users own a smartphone</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Is your business mobile-ready? Having a presence where your customers are puts you in a position to succeed. Similarly, offering convenience will always win. Today that means interacting on </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2015/07/preparing-your-small-business-for-growth.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">social media platforms</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. From NewsCred, </span><a href="http://newscred.com/theacademy/learn/millennial-mind" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">62% of millennials</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> feel that online content drives their loyalty to a brand. And those millennials (ages 18-34)...they make up approximately 75 million of the U.S. population. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All hands on deck.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> When trying to keep customers on board, make sure your team is on board with the importance of customer satisfaction. Retention doesn’t start and stop with the customer service team alone. The value of your existing customers should be understood business-wide. On average, </span><a href="https://www.newnorth.com/loyalty-stats-you-need-to-know-in-2015/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">customer retention rates are 18% higher</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> when employees are highly engaged in the retention program. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We want to know -- how loyal are your customers? What programs or practices do you implement to keep your customers loyal to your brand? </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at</span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org/boston</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBBconnection" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on</span><a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont" style="font-family: georgia, 'times new roman', serif; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn</span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Written by </span><a href="https://twitter.com/stephmbenz" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephanie Benz</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gRdUQsdgNQ" target="_blank">Meet Steph</a>. </span></span></div>
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-46727440512783966872015-12-24T12:31:00.000-05:002015-12-24T12:31:01.611-05:00Giving Back: How Team BBB Makes a Difference<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This time of year, it feels extra special to give more and take less! The holidays just have that effect on us. Some individuals also take the initiative to give back year round. Meet just a handful of </span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/bbb/employeedirectory/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BBB team</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> members whose generosity is more than worthy of a “thank you!" In making the gift of kindness sound easy, they inspire us to do some good everyday. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>AMY SCHRAM</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://sagaftra.foundation/childrens-literacy/about/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BookPALS</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) is a signature children’s literacy program of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation designed to provide an opportunity for performers, gifted in the art of storytelling, to help develop a love of reading in children and give back to their local communities.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">With teachers for parents, Amy has always loved school. In addition to her upbringing surrounded by educators, she has held roles in the field of education and performing arts including an elementary school, library. theatre camps and talent agencies. “Being able to give back to underprivileged children is a gift to me, just as much as it is for them.” Her favorite part of working with <i>BookPALS</i> is being in the classroom reading to the children -- seeing their faces light up when you walk in the room. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://wish.org/" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Make-A-Wish-Foundation</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">’s</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> mission is to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Amy’s passion for the performing arts includes time spent with <i>The Walt Disney World Company</i> in Orlando, FL. It was during her time spent as a Disney employee that her heart was truly warmed by Make-A-Wish’s efforts. As a performer she was able to see first hand the absolute magic that this experience creates for families. “To see the faces of not only the wish children light up, but their families as well, is something I will never forget. Being able to shine a bit of hope and help them enjoy happiness and respite from their daily medical routines, drives me to want to involve myself even more.” When Amy moved back to Massachusetts from Florida, she felt this organization was a great way to stay involved and spread a little ‘pixie dust ‘ outside of Disney!</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qc_EEM0xeVI/VnwlvKsyAuI/AAAAAAAAAwc/WoxghmLtOhE/s1600/people%2Bin%2Bcircle%2Bwith%2Bword%2BGive.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qc_EEM0xeVI/VnwlvKsyAuI/AAAAAAAAAwc/WoxghmLtOhE/s320/people%2Bin%2Bcircle%2Bwith%2Bword%2BGive.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><u>Random Acts of Kindness</u> In addition to regular volunteering with the above mentioned organizations, Amy used a recent vacation to demonstrate 30 Random Acts of Kindness. In celebration of her own 30th birthday, she made others feel special. On the trip to Disney World, she handed out stickers and jellybeans to children waiting in line, lollipops to toll booth attendants, and notebooks to "princesses" hoping for magical autographs from their favorites. Though some of Amy's 30 gestures remained anonymous, most of her efforts involved face-to-face interaction with both guests and park employees. All together it was a simple way to give a little and have it mean a lot. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BellinghamHighSchoolBoysSoccerBoosters" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bellingham High School Soccer Boosters</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is a parent-run, nonprofit group that provides support for the boys soccer program.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Joan has volunteered and served as Treasurer of the boosters for the past 5 years. She was motivated to get involved with the group in order to help make soccer a fun experience for her boys. Joan’s favorite part of volunteering for the organization is "being able to provide the players with things that are outside the school's budget like warm-up jackets and hats, team bonding events, additional equipment, a banquet and awards."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.specialolympicsma.org/events/fundraising-events/polar-plunge/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Polar Plunge</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is the best day at the beach all year — and it’s in the middle of winter! Every year Special Olympics Massachusetts’ brrrravest supporters are “Freezin’ for a Reason” when they plunge into icy Atlantic waters. Plungers and Chickens (fundraisers who don’t take the plunge) compete for bragging rights in various team and individual fundraising categories, and are then treated to a big party on the beach with music, food, costume contests and more!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This year is Zinda’s third year doing the Polar Plunge for The Massachusetts Special Olympics, a cause for which she feels fortunate to be part of. Zinda is one of several BBB employees who “take the plunge” at one of 5 beaches in Massachusetts. Through the generosity of its participants and donors, Special Olympic athletes are not asked to pay for programs.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.keefetech.org/page9/page88/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;">Keefe Tech Boosters</a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is a nonprofit organization run by volunteers serving the communities of Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton and Natick, MA. The boosters raise funds for scholarships for students of Keefe Regional Technical School. The group's Indoor Snack Shack is open after school as well as during evening school classes and special events. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is also Zinda’s third year with the boosters. During the football season, she is part of a team who run the Outdoor Snack Shack during the games. Though Zinda doesn’t have any children, her nephew attends Keefe Tech and she is a proud Alumni. Last year they raised an impressive $18,000 for scholarships, helped sports teams with their banquet and sweatshirts, bought a prom dress for a student who couldn't afford it, donated to 4 homeless students’ families and gave a gift to the teacher of the year. Zinda finds great reward in giving back to the students, “I am really glad I can help these kids out and I have seen how wonderful they are. They are respectful, caring and always take care of each other.”</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LOTGSports/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Love of the Game</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> runs sports programs that benefit individuals with disabilities. Their mission is to emulate the joys of being a collegiate athlete for those who wouldn't normally get that opportunity. With an emphasis on school spirit, the group provides an outlet for guests to connect, learn, and grow through on-campus sports clinics that are coached by student varsity and club athletes. Clinics are open to individuals with developmental disabilities ages 8+ and are held at the community recreation center on campus at the University of Massachusetts Lowell with tentative spring and summer events planned for Volleyball, Floor Hockey, Soccer and Baseball. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a student at UMass Lowell, Dan entered an idea into the </span><a href="http://blogs.uml.edu/differencemaker/2015/11/02/love-of-the-game-expanding-on-campus/" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">DifferenceMaker</span><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">program. Half ‘Idea Hatcher’ and half ‘Shark Tank’, he formed a team around his concept and led it through the competition to win a few thousand dollars in funding. As founder of the program, Dan is involved in the entire process from setting up events to working directly with guests of the program. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Love of the Game’s</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_28956902/love-game-offers-sports-differently-abled" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">first clinic took place in October 2015</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> featuring the Men's Riverhawk Varsity Basketball team who taught guests the game of basketball and made them feel included throughout the event. Dan’s inspiration for his program is his experience with Track & Field. After running at the high school level and currently a Division 1 runner for the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Dan felt athletics provided him with many benefits including mental, physical and emotional toughness, confidence, leadership and time management skills. “I decided that I owed it to life to pay these benefits forward and if I can do it in a very scalable way, all the better!” All eight of Dan’s LOTG teammates are not only athletes but most of them currently play or have played sports at the Division 1 level at their university and are now paying the benefits of sports forward. “Everyone involved in my program from the volunteers, to my co-workers, to the guests are very excited to be there. I get to work very enthusiastic people.” </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to running <i>Love of the Game</i>, Dan volunteers at the </span><a href="http://lbgc.org/" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Boys and Girls Club of Greater Lowell</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14.6667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in their athletics program. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you or your business considering involvement with a charity? Always do your research before you contribute your time or money to a cause. Visit </span><a href="http://www.give.org/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Give.org</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for a nationwide list of charities and their reviews. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BBB Wise Giving Alliance</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> uses 20 standards to evaluate philanthropic organizations including finances and complaints. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at</span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org/boston</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBBconnection" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on</span><a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Written by </span><a href="https://twitter.com/stephmbenz" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephanie Benz</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT.</span></span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-21968942312324244662015-11-24T09:06:00.001-05:002015-11-24T19:55:13.486-05:00Apps that Deliver: 5 Marketing Professionals Share their Favorites<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’re all striving for that </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2014/06/balancing-act-three-ways-to-maintain.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">work/life balance</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The struggle is real for most of us. We admit it. It can be tough to turn off work. We want to be the best we can be and find it hard to relax until we’ve tackled the total to-do list. If professionals can rely on something (or things) to help us simplify a busy lifestyle -- there’s a good chance it will be technology-based. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whether it’s </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2015/07/master-time-management-and-give-your.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">staying organized</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> while offsite and on the go, or injecting personality into work from the palm of your hand -- being a modern day professional means getting on-board and online with apps for your smart device to remain pleased with your productivity. Everyone deserves time for family, friends and that pilates or crossfit class. </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Members of our Communications and Marketing team weigh in on their favorite apps and why they consistently deliver.</b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amy Schram</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Senior Community Outreach Specialist</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fave</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/google-calendar/id909319292?mt=8" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google Calendar</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: time and event management</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: It is literally my whole life. I have anywhere from 10 - 15 places each day that I need to be, often in different cities in different states. I am able to not only save and reference the address of each location but contact names, phone numbers, links to relevant websites and details on each event as well. I could not do my job without it!</span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jaime Slatt</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Community Outreach Specialist </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fave</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><a href="https://www.waze.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Waze</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: real-time map with re-routing functionality</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I actually do not know what I would do without it, especially as someone who is on the road on a daily basis visiting with businesses in BBB’s service area. Not only does it alert me to delays on my route, it updates me with opportunities to avoid the issues that crop up between me and my destination. It is the best traffic app out there, in my opinion. </span></span></div>
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gun9FamQzUU/VlRsX9JRp9I/AAAAAAAAArs/82senUHXgBw/s1600/hands%2Bwith%2Bsmartphone%2Bapps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gun9FamQzUU/VlRsX9JRp9I/AAAAAAAAArs/82senUHXgBw/s320/hands%2Bwith%2Bsmartphone%2Bapps.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Paula Fleming</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Vice President of Communications and Marketing</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fave</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.docs&hl=en" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google Drive</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: file storage accessible from any of your devices </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: It allows me to work on the go. I can edit, share and review files with the team. Drive is very user friendly from a handheld device and documents can be worked on simultaneously with a colleague. In addition, edits are made quickly and automatically. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rachel Gelb</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Communications and Marketing Manager</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fave</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/giffage-gif-keyboard-gif-maker/id976510666?mt=8" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Giffage</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: gifs literally at your fingertips</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: The app allows you to send gifs right in a text message, using your own keyboard to search for them. You can see trending gifs and save your favorites. You can even make your own gifs and save them for later. It makes finding and using gifs effortless. In an increasingly gif-centric world, it’s a marketer’s dream. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephanie Benz</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Senior Social Media Associate </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fave(s</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">): </span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/twitter/id333903271?mt=8&utm_source=Lifehacker+Newsletter&utm_campaign=cb5cf1b662-UA-142218-1&utm_medium=email" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pic-stitch-1-photo-collage/id454768104?mt=8" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pic Stitch</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: an online timeline and one-stop shop for photo editing</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: If you can’t find me, check </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/bostonbbb" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It’s where I go for real-time news, how I stay up to speed on what other BBB’s are saying or doing and one of the main platforms for communication with BBB Accredited Businesses online. Pic Stitch and Twitter go hand-in-hand for my social media efforts. Since tweets including media are proven to perform better than those without, many of our BBB tweets will contain an image. In addition, our </span><a href="https://www.instagram.com/bbbconnection/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Instagram</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> account is a mainstay for featuring snapshots from our Community Outreach team’s travels. Pic Stitch allows me to edit, embellish and create images for both social media accounts -- all in one app. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do you have a favorite app? Do you use it for personal or professional reasons -- or maybe it’s one that allows you to balance the two? Let us know. Tweet us at </span><a href="http://www.twitter.com/bostonbbb" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">@BostonBBB</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "proxima nova"; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with the app and your “why” and we’ll retweet you! #FaveApp</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at </span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org/boston</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBBconnection" style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on </span><a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont" style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Linkedin</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Written by</span><a href="https://twitter.com/stephmbenz" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephanie Benz</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT.</span></span></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-20051863888536616852015-10-28T08:00:00.000-04:002015-10-29T14:29:02.619-04:0015 Ways for your Small Business to Save<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Penny pinching for your business? It can be painful. Instead of getting frustrated, why not get frugal? Start by balancing your budget, separating your personal banking and business expense accounts and </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2014/07/guest-blog-5-simple-steps-to-saving.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cleaning up your debt</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. There are many techniques for saving your business’s bottom line. Here are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>15 ways</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> you can implement simple changes and save.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Network (It)</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S01jF9jPQf4/VjAIgg75e-I/AAAAAAAAAmw/oliFq5IOwx4/s1600/money%2Bsaving%2Bjar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S01jF9jPQf4/VjAIgg75e-I/AAAAAAAAAmw/oliFq5IOwx4/s320/money%2Bsaving%2Bjar.jpg" width="306" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Attend free and/or affordable workshops and events run by</span><a href="https://generalassemb.ly/boston" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">organizations like General Assembly</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to network with other small businesses and/or participate in ongoing education.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Host and/or co-host events with like-minded partners to deflect cost and get double the exposure for your brand and/or initiative.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Connect with your alma mater(s). Attend networking events that are often free for alumni. Offer to speak in front of alums and/or soon-to-be graduates on a topic in an area of your expertise.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Join or register your business with local organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, applicable trade associations and</span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/Boston/public/sales/accreditation-t4-2/why-bbb" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Better Business Bureau.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Reward Yourself</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When applying for credit or gas cards, cash back or point-collecting programs will prove thrifty. Take annual fees into consideration but more often than not, these cards act like a VIP pass. Same holds true for</span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-traveltips" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hotel and airline loyalty programs</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. These accounts will not only present amenities but enable you to track spending activity and evaluate where your business spends the most.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Join a wholesale shopping club like Costco or BJ’s. Necessities like paper supplies and printer cartridges can be more affordable when purchased in bulk. If you do buy a membership, always request a business account. Remember, keep it separate from your personal one so you can track spending and how long supplies last in the office.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Staff and Space</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Growing and established businesses alike struggle with the hiring process. Save money, management sweat equity and time by employing a temp agency or hiring independent contractors.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Take advantage of universities in your surrounding community. College and Graduate students are often eager to apply their newly-acquired skills with businesses who support their education endeavors and offer opportunities in their area of study.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Embrace the telecommuter. Avoid office space headaches, like shifting of employees desks and/or the need to expand physical space all together by allowing staff to go "virtual."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For younger small businesses and/or businesses without a physical office space, consider utilizing community workspaces like</span><a href="https://www.wework.com/small-business" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WeWork</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><a href="http://workbar.com/locations/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WorkBar</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. A business can rent coworking space by the day and/or maintain a dedicated space as well as access conference rooms.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the road 24/7? Plan out your trip for the most direct route AND one based on where you can find </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">free</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> wifi. Cafes, sandwich shops, etc. are pretty commonplace for offering wifi to its customers free of charge.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Could your business benefit from streamlining your technology needs? Like small businesses, Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT (BBB) is consistently faced with finding ways to be financially efficient. In 2014, BBB merged hardware and software applications onto one platform. This</span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-chrome" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">decision to streamline</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Google</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> proved to be a profitable venture. Converting the staff to universal devices eliminated the need for full-time IT support and improved confidence regarding security. BBB's technology guru, Lisa Ventura, said:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Not only are we greatly reducing IT issues, we have saved roughly $900 per seat by purchasing Chromeboxes versus computers with added software. With a staff of approximately 50 people, that savings really adds up.</span></span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be willing to invest your time in free online tools as part of your business plan. The art of engaging with your customers and customers-to-be online - if executed well - can be very rewarding for lead generation, customer retention, and more. Keep in mind, online tools don’t run themselves. Carving out time to participate in forums on topics you can add value to as well as having an active presence on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, not only increase your Internet footprint but won’t cost much (if anything) to incorporate into your marketing efforts. Sound like a lot? Find out and</span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/customer-reviews-learn-more" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">evaluate how and where your customers interact</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and spend your online-time accordingly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">YouTube can be a gateway to new customers as well as an effective branding tool. Content and quality are key there (as is keeping most videos under 90 seconds). Everyday devices like an iPhone can be used as a legitimate recording tool. A focused YouTube account allows you to effortlessly cross-promote video content via your website and/or social media accounts and can serve as a 'priceless' component of your marketing budget. Cue the</span><a href="https://youtu.be/1cNDSPutas8?list=PL7DF5EB5148CC31FE" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mastercard</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> commercials</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Make a habit of periodically circling back to service providers like Internet, cable and cell phone. There are often promotions available at the start of a new quarter or a credit you might qualify for, especially if you are a loyal client.</span></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Let the saving begin!</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did you know that 7 out of 10 consumers prefer to do business with an Accredited Business? Learn how to become part of a</span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/public/sales/accreditation-t4-2" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">community of trustworthy businesses</span></a><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. If your business is already Accredited, find out how you can update your business online for</span><a href="https://youtu.be/Tdrstf08VPc" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> free with Google and BBB</span></a><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and make it easier for people to find you online. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at</span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org/boston</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBBconnection" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on</span><a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.80655; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Written by</span><a href="https://twitter.com/stephmbenz" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stephanie Benz</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT.</span></span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-32062052017153092612015-10-13T07:53:00.000-04:002015-10-14T14:08:11.721-04:00How to Make Business Travel Less Turbulent <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite much of today’s marketplace being well-suited for virtual management, in-person meetings and off site events continue to be a component of </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2015/07/preparing-your-small-business-for-growth.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">maintaining and growing your business</span></a><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Out of town team gatherings as well as conferences or conventions are an opportunity for both personnel and brand strengthening. Before you check your bags, here are some items to check off the “travel to-do” list plus ideas for making your business travel less turbulent. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">BEFORE YOU GO</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Plan ahead</span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Research hotels in your destination city before committing to a stay for your business. </span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/Accredited-Business-Guide/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Utilize online reviews</span></a><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to get a grasp on their reliability and learn past experiences of other guests who have stayed. Plus, plans can change. It’s always wise to understand a hotel or resort’s policies regarding length-of-stay -- make sure to ask questions on topics like cancellation and penalty fees before you book. Using a travel agent? Agencies can be helpful for package deals and learning about hidden gems but it’s crucial to <a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/industry-tips/read/tip/travel-agencies-164" target="_blank">do your due diligence</a> </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">before hiring an agency to avoid scams and misleading fine print. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ask away.</span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Your lodging is in the business of hospitality, afterall. When you book your reservation, make requests that might make your stay more enjoyable. Traveling for work -- especially if across different time zones or jam-packed with obligations -- can be exhausting. Inquire about early and/or late check-in and if your routine <a href="http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/quick-tips-staying-active-when-you-travel-get-started" target="_blank">includes regular exercise</a>, ask for details on the gym. Does your room have a kitchenette? That’s a score, if so. On a recent trip, mine did and I brought along the ingredients to make my daily smoothie. It allowed me to maintain my morning routine despite not being in my own kitchen. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s all in the details</span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (make sure you know them). Are there multiple team members in the mix? Confirm who will be attending which session/dinner/client meeting, etc ahead of time. </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">It also can’t hurt to familiarize yourself with the layout of the event space and/or area you’ll be staying in. If traveling alone, you could reach out to clients or colleagues in the area for tips and suggestions for staying there. </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Oh, and cell phone numbers -- you’d be surprised how many employees don’t communicate outside of work. Get co-workers' digits before you hit the road so you can keep in touch if edits and or issues arise. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pack it up, pack it in.</span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Do you literally sit on your suitcase before dragging it down two flights of stairs? Are you pulling things out of your bag at airport check-in because it’s overweight? Avoid the hassle and pack smart. Try not to (I admittedly find it hard to resist) bring too many options. It’s helpful to bring an extra outfit or two in case plans change but bringing three dresses or shirt/tie combos to choose between for that client dinner will only add to frustration courtesy of extra decision making. The time you spend deciding on what to wear subtracts time from something else you could be doing (i.e. networking, sightseeing or taking a nap). Try on and coordinate clothes before you include them in your “necessities” for the trip. With versatility in mind, take into consideration your color palette. </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Neutrals are your best travel friend! For example, </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">bringing mostly black pieces of your wardrobe could allow you to get away with one pair of business-ready shoes and leaves room for a more casual or cocktail appropriate pair. Think about wearing the heaviest pair of shoes on the plane to save pounds on the luggage scale. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Communicate.</span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Regardless of the role you play for your business, you’re important. An out-of-office signature on your email is the best way to spread the word with external contacts and a direct email and/or in-person conversation is probably best for communicating travel plans with your colleagues. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wo3oBfKcG_U/Vhh8SAD8WJI/AAAAAAAAAkI/YIjjFu8HxgU/s1600/BUSINESS%2BTRAVEL%2BCHECKLIST_SMB_10.9.15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="" border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wo3oBfKcG_U/Vhh8SAD8WJI/AAAAAAAAAkI/YIjjFu8HxgU/s640/BUSINESS%2BTRAVEL%2BCHECKLIST_SMB_10.9.15.jpg" title="Business Travel Checklist" width="425" /></span></a><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WHILE YOU’RE AWAY</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Organize from the start.</span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Allow yourself time at the train station/airport to get organized. Separate out items you’d like to work on while in transit. This will alleviate the need to repeatedly access the overhead bin. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sounds good.</span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> You fully-charged your devices before you left home so you can use them during travel, right? Don’t forget your headphones so you can work without the background noise and/or listen to music to politely drown out that Chatty Cathy sitting behind you. Looking to catch-up on sleep? I never (ever) leave home without ear plugs.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">More than you paid for.</span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Upon check-in at your destination, why not ask if there are any free upgrades available? All they can say is “no” and if you belong to their <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/business-travel-tips-from-expert-travelers-2015-6#be-loyal-to-businesses-and-theyll-treat-you-well-9" target="_blank">rewards program</a>, you’re considered a preferred customer. IF you don’t already belong to their program, ask to join with the caveat that you’d like a perk during your stay. A suite sounds nice. Or maybe it’s a noontime check out in advance of a late departing flight. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sleep soundly. </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You are where you are for a reason. You won’t be the same or nearly as productive without good sleep. What works when you’re at home? I sleep with a sound machine. When I travel, I use a free smartphone app that replicates it. It kind of feels like home and helps filter out other hotel noises in the night (also, see ear plugs above). </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">UPON YOUR RETURN </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pay it forward.</span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Once back in the office, submit an online review for each of the businesses you interacted with. The hotel, convention center and restaurants you enjoyed during your trip will appreciate the feedback on their performance. These reviews allow other travelers to learn from your experience in preparation for their own. You benefited from someone’s feedback and they’ll benefit from yours. In addition, it gives the business you review a leg up on their competition and a stronger presence online. </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Via </span><a href="http://www.insightsquared.com/2015/04/100-customer-service-statistics-you-need-to-know/" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">InsightSquared</span></a><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">88% of consumers are influenced by online customer service reviews when making buying decisions and 58% are more likely to tell others about their customer service experiences than they were 5 years ago. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reach out.</span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Solidify connections you made via timely follow-up. Suggest that you find one another on social media platforms like LinkedIn or Twitter. Remember, </span><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2015/07/networking-for-your-new-business.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">networking doesn’t end with an in-person meeting</span></a><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #333333; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Provide new contacts pertinent info from conversations you engaged in or topics you enjoyed at a joint-attended event. Keep the lines of communication open after the trip to avoid being out of sight and out of mind. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.08px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Did you know that 7 out of 10 consumers prefer to do business with an Accredited Business? Learn how to become part of a </span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/public/sales/accreditation-t4-2" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">community of trustworthy businesses</span></a><span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.08px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. If your business is already Accredited, find out how you can update your business online for </span><a href="https://youtu.be/Tdrstf08VPc" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.08px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">free with Google and BBB</span></a><span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.08px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and make it easier for people to find you online. </span><span style="line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at </span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org/boston</a><span style="line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBBconnection" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on </span><a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><span style="line-height: 22.08px;"> </span><span style="line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><span style="line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><br />
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<i style="line-height: 22.08px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Written by <a href="https://twitter.com/stephmbenz" target="_blank">Stephanie Benz</a></b>, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT. </span></i></div>
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-51996947148591621512015-09-03T08:40:00.000-04:002015-09-23T10:06:56.954-04:00BBB Continues to Evolve in an Ever Changing Marketplace<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Huffington Post writer, Ann Brenoff recently shared her experience using </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ann-brenoff/twitter-better-business-bureau_b_7715920.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter for customer complaints</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the power that social media has in the all encompassing arena that is customer service. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Twitter, for all intents and purposes, is the new Better Business Bureau. The ability to publicly shame a company for its bad service is a weapon in the consumer arsenal that shouldn't be overlooked. An unfavorable tweet can ding a company's reputation, something that major businesses have become aware of.”</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As Jessi Hempel </span><a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/08/twitter-will-lose-fight-become-1-800-number-web/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pointed out last month</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for Wired.com, almost 80 percent of the questions people ask businesses on social are happening on Twitter. While it’s easy to agree the impressive influence that social media channels like Twitter have in the marketplace, Better Business Bureau doesn’t consider itself replaced. Rather, BBB embraces social media as a tool to help businesses grow in a trustworthy environment </span><span style="line-height: 20.2399997711182px; white-space: pre-wrap;">and marvels at business’s success stories via social media marketing</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> is part of BBB’s social artillery. BBB tweets to communicate with consumers and businesses on a daily basis including topics like scam alerts, local and industry newsworthy topics as well as BBB specific news. Twitter users can even tweet #BBBHelp during business hours to request assistance from the team. </span></span><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lY8-njR8T7I/Vd5Jp8jq8hI/AAAAAAAAAdY/hBDcUtz_VJk/s1600/Outdated-Infographic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="http://go.bbb.org/ne-thinkagain" border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lY8-njR8T7I/Vd5Jp8jq8hI/AAAAAAAAAdY/hBDcUtz_VJk/s640/Outdated-Infographic.jpg" title="Better Business Bureau Outdated? Think Again. " width="299" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Better Business Bureau is in favor of consumers having the ability to engage in open communication in the forum of their choice, private or public but also believes in the importance of supporting both the business and the consumer. BBB prefers that the reputation of a business not be judged until </span><a href="https://www.bbb.org/consumer-complaints/file-a-complaint/get-started" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">both sides of the story are presented, confirmed and addressed</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. While a consumer may -- and often does -- have a perfectly legitimate complaint or issue, there are times where a simple misunderstanding could elevate to something more than it was by making it public. In such cases, a business could take unfavorable treatment or publicity based off an escalated miscommunication. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">BBB Directory</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to being a powerhouse in moderating customer complaints and providing a place for business owners to connect with their customers in an unbiased environment, BBB hosts an online </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">reservoir of businesses. Consumers can utilize BBB’s directory of businesses -- both BBB Accredited and Non-Accredited -- during their purchase decision making process. If a </span><span style="background-color: #fefefe; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">business has been Accredited by BBB it means the business meets 8 standards of trust, including a commitment to answering consumer complaints. </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In June, Myles Anderson presented his </span><a href="http://searchengineland.com/local-directory-traffic-rise-224066" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">analysis of traffic data</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for local online directories like Better Business Bureau. The study included 30 of the most prominent U.S. online directories. BBB stood out as one of only 3 directories showing growth with BBB.org up 70% in visits from May 2014 - May 2015. Anderson feels that two factors set BBB’s directory apart from the rest: unique customer review content and high trust factor. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Technically, BBB isn’t a directory like the others. It is a group of local organizations that champion trust in local businesses and offer accreditation for businesses — which helps consumers know if a business is trustworthy and decent versus low quality and to be avoided.“</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Through educating consumers online about local businesses’ transparency, BBB is empowering and helping consumers make stronger, well-advised decisions. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When users search for a business via Better Business Bureau’s online directory, they get full disclosure on the state of a business and at the same time businesses can show they have dealt with and resolved issues big or small that have come into the fold. A business can also invite its customers to write a review of their experience, which makes up the unique content referenced in Anderson’s analysis. </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A review might include special insider customer info, a referral program or that hidden easter egg other consumers are looking for...a coupon code. In addition, Customer Reviews provide businesses a leg up on their competition. More reviews draw more attention from potential clients, provides the opportunity to promote positive business attributes and measures common usage of their offerings. By encouraging consumers to share their experience, a business builds credibility with the community. It’s simple. When a consumer searches for a product or service, they want to know how others have fared. The more educated a consumer is, the more confidence they have in their commitment to a business and the investment they plan to make in their product or service. </span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to Shelf Inc., 70% of consumers reported Customer Reviews as the 2nd most trusted source in purchase decision making. </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition, <a href="https://youtu.be/ZVNctY-isHs?list=PLm3clwSpaPBHKOweDodjPGmLHs5Wxohxk" target="_blank">Customer Reviews</a> -- of which BBB has 46K+ on local enterprises -- allow businesses to interact with customers that they might not otherwise have had the opportunity to engage. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">No Dinosaurs to See Here</span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-7bc59d51-6cf7-5151-f5d1-cffa0afd0cb5" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern MA, ME, RI & VT might be 100 years old, it does not have plans for retirement! BBB’s online resources (over the last year <a href="http://bbb.org/boston" target="_blank">bbb.org/boston</a> saw over 4.6 million visits with over 3.7 million unique visitors) include an active social media presence. BBB Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI and VT alone has over 33K followers on </span><a href="https://www.bbb.org/boston/public/social/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">social media platforms</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and this blog sees over 1500 unique visits/month. Plus, BBB is accessible on-the-go. </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BBB.org</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was accessed over 1.6 million times on mobile devices in the last year. Both on and offline, BBB assembles a community of trustworthy businesses and inspires consumer confidence in a safe and secure environment. It’s true, BBB isn’t like the others. </span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at </span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org/boston</a><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BBBconnection" style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Facebook</a><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on </span><a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Twitter</a><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont" style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><br />
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<i style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Written by Stephanie Benz</b>, Senior Social Media Associate for Better Business Bureau Serving E. Massachusetts, ME, RI & VT. </i><br />
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<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-15342510672351601672015-08-20T09:08:00.000-04:002015-12-02T14:07:56.194-05:00BBB and Google Partner to Get Businesses on the Map<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wUwNQ1fuPufUzYxo1Su1wtv04VY9qAJtaasTZ7CC1_Akz8mEXrE5mEsVcPxGLCWO37mohpOcQmzHCkLIZ9CkrKwRSXRVpp5jS68yP4Q9iguDqbvB0SZNTeUAqDgY2IG268lWWY0" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/wUwNQ1fuPufUzYxo1Su1wtv04VY9qAJtaasTZ7CC1_Akz8mEXrE5mEsVcPxGLCWO37mohpOcQmzHCkLIZ9CkrKwRSXRVpp5jS68yP4Q9iguDqbvB0SZNTeUAqDgY2IG268lWWY0" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="307px;" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Businesses encouraged to attend in-person BBB workshops for expert help</span></b></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Being on the map matters. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4 in 5</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> consumers use search engines to find local information, like store addresses, business hours, product availability and directions.<sup>1</sup></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yet, only </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">37 percent</span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of businesses have claimed their listing on a search engine.<sup>2</sup></span><span style="font-size: 9.6px; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And complete business information can help generate economic value to individual communities. In small communities, this could be worth up to </span><span style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">+$300k a year</span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">; in large cities it can be up to </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">+$7m</span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">.</span><sup>3</sup></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ftwfftX9NF0hi-dWYMmoaCULYMGsqkPNwehHpIV4IQ-yfRAM-wvUI-z9LrHyIWwJ_Z_Fypyamo6Qs2OK3N0lrYDeSCRibugE42H1CJ4ZNgc0ht_jxK8F19AYbzpbPJB34VNRVDc" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="stasiasbakery.png" border="0" height="332px;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ftwfftX9NF0hi-dWYMmoaCULYMGsqkPNwehHpIV4IQ-yfRAM-wvUI-z9LrHyIWwJ_Z_Fypyamo6Qs2OK3N0lrYDeSCRibugE42H1CJ4ZNgc0ht_jxK8F19AYbzpbPJB34VNRVDc" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="339px;" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s why Better Business Bureau </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Serving Eastern Massachusetts, Maine, Rhode Island and Vermont</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and Google have teamed up on Google’s latest program called </span><a href="http://gybo.com/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Our mission: to help businesses in 30,000 cities get the help they need to succeed online, for free. Because stronger businesses mean stronger communities.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Ready to get started? </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #fefefe; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Businesses are invited to attend free workshops to get online and on the map. Attendees can look forward to giveaways, dedicated staff to help update business information on the spot, and free food and drinks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://bbb.org/boston/gybo/attend-a-workshop/" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Find a workshop in your area</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and get your business on the map.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Want to see how your business appears on Google Search and Maps now? </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Head to </span><a href="http://www.gybo.com/business" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 16px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.gybo.com/business</span></a><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and type in your business name to see how your information appears across Google Search and Maps. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The tool highlights suggestions for areas that could use attention, including:</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Phone number</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Want help updating the information? </b></span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Attend a BBB workshop to learn how to manage your business info across Google.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">We’re excited to be partnering with BBB. By working together, we can help our local businesses succeed on the web and make our communities even stronger.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/DW9V38zGGi3MGqvwacYAnE8u1zFeVWOLuF-dsXNB7lZw9i9u2HrRq1-9luB68Lkyq7C7NqjdJxioWU24FKTYSt7tRlyYJJcktw4ZCuyyujLWsOFJ7dBCL96rfYOQC6ik0Je9TeI" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img alt="dandelion.png" border="0" height="421px;" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/DW9V38zGGi3MGqvwacYAnE8u1zFeVWOLuF-dsXNB7lZw9i9u2HrRq1-9luB68Lkyq7C7NqjdJxioWU24FKTYSt7tRlyYJJcktw4ZCuyyujLWsOFJ7dBCL96rfYOQC6ik0Je9TeI" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="330px;" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/CDp8qcxZhGbTS-HsaGCSrZVdw9QW0v5sjwukMBW6ZaxGwdx9gE-_yW7vICZgGyFQE4oVXcLyPPMbM7yVevdKJIgz9FJhwvjTaVGTEx6n42ByFLWkxAxaLHr_NKltmSnnLy5mtHg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/CDp8qcxZhGbTS-HsaGCSrZVdw9QW0v5sjwukMBW6ZaxGwdx9gE-_yW7vICZgGyFQE4oVXcLyPPMbM7yVevdKJIgz9FJhwvjTaVGTEx6n42ByFLWkxAxaLHr_NKltmSnnLy5mtHg" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="320" /></span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b><br /></b></i></span></b></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><b>Written by Whitney Lemon, <a href="https://plus.google.com/+GoogleBusiness" target="_blank">Google Small Business Engagement</a>.</b> </i></span><i style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whitney is a marketing manager on Google’s Let’s Put Our Cities on the Map team. She hosts Friday 15: Small Business Tips, Google’s series to help small businesses succeed online. Friday 15 is part of Google’s Get Your Business Online program, providing small businesses with a custom domain name and web hosting–at no charge for one year.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "open sans"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">For more information you can trust, visit us at <a href="http://bbb.org/boston">bbb.org/boston</a></span><span style="line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bbbconnection">Facebook</a></span><span style="line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, or follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/bostonbbb" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont?trk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_admin" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>. </span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-get-accredited-" style="line-height: normal; white-space: normal;">Become an Accredited Business</a><span style="line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"> and get the resources you need to give you confidence and help keep your business safe and secure. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><sup>1</sup> Google/Ipsos MediaCT/Purchased, </span><a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/research-studies/how-advertisers-can-extend-their-relevance-with-search.html" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Understanding Consumers’ Local Search Behavior</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, May 2014</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a227a413-4aff-1f24-ac01-08229af9ee6d" style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><sup>2</sup> Marketing Sherpa, </span><a href="http://www.meclabs.com/training/misc/EXCERPT-PLAIN-BMR-2012-Search-Marketing-SEO-Edition.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Search Marketing Benchmark Report</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> SEO Edition, 2012 </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a227a413-4aff-4df1-7a80-e7c242c30f8a" style="font-size: xx-small;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #444444; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><sup>3</sup> Google/Oxera, </span><a href="https://www.gybo.com/downloads/verification-benefits.pdf" style="text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Benefits of Complete Business Listings</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, December 2014</span></span></div>
<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-10499601369897309132015-08-12T08:29:00.000-04:002015-08-12T08:29:28.789-04:00Are Weak Passwords Putting your Business at Risk?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.17; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #003d79; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 30.666666666666664px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.17; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s face it, everybody hates passwords. They are a pain and a nuisance, but in today’s connected world, they are clearly necessary. Passwords are multiplying and are not going away any time soon. </span><span style="line-height: 1.17; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most companies have no real password requirement. Everyone has a password but the clarity on what needs to be done and what is appropriate and/or what’s not appropriate is not distributed to the company.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You need to take this seriously, securing your information is important.</span><br />
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<a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/JRIKXxsqs3T-QwrzNcC3FDPVCRmq5dqrK6GsUtIe1Xr-OMgd81OoGbGbrrGL9piV6ybzGRhBpgyjgd2iBCH52sQ2piwanzGDE_xcraKsDFWXbKNQdFtEdHCZdjZY6VRgZqdyvY0" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img alt="Log-in box on computer screen of admin" border="0" height="265px;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/JRIKXxsqs3T-QwrzNcC3FDPVCRmq5dqrK6GsUtIe1Xr-OMgd81OoGbGbrrGL9piV6ybzGRhBpgyjgd2iBCH52sQ2piwanzGDE_xcraKsDFWXbKNQdFtEdHCZdjZY6VRgZqdyvY0" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400px;" /></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“But Marge does not have anything really sensitive on her computer so we just leave her alone.” – Anonymous Owner</span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 1.17; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is often a feeling that certain people need less security, because their work does not deal with sensitive information. Please understand leaving one person’s password unsecured is like leaving a door unlocked to your palace. You cannot make this assumption without paying high penalties.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All passwords need to be secure and updated. Often </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>breaches</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> start by entering a smaller target to gain access to the real target. We see hacks that use smaller companies who service larger organizations targeted because they tend to be very lacking in basic security.</span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.17; white-space: pre-wrap;">So what is a secure or strong password? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It may sound cliché, but your password has to be strong or there is no point in it. There are plenty of articles and viewpoints out there about how complex passwords must be, but you should always have a minimum of at least eight characters. It should not be a dictionary word (in English or any other language). It should include both uppercase and lowercase letters and a special character or two. A passphrase is a great approach as well, as long as it is not common. </span><span style="line-height: 1.17; white-space: pre-wrap;">Passwords like 123123, letmein, birthdays, sports, names, even password1 are no good. It is like having a key with no ridges. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">NOTE</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Stop writing your latest password on sticky notes and “hiding” them under your desk. That is a security 101 no-no. Store it somewhere safe, out of everyone’s hands.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>The top passwords for this year:</b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>
</b>
</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. 123456</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. password</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. 12345</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. 12345678</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. qwerty</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6. 123456789</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. 1234</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8. baseball</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">9. dragon</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">10. football</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">11. 1234567</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">12. monkey</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">13. letmein</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">14. abc123</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">15. 111111</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">16.mustang</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">17. access</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">18. shadow</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">19. master</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">20. michael</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">21. superman</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">22. 696969</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">23. 123123</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">24. batman</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">25. trustno1</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Apparently lots of people enjoy playing baseball with a dragon and driving a superman mustang. Personally, we prefer the bat mobile.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Put your password to the test at this “How Secure Is My Password” </span><a href="https://howsecureismypassword.net/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">website</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13.333333333333332px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oMdU9lhypJZB9WzSx7q1ZDNhcTHSSLPR4Ed23X-_jNJdbdEUymlTfJ02c2gJfpwCFjkWDNkxB1zHLzGdMopEUGfkIlGXvy_t0COILQ4ydodn5SvWu7rPgSh49RhTIvcuOcqqPPw" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/oMdU9lhypJZB9WzSx7q1ZDNhcTHSSLPR4Ed23X-_jNJdbdEUymlTfJ02c2gJfpwCFjkWDNkxB1zHLzGdMopEUGfkIlGXvy_t0COILQ4ydodn5SvWu7rPgSh49RhTIvcuOcqqPPw" style="border: none; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="400" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.17; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your password policy: </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.17; white-space: pre-wrap;">Create – Implement – Enforce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.17; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your WRITTEN policy needs to define secure and unsecured passwords, sharing rules, frequency of changing and reiterate the importance of them. All those that complain may not be fully educated on the impact that a breach would have on everyone, not just the company. Please explain to your staff clearly why it is a requirement of being employed. Lastly, your employees need to acknowledge they understand it and are responsible to abide by it. They need to also be accountable.</span><br />
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.17; white-space: pre-wrap;">The skeleton of your policy should include:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Minimum password length</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Password composition:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Character requirements and allowances as well as capitals, lowercase, numbers, special characters or items such as your name and the company name are not allowed.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Password age limitation:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The frequency of change required.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Password storage:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Passwords are not to be written down, they must be memorized or kept in a password manager.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reuse of passwords:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Do not use the same password at work that you use in any other account.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sharing and transferring:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Passwords are not allowed to be shared without proper authorization.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If it is shared, establish what criteria is needed to share.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Electronic transmission:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No transmission over insecure networks or communication.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Requirements for System Administrators:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Both their permission level and power to control others as well as a clear understanding of how are they held accountable</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Enforcement:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Roles, responsibilities, consequences and sanctions</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Exemptions:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Policy and forms for any exceptions</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now let’s be reasonable, you are not Fort Knox, but perspective still matters. If you have anything of value on those systems that you wouldn’t want distributed to everyone: your employees, competitors, vendors, partners, investors, ex-spouse, etc. then you need to protect it. Like your key to the lock on the front building that’s there for a reason.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">But really, who is out to get me? I am just a small business owner.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Maybe you are the kindest person with no secrets willing to give away all your information. Even so, you may not realize largest offenders are most often internal or external IT people [who have the largest amount of access to your network]. They have access to your servers, workstations, applications and firewall. Make sure you have a process to verify their compliance as well. Also, be certain that many times these mistakes are simply that, mistakes. If one person unknowingly provides their password to an outsider who has any malicious intent, your biggest asset, and your information could be swiped from you in minutes. </span><span style="line-height: 1.17; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;">In this case you can be yourself, be trusting on other levels, but don’t be naive with your information.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.17; white-space: pre-wrap;">Avoid Reaction, Take Action.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Create a written password policy. It should be part of your computer usage policy. Make sure all employees are familiar with it and agree to abide by it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Help them understand why it is important. Listen to the groans, appreciate their issues and then insist they do it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Help them understand what appropriate and inappropriate passwords are.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While you are at it, help them understand that their families and personal information needs to be safeguarded as well. They need to keep their interested protected as well. Make it a service announcement for them. Identity theft is booming. Keeping yourself safe is very important.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make sure your IT support puts the policy in place that requires policy to be followed. Often they will not like this because they will have to spend more time “resetting passwords”. A small price to pay for security.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make sure your IT people are following the same procedure. We have seen often they circumvent it, because they have the authority.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at <a href="http://bbb.org/boston">bbb.org/boston</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/bbbconnection">Facebook</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/bostonbbb" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont?trk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_admin" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>. </span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-get-accredited-">Become an Accredited Business</a> and get the resources you need to give you confidence and help keep your business safe and secure. </span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kWvB677N6LI/VclBFiT8n6I/AAAAAAAAAVo/tJ-XYrC0zG4/s1600/DanAdamsNENS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kWvB677N6LI/VclBFiT8n6I/AAAAAAAAAVo/tJ-XYrC0zG4/s200/DanAdamsNENS.jpg" width="133" /></span></a><br />
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Written by <span id="goog_946233660"></span><a href="https://twitter.com/4NENS">Dan Adams</a><span id="goog_946233661"></span>, CEO of BBB Accredited Business, <a href="http://www.nens.com/">New England Network Solutions</a> (NENS). </span> </span></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dan is a serial entrepreneur who ran his first retail operation in high school. He founded </span><a href="http://www.nens.com/" style="font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">NENS</a><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in 1993 and over the years, owned and managed several start-up companies. Dan is passionate about sharing his success strategies with fellow entrepreneurs. </span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-25816553680777815652015-08-04T08:20:00.000-04:002015-08-04T08:20:00.040-04:00Effective Keyword Strategy and Use for Great SEO Results<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ct0d49LqBxs/Vb_Ss_cewNI/AAAAAAAAAUs/xNTjMz9E3fg/s1600/Keyword%2BStrategy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ct0d49LqBxs/Vb_Ss_cewNI/AAAAAAAAAUs/xNTjMz9E3fg/s320/Keyword%2BStrategy.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As any solid <b>SEO</b> strategist knows, an effective content marketing strategy involves a lot of keyword research. In fact, content marketing really commences with keyword research as it serves as the foundation and backbone for all your campaigns. Of course your brand and your products would serve as the nucleus beneath this research. So what’s the next step in doing your research and how does one go about choosing what to do with these keywords? How should we disperse these keywords we discover across our site, social media, blog and other channels? These are common questions I receive when I am working with a lot of my clients or anyone that is trying to increase their presence online with content marketing. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">As discussed earlier in this post, every business should start with their own core brand and from there do some research on their target audience. This is where a lot of marketing teams will develop personas which are essentially caricatures of their targets which provide some insight into their demographic and pyschographic behavior. Once you have these basics down which will help you with your target’s buyer behavior, you can then start to develop your content marketing campaign. This is where the <b>keyword research </b>process starts. </span></span><br />
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<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Target Audience Keywords -</strong> As you develop each campaign for your particular target audience you want to of course utilize the keywords that you discover from your research. Using Google’s Keyword Tool is a great way to get this insight and it provides wonderful search traffic estimates. Remember, for the most part you want to search for less <b>competitive</b> keywords and ones that have lower search results (low competition and search results of sub 3,000 searches/month aka Longtail). You will also want to develop another list of keywords that are considered medium competitive and that have slightly higher search results than the first set. Finally, and you guessed it, you will want to develop a 3rd set of keywords that you find from your research that are considered highly competitive and that have much higher search results (3,000+/month). A good start is to have 10-20 keywords for each (low, medium, high competition). You can do this for each product you have, as well as, each page on your website.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Incorporating Keywords in Content - </strong>The next step now that you have these lists of keyword results is implementation. Depending on how targeted you want your campaign to be you can select keywords from one of your lists. For example, if your service or product is in a narrow and less competitive market and you are looking to increase your mindshare as well as presence in this market, then its wise to use higher search volume keywords. You will want to do the opposite for a more competitive or mature market if that’s the arena where you are marketing (find long tail keywords). Still though, you may choose to incorporate medium to high search volume keywords for your website if your service or product has wider appeal, but then you might want to utilize your list of less competitive keywords in your <b>blog</b> posts or on your social media channels to try to create interest or grab your audience’s attention and get them in the back door. Please note that it is wise to stick with one keyword phrase per post as this will help you keep your post focused, but it will also have a greater chance of being found in search engine results. (As a simple keyword optimization strategy reminder to those who may be just launching their business site, you will definitely want to make sure that you focus your website pages on one keyword per page and using a keyword density of 3-5%.) Using this keyword optimization strategy for your content will help you over time to build a presence in your market and yes, it will improve your search results.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Placing Your Keywords in the Right Channels - </strong>As the last paragraph noted, deciding where to place your optimized content with your newly selected keywords is the last step. This is the promotion or action step and the best strategy here is diversification. Depending upon your market and target audience, select what you deem will be your top channels to promote your content, then start your content engine, and let the content flow. To increase the chances that your posts will be viewed, you will want to use your long tail keywords (less competitive, less search results) which will have a higher conversion rate. Its wise to push this long tail keyword optimized content thru your <b>social media channels</b> and blog posts as they will serve as strong hooks to bait your target audience. Make sure you have links which bring your audience catches back to your site which will help your marketing goals.</span></li>
<li style="line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>Using Location or Local SEO</strong> - If your service is located in a small town or city, then I highly recommend that you add some very easy local SEO tactics along with your new keywords. These days getting on to Google’s #1 search page is very competitive, especially since larger companies simply have larger content marketing budgets and manpower. Hence, the best way for smaller companies to navigate their way up the search rankings is to optimize their site with their location. Place your <b>city or town</b> in your title tags and description and make sure that your address is listed on each of your pages. Also, make sure that you have a Google+ Local Business page that has been Verified by Google. These small tactics really do make a difference in today’s competitive online world.</span></li>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Try these <b>content marketing</b> strategies out and measure your results over time. You should start to see some better search results with a consistent content producing engine. Hence, you could easily add a step #5 for this which would be to measure your results and rinse, wash and repeat.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at <a href="http://bbb.org/boston">bbb.org/boston</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessNewsBBB?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/bostonbbb" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont?trk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_admin" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>. </span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-get-accredited-">Become an Accredited Business</a> and get the resources you need to give you confidence and help keep your business safe and secure. </span><br />
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<a href="http://blog.mitx.org/Portals/52731/images/christian%20habermann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Christian Habermann" border="0" class="alignRight" src="http://blog.mitx.org/Portals/52731/images/christian%20habermann.jpg" id="img-1421428127807" /></a></div>
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="white-space: normal;"><i>Written by <a href="https://plus.google.com/+ChristianHabermann/posts">Christian Habermann</a> of BBB Accredited Business, </i></b></span><b><i><a href="http://auctusmarketing.com/">Auctus Marketing</a></i></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic; line-height: 21.3839988708496px;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic; line-height: 21.3839988708496px;">Christian Habermann is the founder of Auctus Marketing and is a leader and innovator in the online marketing world. He is very involved in the local start up scene in Boston, MA. He co-founded ConsumerUnited.com, now Goji.com, which is one of the fastest growing online insurance companies and has made the Inc. 500 List the past 3 years. He loves to help companies of all sizes, from start ups to Fortune 500s, embrace the online marketing world to grow their business. He is the author of "SEO for 2014” and holds and MBA in marketing from Vanderbilt.</span><br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-28642075225641521812015-07-29T08:47:00.001-04:002015-07-29T10:26:21.776-04:00Web Hosting, Networking and Growing -- What a July! <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the month of July, the blog focused significantly on </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">resources, tips and tricks for <b>new businesses</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. As we wrap up the month -- partly in denial, it can’t possibly be August next week -- we’re taking a look back at the topics we covered. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Preparing your Small Business for Growth </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Last week, we shared four tips for </span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-smallbizgrowth" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">staying grounded while your business takes-off</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Growth is a positive piece of your business’s puzzle and in order to convert it into success, you have to be ready. </span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z4a06XHgnc8/VbgpEaIOtII/AAAAAAAAAN4/fa7RGUY8X-E/s1600/Laptop%2Bwith%2BLightbulbs%2Bideas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-z4a06XHgnc8/VbgpEaIOtII/AAAAAAAAAN4/fa7RGUY8X-E/s320/Laptop%2Bwith%2BLightbulbs%2Bideas.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Understanding Affordable Web Hosting</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Christian Habermann joined us as a Guest Blogger in mid-July to offer guidance for </span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-webhosting" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">finding affordable web hosting</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. He discussed factors to consider during a web host search while keeping in mind your business’s needs. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Timeless Success for Small Business</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mid-month we spoke with an owner whose BBB Accredited -- family owned and operated -- business is celebrating their 200th anniversary in 2015. Michael Monahan feels that </span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-SmallBusinessSuccess" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">customers should be top-of-mind at all times</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and credits their long-time success to caring for their community. Congrats again to Monahan & Co. on your longstanding success! </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Master Time Management and Give your Business a Boost</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Guest blogger, Adam Koncius of Koncius Digital Marketing brought us suggestions for the business owner doing juggling acts to establish and sustain their business. Adam pointed to </span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-timemanagement"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">time management as the key to streamlining tasks both big and small.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Networking for your New Business</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adam also kicked-off July for the blog with his guest post about the </span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-networking" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">importance of building a strong network</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. He addressed educating people about your business to create opportunity for securing clientele as well as staying in the forefront of the marketplace. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is your business less than 1-year old? Join a community of trustworthy businesses and build a positive reputation while you grow your enterprise as a member of the </span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/Boston/public/sales/new-business-sponsor/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Business Sponsor Program</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is your business more established? </span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/public/sales/accreditation-t4-2" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Get Accredited</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with BBB as part of your formula for success. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-9b920ece-d758-9b11-8e40-9abf21df3438"><span style="font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline;">For more information you can trust, visit us at</span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline;"> bbb.org/boston</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline;">, like us on</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessNewsBBB?ref=hl" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Facebook</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline;">, or follow us on</span><a href="http://twitter.com/bostonbbb" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline;"> Twitter</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline;"> and</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont?trk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_admin" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline;"> LinkedIn</span></a><span style="font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></span></span><br />
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-58548637494768682952015-07-23T08:15:00.000-04:002015-07-23T08:15:00.096-04:00Preparing your Small Business for Growth<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your business is busy trying to deliver a solution while standing out in a crowded marketplace and keeping up with developments in your industry -- it can be exhausting. Things like your brand can sometimes get lost in the happy-to-have but crazy commotion that is growth. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>a few tips </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">for staying on track while your business is making moves: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Set distinct goals</span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. To improve and maintain traction in the marketplace you must set goals. An easy starting point: write down your business objective and then break down how this objective will be met. <a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2015/06/get-your-new-business-off-ground.html">Make your business goals clear and definitive</a> and most importantly, relevant. Establish who is responsible for meeting each aspect of the objective as well as a timeline, so that everyone is held accountable as your business evolves. As time and circumstances allow, employ analytical tools to evaluate what’s working and what needs tweaking. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Understand your market</span><span style="line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. In order for a business to grow, doing your due diligence with market research is a must. It helps you understand your industry, competition and target customers. To start, conduct an internet search using trustworthy and credible sources. For more tailored results, connect with your customers through surveys, q&a's and focus groups. Once you have a stronger understanding of the customers who make up your demographic, reach out to them regularly via a blog or email newsletter. Interact with them on social media and most importantly, listen. </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/customer-reviews-learn-more">Encourage your customers to give you feedback</a></span><span style="line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and embrace it as a way to celebrate and/or improve your business endeavors. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be the brand</span><span style="line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Ensure your employees are educated -- and receive continued education -- on the business’s key points and purpose. You and your team are the best branding tools imaginable. Take advantage of this and empower your colleagues to bring the brand to life. They can communicate about your brand confidently and accurately while your business evolves. Developing an elevator pitch is a great way to give an employee a springboard for how they present themselves and represent your business in the community. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anticipate change</span><span style="line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Change will happen. Be thoughtful of your core principles while you do your best to roll with the punches. You’ve made an investment and it’s important not to allow it to be lost in a changing marketplace. Staying true to your point of view will allow you to further strengthen relationships with your existing community while at the same time earning the trust of prospective clients. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you a rising new business less than a year old? Apply to become a</span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/Boston/public/sales/new-business-sponsor/" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New Business Sponsor</span></a><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The program will arm you with the tools you need to keep up with your business’s growth. Is your business more established?</span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-get-accredited-" style="line-height: 1.38; text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Get Accredited</span></a><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with BBB as part of your formula for success.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at</span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org/boston</span></a><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessNewsBBB?ref=hl" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on</span><a href="http://twitter.com/bostonbbb" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and</span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont?trk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_admin" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn</span></a><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-71760299735202626272015-07-16T08:30:00.000-04:002015-07-17T13:10:50.863-04:00Understanding Affordable Web Hosting for your Business<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Making a decision regarding the right web host is important for your business. There are various factors you need to keep in mind when selecting a host and one of them is cost. It is possible to </span><a href="https://inexpensivewebhosting.reviews/" style="background-color: white; color: #0088cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">access affordable hosting </a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">while still enjoying quality services along with the features that suit your business's needs. Hosting forms the basis of your website and you should be able to comfortably afford it. </span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-87sc0UpIPuc/VacS3JUPA_I/AAAAAAAAAKI/LRh9wOcjGj8/s1600/WebHosting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-87sc0UpIPuc/VacS3JUPA_I/AAAAAAAAAKI/LRh9wOcjGj8/s320/WebHosting.jpg" width="320" /></a><strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Worthwhile Investment</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> Good hosting is a worthwhile investment that does not have to cost you a fortune. During the process of creating your website, hosting should be included in your budget. Hosting companies that provide low cost services are ideal for business owners who want to save money without compromising on the type of features that are available. </span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Cost</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> is always essential when selecting a hosting plan for your business site. Find a hosting plan that</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">will meet your needs and be affordable enough for </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">you to utilize the resources that you possess. Every business owner, especially if you are starting out, wants to be able to use an affordable provider. The provider should not only be affordable, but reliable as well. Along with helping you save money, the hosting company should be able to provide you with the support you need. Getting value for money involves finding the best and most reasonably priced provider who can help you develop a well performing website. </span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Different Affordable Features</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> When choosing web hosting, it is important to carry out comparisons regarding different features that are offered along with the costs involved. The provider needs to be able to offer you the features you need at a cost that fits within your budget. Determine how much you are willing to spend on web hosting and identify a provider that offers reasonable prices. It is essential for you to be aware of how much you are expected to pay in order for you to allocate the funds. A well priced hosting package will enable you to develop a suitable website for your business without straining your resources. </span><br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Competitive Pricing</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> The competitive nature of the industry has led to a continuous reduction in prices to give clients more options to choose from. You can easily find a hosting provider that will be able to provide you with more features at a lower cost. Carefully consider the features you need to run your site. The growth of your business is highly dependent on your online presence. Your web host is required to give you the space you need online with adequate space and bandwidth. There should always be room for growth because as your business develops, you will require more space. High speed connections are one of the most appealing factors because they influence how fast your website will take to load. Hosting provides affordable security for your website and this is facilitated by secure servers. Security makes it possible to safely and easily transfer data. An affordable hosting company will prioritize cost efficiency and reliability. You will be given the services you need at a price you can afford. </span><br />
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at <a href="http://bbb.org/boston">bbb.org/boston</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessNewsBBB?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/bostonbbb" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont?trk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_admin" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>. </span><a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-get-accredited-" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Become an Accredited Business</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> and get information and services to give you the confidence that can help keep your business safe and secure. </span><br />
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<a href="http://blog.mitx.org/Portals/52731/images/christian%20habermann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Christian Habermann" border="0" class="alignRight" src="http://blog.mitx.org/Portals/52731/images/christian%20habermann.jpg" id="img-1421428127807" /></a></div>
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="white-space: normal;"><i>Written by <a href="https://plus.google.com/+ChristianHabermann/posts">Christian Habermann</a> of BBB Accredited Business, </i></b></span><b><i><a href="http://auctusmarketing.com/">Auctus Marketing</a></i></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic; line-height: 21.3839988708496px;">Christian Habermann is the founder of Auctus Marketing and is a leader and innovator in the online marketing world. He is very involved in the local start up scene in Boston, MA. He co-founded ConsumerUnited.com, now Goji.com, which is one of the fastest growing online insurance companies and has made the Inc. 500 List the past 3 years. He loves to help companies of all sizes, from start ups to Fortune 500s, embrace the online marketing world to grow their business. He is the author of "SEO for 2014” and holds and MBA in marketing from Vanderbilt.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-32770256643285502212015-07-14T13:10:00.000-04:002015-07-14T14:50:11.609-04:00Timeless Success for Small Business<div style="text-align: left;">
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-efeeb638-888f-a02a-d211-d2b765ce6c97"><span style="font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BBB Accredited Business, Monahan & Co., is celebrating their 200th year of business. Six generations ago -- in 1815 -- </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jeremiah Monahan (the great-great-great grandfather of current owner, Michael Monahan) left Dublin, Ireland, secured 21 diamonds and began his business.</span></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Monahan & Co. is America's oldest family-owned and operated jewelry store. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38;">We spoke with Michael Monahan about the business's 200th anniversary, lessons from their lengthy presence in the marketplace and what has contributed to Monahan & Co.'s sustainability.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nQR79p3SOOw/VaP6jvGi-sI/AAAAAAAAAm4/sYJ0urhhw-Q/s1600/Monahan%2B%2526%2BCo_MichaelWithSign.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-nQR79p3SOOw/VaP6jvGi-sI/AAAAAAAAAm4/sYJ0urhhw-Q/s320/Monahan%2B%2526%2BCo_MichaelWithSign.JPG" width="320" /></a></span><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>You are celebrating 200 years in business this year - congratulations! What have you found is the key to making your business such a long standing success?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 14.7200002670288px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you! We're very proud and excited. What has made us such a long standing success is understanding this is a full time job. You have to like people and you have to like sales. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Monahan & Co. is family run and has roots in Dublin -- tell us a little bit about the origin of the business. And there’s a story involving the Claddagh ring?</b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.7200002670288px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jeremiah Monahan came over from Dublin and started Monahan Jewelers. For the first 150 years the business was located in Worcester, Ma. 50 years ago the business relocated to our current location, Harwichport, MA. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Claddagh ring has a 500-year history in Ireland. Jeremiah brought his own unique design to the states when he started Monahan Jewelers 200 years ago. The ring represents friendship, loyalty and love. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are some of the challenges with being a small business -- and how have you overcome them to be a mainstay in the community? </b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are tremendous odds against us with the internet now, but people want homegrown stores. We have </span><span style="line-height: 14.7200002670288px; white-space: pre-wrap;">remained</span><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> a mainstay through enthusiasm and by giving back to our community. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>How many employees do you have today? </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 14.7200002670288px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just two. Neal Waters, our President and myself. I have been with the business since I was 7, so I've been here 68 years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>What is a favorite moment as a business owner? What part of the job do you enjoy the most? What do you find most difficult? </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.7200002670288px; white-space: pre-wrap;">My favorite time as a business owner would have to be celebrating 200 years. It's been a long time coming and it's exciting to have achieved this long standing success as a small family-owned business. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.7200002670288px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.7200002670288px; white-space: pre-wrap;">The internet has probably caused the most difficulty for us. Not because it affected sales but because people will use sites like Amazon to order jewelry and when they find it is defective they bring it to us to fix. We never try to fix a piece that hasn't come from our store and this can leave customers upset, but we always tell them it's better to return and make a purchase at an actual Jeweler. </span><br />
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<b style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">How long have you been an Accredited Business with BBB?</b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14.7200002670288px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I decided to apply for Accreditation in 1979. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Why did you make the original decision to become Accredited? </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 14.7200002670288px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I wanted to be Accredited because <i>Better Business Bureau</i> reassures customers that they are choosing a trustworthy business. BBB is very important.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why have you remained an Accredited Business? </span><span style="line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What benefits do you appreciate/like the most about being Accredited? </span></b></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Again, <i>Better Business Bureau</i></span><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> reassures customers about the business they are selecting. We have worked very hard to maintain an A+ rating by taking care of our customers. We want people who are not familiar with our business to be reassured that they can trust us.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span><b><span style="line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other businesses envy a business with 200 years in service and a loyal following. Do you have </span><span style="line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">advice for businesses who might be starting out? </span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="line-height: 1.38; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></span>
<span style="line-height: 22.0799999237061px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your main goal shou<span style="font-family: inherit;">ld always be to please customers to encourage loyalty. I also recommend everyone join BBB. It is very important to let customers know you have a good business. </span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1d3bO7ORxjQ/VaQKEFH7qXI/AAAAAAAAAJw/wsxtmYrLHNY/s1600/Monahan%2B%2526%2BCo_200AnniversaryClock2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1d3bO7ORxjQ/VaQKEFH7qXI/AAAAAAAAAJw/wsxtmYrLHNY/s320/Monahan%2B%2526%2BCo_200AnniversaryClock2.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The clock outside the Monahan & Co. storefront was a gift from the business to the town of Harwichport. The gesture is meant to inspire design and development in their community. Monahan's </span></span></span><span style="text-align: start; white-space: pre-wrap;">philanthropic efforts set a great example for other small businesses <a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/for-businesses/about-bbb-accreditation/">applying for Accreditation</a>.</span></span></i><br />
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Monahan & Co. has demonstrated an ongoing commitment to their community, customers and the standards that BBB expects as <a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/for-businesses/about-bbb-accreditation/bbb-code-of-business-practices-bbb-accreditation-standards/">best practices</a>. Learn more about<a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/public/sales/accreditation-t4-2"> becoming Accredited</a> and part of a community of trustworthy businesses.<br />
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at <a href="http://bbb.org/boston">bbb.org/boston</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessNewsBBB?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/bostonbbb" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont?trk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_admin" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.</span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-78958502799133814272015-07-10T08:33:00.001-04:002015-07-10T10:28:37.258-04:00Master Time Management and Give Your Business a Boost <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UGdmowkpMtU/VZ8lU3IvVrI/AAAAAAAAAGA/sPC2dR2j8fE/s1600/Time%2BManagement%2B-%2Bclock%2Bjuggle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UGdmowkpMtU/VZ8lU3IvVrI/AAAAAAAAAGA/sPC2dR2j8fE/s320/Time%2BManagement%2B-%2Bclock%2Bjuggle.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">As a <b>small business</b> owner, you probably feel as if there are not enough hours in the day. Everything falls on you to get things done, so you often end up working nights, weekends and holidays. One of the most important things you can master when <a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-businessofftheground" target="_blank">running a new business</a> is time management. If you have control over how you spend your time, you will feel more organized and efficient and ultimately be more successful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here are </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>a few ways to accomplish this</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Set Priorities – </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">At the beginning of each day, identify one or two tasks you absolutely need to complete by days end. Finish these before you start on anything else. You’ll also need to account for unplanned </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">distractions</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">such as phone calls, staff interruptions, etc. Planning ahead will keep you on task and you will feel like you have accomplished something each day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stay Organized – </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Keep track of your meetings on a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>calendar </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and if you have a staff, use a joint calendar so everyone knows when colleagues will be out of the office and the details of their </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">m</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">eetings</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Also make sure to set aside time each week to catch up on paperwork and menial tasks that can pile up quickly when left undone. Are you a smartphone user? Earlier this year, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Business News Daily</i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> suggested <a href="http://bit.ly/1dPm4rL" target="_blank">several free apps</a> to help you streamline your strategies. If you keep up with the smaller jobs on a daily or weekly basis, it will save you a ton of time in the long run. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Delegate – </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You might be able to do it all but when you delegate, it takes a lot of pressure off you and frees up your time to tackle the larger ventures of your business. Delegating is often one of the most difficult things for new </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>business owners</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> but if you find <a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2015/06/hiring-tips-for-small-businesses.html" target="_blank">h</a><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2015/06/hiring-tips-for-small-businesses.html" target="_blank">ardworking people you trust</a>, it becomes easier.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take Care of Yourself – </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This might not seem business related but when you are run down and stressed, your work suffers. Give yourself a chance to recharge once in a while and you will return </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>r</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>efreshed and more focused</b></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. This is more easily accomplished once you begin incorporating the lessons listed above. </span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you a rising new business less than a year old? Apply to become a </span><span style="color: blue; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.bbb.org/Boston/public/sales/new-business-sponsor/" style="font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">New Business Sponsor</a>.</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The program will arm you with the tools you need to stay one step ahead. Is your business more established? <a href="http://go.bbb.org/ne-get-accredited-" target="_blank">Get Accredited</a> with BBB as part of your formula for success. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at <a href="http://bbb.org/boston">bbb.org/boston</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessNewsBBB?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on <a href="http://twitter.com/bostonbbb" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont?trk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_admin" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 22.0799999237061px;">Written by: Adam Koncius, Koncius Digital Marketing</span></span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-67265768271730261032015-07-07T18:34:00.001-04:002015-07-07T19:19:09.680-04:00How A Website Can Benefit Your Small Business<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It is not uncommon for small business owners to resist developing an online presence for their business. The prospect of creating and maintaining a website can seem like a hassle to owners who juggle many different responsibilities. However, in today's world having a website is vital to business growth and customer relationships. </span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yvnO3ZOVd4k/VZxTiUFqedI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/3-AE7S5zkAs/s1600/ThinkstockPhotos-179241831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yvnO3ZOVd4k/VZxTiUFqedI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/3-AE7S5zkAs/s400/ThinkstockPhotos-179241831.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your business's website does not need to be elaborate or complicated. Start with a couple of pages that describe your business - the services and/or product you offer - and your contact and location details. Purchasing a domain to host your website should only cost a few dollars annually and provides a permanent space on the web for clients and future clients to learn more about your business. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Benefits of building a website</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for your small business: </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It acts as a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">sales tool</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Your website is a place for consumers to learn more about your product and/or service. This online platform will allow you to share trusted information about your business and create compelling calls-to-action which can incentivize consumers to make a purchase. It can even serve as an online marketplace for customers to buy your product or service and expand existing sales opportunities. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Your business's </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">visibility increases</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. With the growing popularity of </span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/for-businesses/about-bbb-accreditation/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">online directories</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, more and more consumers are doing their research online before making a purchase. If your web presence is non-existent, there is less chance your business will appear in search results. With an online footprint, you strengthen your reach and become more discoverable to potential customers when they conduct searches. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">enhance credibility</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Because consumers are deliberately decision-making online, having a website enables you to share carefully curated information about your business. You are in control of the message the consumer receives and in turn, they can trust that the data they find is legitimate. </span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It means you can </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">capitalize on less expensive and free forms of advertising</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Printed media, TV, and radio can be pricey. Your website will be a relatively minimal investment and provide any information you want to share with clients and prospective clients. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">T</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">o learn more about how to create a website for your business, see our tips </span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/industry-tips/read/tip/five-steps-to-building-an-e-commerce-site-video-3760/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: blue; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.666666666666666px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us at </span><a href="http://bbb.org/boston" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0062e1; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bbb.org/boston</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessNewsBBB?ref=hl" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0062e1; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on </span><a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0062e1; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0062e1; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14.6666666666667px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-41005579196307310222015-07-02T15:48:00.001-04:002015-07-02T20:29:46.744-04:004th of July: What's Happening in Your Town<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e6-A6FrzQ6w/VZVy1afwJuI/AAAAAAAAAFg/x35Y5Pd6vGE/s1600/fb-cover-4th-july-2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e6-A6FrzQ6w/VZVy1afwJuI/AAAAAAAAAFg/x35Y5Pd6vGE/s640/fb-cover-4th-july-2015.jpg" width="640" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's one of the most anticipated holidays on the calendar -- one that for many signifies the official start of Summer -- the <b>4th of July!</b> </span><br />
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Check out the festivities taking place <a href="http://www.visitnewengland.com/all/july-4-events/events/" target="_blank">in and around your community</a> over the weekend.</span><br />
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<b style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><u>4th of July Events</u></b></div>
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<li><a href="http://capecod.curbed.com/archives/2015/06/29/july4thfireworkscape-codmarthas-vineyardnantucket2015map.php" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cape and the Islands</span></a></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Massachusetts </span><a href="http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/metro/4th-of-july-fireworks-dates-and-times-across-massachusetts/20691008" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">by town</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">and <a href="http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/29442769/list-of-massachusetts-fireworks-for-2015" target="_blank">date</a></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Maine </span><a href="http://www.maine.info/July4.php" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">by town</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Rhode Island </span><a href="http://www.centralrichamber.com/1048/events/fireworks/%20http://www.visitri.com/state/july-4-events/events/" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">by town</a></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Vermont </span><a href="http://www.wcax.com/story/25862063/4th-of-july-celebration-festivities" style="background-color: white;" target="_blank">by date</a></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Much of New England will continue to celebrate <a href="http://www.discovernewengland.org/new-england-events/july-2015/" target="_blank">all month long</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our Marketing and Communications team curated a <a href="http://8tracks.com/sbenz-92968/4th-of-july-2015" target="_blank">patriotic playlist</a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><i>Just press play for your soundtrack</i>!</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><br />
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<a href="http://8tracks.com/sbenz-92968/4th-of-july-2015?utm_medium=trax_embed">4th of July 2015</a> from <a href="http://8tracks.com/sbenz-92968?utm_medium=trax_embed">sbenz-92968</a> on <a href="http://8tracks.com/?utm_medium=trax_embed">8tracks Radio</a>.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Have a safe and happy 4th of July!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-- Amy, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cate, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Jaime, Lisa, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Paula, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Rachel, Steph and </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Taylor</span></div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-36990489372891392952015-07-02T08:32:00.001-04:002015-07-06T21:20:31.752-04:00Networking for your New Business<div id="E11" is="qowt-para" qowt-eid="E11" style="display: block; font-family: Calibri, Carlito, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.38; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 10pt;">
<span id="E14" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E14" style="display: inline; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Starting and growing a </span><span id="E-197" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-197" style="display: inline; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">new business</span><span id="E-198" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-198" style="display: inline; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> can be daunting. It's important to have a strong network you can rely on for help. Building a network can lead to more success down the </span><span id="E15" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E15" style="display: inline; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">road, so it is essential that you</span><span id="E16" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E16" style="display: inline; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> understand why it's important</span><span id="E17" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E17" style="display: inline; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and how </span><span id="E18" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E18" style="display: inline; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">to</span><span id="E19" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E19" style="display: inline; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;"> accomplish this.</span></div>
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<span id="E21" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E21" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Networking</span><span id="E-223" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-223" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> brings your business to the </span><span id="E22" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E22" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-importance-of-knowing-your.html" target="_blank">fore</a></span><span id="E23" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E23" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2015/06/the-importance-of-knowing-your.html" target="_blank">front of the competition</a> and helps secure potential clients.</span><span id="E24" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E24" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The more people you meet, the more chances you have to educate them about your business. New customers can learn what you do and w</span><span id="E25" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E25" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hat makes your business unique. E</span><span id="E26" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E26" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">xisting <b>customers</b> can learn about new products and services</span><span id="E27" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E27" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span id="E28" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E28" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and why they should stick with you and ultimately recommend you to friends.</span><span id="E29" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E29" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="E30" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E30" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People will be more likely to </span><span id="E31" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E31" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">select</span><span id="E32" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E32" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> your business, if they feel they know you</span><span id="E33" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E33" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span id="E34" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E34" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or have received a recommendation from someone they trust. </span></div>
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<span id="E36" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E36" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that you understand why it is important to grow your network, here are </span><span id="E-7975" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-7975" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">a few ways to accomplish this goal:</span><br />
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<span id="E38" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E38" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be Present </span><span id="E39" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E39" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Online – </span><span id="E40" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E40" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have a strong </span><span id="E-7996" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-7996" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">social media</span><span id="E-7997" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-7997" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> presence on sites like </span><span id="E-2926" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-2926" style="display: inline; font-style: italic; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Google+.</span><span id="E-2927" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-2927" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Writing blogs can also be a great way to get your mission across. You can get to know other companies in your field by following their posts. The more you know about your community and competition, the better you will be at anticipating needs.</span><br />
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<span id="E42" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E42" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Attend Events</span><span id="E43" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E43" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - </span><span id="E44" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E44" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Plan to regularly attend networking events both in and out of your field. </span><span id="E45" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E45" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You never know where or when you may meet a potential investor, colleague, or future client.</span><span id="E46" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E46" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span id="E47" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E47" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Meet-</span><span id="E50" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E50" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ups like happy hours, workshops</span><span id="E51" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E51" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and conferences are great ways to speak casually about your business and make connections with interested parties. </span></div>
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<span id="E54" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E54" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Be Organized – </span><span id="E55" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E55" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People don’t have a lot of time on their hands, so make sure you know exactly what you want your message to be and how you will stand out from the </span><span id="E-8073" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-8073" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">competition</span><span id="E-8074" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-8074" style="display: inline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. What makes you different and why should a client pick you over someone else? It is also important to know your audience. Someone may be more interested in one aspect of your business over another. Figure these answers out ahead of time so you are ready to network when the opportunity comes.</span></div>
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<span id="E-258" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-258" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">When in Doubt, Don't Be the Shark - </span><span id="E-11045" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-11045" style="display: inline; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">No one likes being on the other end of an aggressive interaction. </span><span id="E-1906" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-1906" style="display: inline; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">Whether networking in person or online, there's </span><span id="E-8163" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-8163" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">etiquette </span><span id="E-8164" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-8164" style="display: inline; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">worth considering. Most often, networking translates to making a </span><span id="E-8304" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-8304" style="display: inline; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">first impression</span><span id="E-8305" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E-8305" style="display: inline; font-weight: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and bad ones can turn into deal breakers down the road. Make an effort to approach people how you'd like to be approached. When face-to-face, try to actively and considerately listen, rather than </span><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 17.6000003814697px; white-space: pre-wrap;">simply waiting for an opportunity to pitch your message</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 1.2; white-space: pre-wrap;">. In an online environment, like <i>LinkedIn</i>, be confident and passionate about your business but genuine. People can sense inauthenticity even from behind a computer. Definitely be creative and most importantly, have patience. Remember, you're in the majority -- the individuals you connect with are most likely in the same boat for their endeavor. If you don't put them on the defense or leave them feeling uncomfortable, you've avoided that shark mentality. </span></div>
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<span class="qowt-font3-inherit" id="E58" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E58" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are you a new business on the rise and less than a year old? The <a href="http://www.bbb.org/Boston/public/sales/new-business-sponsor/" target="_blank">New Business Sponsor Program</a> </span><span class="qowt-font3-inherit" id="E68" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E68" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit !important; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">introduces you to a community of trustworthy businesses.</span></div>
<div is="qowt-para" named-flow="FLOW-412" qowt-eid="E57" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: block; font-family: Calibri, Carlito, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.38; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px 0px 10pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E73" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E73" style="display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information you can trust, visit us a</span><a class="qowt-field qowt-field-hyperlink" contenteditable="false" href="http://www.bbb.org/boston" id="E74" qowt-divtype="qowt-field-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E74" target="_blank"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E75" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E75" style="color: blue; display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> bbb.org/</span><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E77" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E77" style="color: blue; display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;">bos</span></a><a class="qowt-field qowt-field-hyperlink" contenteditable="false" href="http://www.bbb.org/boston" id="E78" qowt-divtype="qowt-field-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E78" target="_blank"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E79" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E79" style="color: blue; display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t</span></a><a class="qowt-field qowt-field-hyperlink" contenteditable="false" href="http://www.bbb.org/boston" id="E80" qowt-divtype="qowt-field-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E80" target="_blank"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E81" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E81" style="color: blue; display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;">on</span></a><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E83" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E83" style="display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">, like us on </span><a class="qowt-field qowt-field-hyperlink" contenteditable="false" href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessNewsBBB?ref=hl" id="E84" qowt-divtype="qowt-field-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E84" target="_blank"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E85" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E85" style="color: blue; display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E86" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E86" style="display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">, or follow us on </span><a class="qowt-field qowt-field-hyperlink" contenteditable="false" href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" id="E87" qowt-divtype="qowt-field-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E87" target="_blank"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E88" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E88" style="color: blue; display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Twitter</span></a><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E89" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E89" style="display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a class="qowt-field qowt-field-hyperlink" contenteditable="false" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont?trk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_admin" id="E90" qowt-divtype="qowt-field-hyperlink" qowt-eid="E90" target="_blank"><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E91" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E91" style="color: blue; display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration: underline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LinkedIn</span></a><span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" id="E92" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E92" style="display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br />
<span class="qowt-font2-TimesNewRoman" is="qowt-run" qowt-eid="E92" style="display: inline; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif !important; font-size: 12pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div is="qowt-para" named-flow="FLOW-412" qowt-eid="E57" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; display: block; font-family: Calibri, Carlito, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 1.38; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; orphans: auto; padding: 0px 0px 10pt; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Tinos, 'Baskerville Old Face', 'Bell MT', serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 1.38; white-space: pre-wrap;">Written by: Adam Koncius, Koncius Digital Marketing</span></div>
Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-54427415994025145012015-06-30T09:19:00.002-04:002015-06-30T09:47:44.037-04:00Internet Safety: How You Can Protect Your Small Business From Internet Crimes <span id="docs-internal-guid-b552fd0c-4492-33dd-8340-f17af8428715"></span><br />
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-b552fd0c-4492-33dd-8340-f17af8428715"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-en4cWggM3vY/VZKKQiNEn0I/AAAAAAAAAjg/efXV0R3JI5E/s1600/ThinkstockPhotos-488808075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-en4cWggM3vY/VZKKQiNEn0I/AAAAAAAAAjg/efXV0R3JI5E/s400/ThinkstockPhotos-488808075.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Small businesses are becoming more frequently</span><a href="http://www.bbb.org/blog/2015/06/ransomware-schemes-still-prevalent/" style="line-height: 1.2; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">targeted in Internet based crimes</span></a><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by hackers who are increasingly sophisticated and threats that are more widespread. It’s easy for criminals to hack a small business's computer system, if it has a weak defense. Putting an Internet security plan in place will help lessen your risk and prevent criminals from accessing sensitive information like banking numbers, email accounts, customer information, financial records, etc.</span><span style="line-height: 1.38;"> </span> </span></span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-b552fd0c-4492-33dd-8340-f17af8428715"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’ve compiled </span><span style="color: #222222; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a few tips and resources</span><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to help you establish cybersecurity precautions for your small business.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Train your employees.</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Set clear expectations and rules regarding what can and cannot be installed or downloaded on work computers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Make sure employees are backing up their work regularly.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facilitate </span><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">password</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> changes on a regular basis and make sure employees know what constitutes a</span><a href="https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/32040?hl=en" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">secure password</span></a><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Employees should be able to recognize suspicious links and emails and know not to open them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Assess your computer network and formulate a cybersecurity plan. The FCC offers a</span><a href="https://www.fcc.gov/cyberplanner" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Small Biz Cyber Planner</span></a><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">that helps businesses discover and protect themselves from “growing cyber threats.”</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Encrypt any confidential information.</span></div>
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<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Update your </span><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">security software</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> regularly. Bugs, viruses and malware are ever evolving. In order for your computer to remain secure, you need to stay up to date with security software.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Protect your customers by having and following a </span><span style="font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">privacy policy</span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. If you use the Internet to communicate with customers and collect their information, you could be putting them at risk. The FCC offers some</span><a href="https://www.fcc.gov/cyberforsmallbiz" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #222222; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">best practices</span></a><span style="color: #1155cc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">which can help your small business safeguard clients from online risks.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; list-style-type: circle; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Keep any data retention to a minimum. Unless you need the information to deliver the product, don’t ask for it. The less sensitive information you have, the less risk to your business and to customers.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; list-style-type: circle; margin-left: 15px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Talk to your customers and make sure they understand what information you need and why. If you keep track of purchase history to help make product recommendations, explain this. Additionally, try to make policies as simple and clear as possible. Oftentimes consumers skim through the fine print. Break it down into pieces of information that will be easily digested.</span></span></li>
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</span></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5075169356557753060.post-28850664768607870152015-06-25T09:31:00.000-04:002015-06-25T09:31:19.650-04:00Reputation Management for New Businesses<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CnUr3fRO-hs/VYwCZ84QQAI/AAAAAAAAAh4/NmSGEjpH3Y4/s1600/ThinkstockPhotos-168855344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CnUr3fRO-hs/VYwCZ84QQAI/AAAAAAAAAh4/NmSGEjpH3Y4/s400/ThinkstockPhotos-168855344.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">Whether you are a large corporation or a small business of one, managing your reputation should be high on your priority list. Online reviews, word of mouth and customer opinions can make or break your company. It's important to know what is being said about you and what to do in case a problem arises. Here are a <b>few tips for managing your reputation</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Act Quickly</b> – Set up <i>Google</i> Alerts about your company and do periodic searches for <a href="http://www.bbb.org/boston/Customer-Reviews" target="_blank">customer feedback </a>to keep tabs on both praise and criticism. Don’t just ignore the bad reviews or negative comments, address them quickly and professionally. Customers want to be heard. If they know you are listening – and more importantly doing something to address their concerns – you may keep that business you almost lost.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Recognize the Positive</b> - Let consumers know that you hear and value their praise. Consider featuring positive feedback and/or testimonials on your website to publicly show appreciation for happy customers. Highlighting the relationship shows gratitude while at the same time, builds credibility in your community and with prospective clients.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Take it Offline</b> – Keep an eye on sites like <i>Facebook, LinkedIn</i> and your own website. If you hear negative comments being made through a <b>social media</b> site, address them privately, if possible. <a href="http://bbb-business-news.blogspot.com/2015/06/how-to-write-professional-email.html" target="_blank">Email</a> or call the customer to address their concerns and see what you can do to make things better. They will appreciate the personal touch and you will save yourself from getting into a potential online battle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Follow Up</b> – Once a concern has been addressed, make sure to follow up with the customer to ensure they are still happy. This could involve a simple phone call or email, or perhaps offer a coupon or discount on services. This will confirm you are continuously working to please your clients and that you do not forget about them even when things are going well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="background-color: white;">Take the High Road</b><span style="background-color: white;"> – Remember you cannot please everyone all the time. Address an unhappy customer's concerns and attempt to fix the problem to their satisfaction. If they are still not pleased, offer an apology, remain polite and professional and do your best to leave the situation in a positive light.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Are you a rising new business less than a year old? Becoming part of the <a href="http://www.bbb.org/Boston/public/sales/new-business-sponsor/" target="_blank">New Business Sponsor Program </a>will help you build and maintain a strong reputation.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For more information you can trust, visit us a <a href="http://bbb.org/boston">bbb.org/boston</a>, like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessNewsBBB?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, or follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/BostonBBB" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-business-bureau-of-eastern-massachusetts-maine-rhode-island-&-vermont" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">Written by: Adam Koncius, Koncius Digital Marketing</span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0