Email is a very powerful tool for marketing. This is a fact that is generally accepted by many. What do you know about email and its potential for marketing? Perhaps, if you are like the general public, your idea of email marketing might be limited to mass mailings. Though this is indeed one of the main ways by which you can utilize emails for marketing purposes, it is by no means the only way.

If you want to consider email as a marketing tool, then you should do away with that limited way of thinking. Instead, try to see email and related activities in a broader sense. Here are some relevant points I got from Wikipedia:

• sending e-mails with the purpose of enhancing the relationship of a merchant with its current or previous customers and to encourage customer loyalty and repeat business,
• sending e-mails with the purpose of acquiring new customers or convincing current customers to purchase something immediately,
• adding advertisements to e-mails sent by other companies to their customers, and
• sending e-mails over the Internet, as e-mail did and does exist outside the Internet (e.g., network e-mail and FIDO).

As you can see, the medium is the same, the ideas similar, but the results hold even more potential if you consider these points.

How about the advantages and disadvantages of using email for marketing? Naturally, these two concepts have to be considered. One of the biggest advantages of email marketing is that it does not cost as much as other forms of marketing. It could even be virtually free. There is more to it than this, though. Let us take a deeper look at the pros and cons in the next post.

Every blogsite is often a single-faced venture—it can either be for business or as a business. It’s rare that you’ll come across a website that is working for both, just like TimothySykes.com. This website serves as Tim Sykes’ online store, where he sells products, and blogsite, where he shares and promotes his expertise.

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In the last post, we talked about how important it is to brand your blog. That is, to make sure that your blog has a lasting impact on your readers and to keep them remembering your blog (and thus your business) without much effort at all. We discussed two points – using your own domain and creating a logo. Here are more ideas on how to brand your blog.

Make sure your blog is user friendly
This is a very important aspect when it comes to blogs. In fact, it does not matter whether you are blogging for personal purposes or for business purposes. It is of utmost importance that you bear in mind your users. You want them to have an easy time navigating your blog. You want them to find it easy to read your posts and to find relevant posts as well.

An important thing to consider is the layout of the blog. Make sure that it is organized and that the links are easy to find. Also, make sure that you are not permeating your blog with ads that could be irritating to the user. These and other things should be on your mind when you design your blog.

Think up of a smart motto
It may sound cliché but mottos and slogans work. They are important in helping your customers remember your business and what it is all about. This part could be tricky – just as tricky as coming up with a relevant logo – so you should take your time with this.

If you want to read more about branding and its relevance, try this post that I came across on Typepad.

Branding is not a new concept. It has, in fact, existed way back in the ancient times. Only then, they did not have the Internet. Businessmen in the ancient times branded their livestock and their products, literally. Today, when someone mentions the word “branding,” we have a slightly different idea but the basic concept remains the same. We want to create something that would be associated with our business. We want to be known and branding helps us achieve that goal.

When it comes to online presence, it is very important that we brand our blog. There are countless blogs and web sites in existence – it is very easy to get lost in that world. So how do you brand your blog? Here are some ways to help you get started.

Use a domain
Forget about free blog platforms – that is, if you really want to make your presence easier to remember. The idea is for people to find you easily and to remember you. Imagine having to remember a URL that is something like this www.blogplatform.businessname/blog. It could be tricky and people might get the wrong URL most of the time. It would be so much easier to make use of hosting services and use your business name for the domain name. Sure enough, you have to pay for this but it is a small cost as compared to the benefits it brings.

Use a logo
Logos are old but they work. Most every business has a logo of its own. The cliché says “a picture paints a thousand words” – so does a logo. Come up with a creative one that catches people’s attention and relates to the nature of your business. Place it prominently on your blog and web site and anywhere else that you can. You’ll see that people will find it easier to remember your business!

One of the most important aspects of a business is its public relations. Wikipedia defines this as “the managing of outside communication of an organization to create and maintain a positive image. Public relations involve popularizing successes, downplaying failures, announcing changes, and many other activities.” In other words, PR includes all the activities that you engage in in order to present your business to the rest of the world the way you want it to be seen. Naturally, any business owner would want good PR.

One way to have good PR – no, a killer PR, actually – is to build up that business blog of yours. You may be a small business entity as compared to Microsoft or Sony, but that does not mean that you cannot establish yourself as an authority in your own field. No matter what your business may be about, you can always find ways to bring yourself to the forefront of your niche – and blogging is one of the ways to do this.

Nowadays, journalists and researchers turn to the Web for a lot of material. When they create write ups, they would probably include a Google search in their prep work. Now, if you have a good online presence, then you would most likely be discovered by these people, who, in turn would probably quote you (from your blog) in their piece of work. Now isn’t that killer PR? You do not even have to solicit the local newspaper’s attention – they would find you on their own because of your business blog. Ask Rich Brooks, who has had ample enough experience in this respect.

There are certain benefits that you can measure easily and clearly. Then there are those which you cannot really quantify but you KNOW that they do exist. The same goes with blogging – there are those benefits which you can place figures to while there are those which just makes you know you are gaining somehow.

I came to this realization when I read Rachael Herrscher’s post on “Another Reason To Start Your Own Blog.” At the beginning, I was thinking – oh great, here is another post on why we all should blog. Do we really need another post like that?

I really appreciate how she put things in perspective, though:

But blogging for your business or blogging about your industry gives you opportunities and a level of credibility with others that you wouldn’t have had otherwise. It also gives you access to a whole new network of people whom you would have had no excuse to talk to before. And of course, for those of you searching for someone to talk about you and your business, blogs are a vast new outlet to receive online coverage of your business.

I’m a small fish in a big sea of bloggers, but my various blogs never cease to serve up great contacts for me. Even on a person-to-person level (the real-life stuff), I’m able to meet people because of my blog. We have blogger dinners in our community, local blog networks and, of course, the huge network of bloggers available on the World Wide Web.

So if you’ve been putting off starting your business blog or blogging about a niche in your industry you are passionate about–it’s time.

You hit the nail right on the head with that post, Rachael!

You might think that I am going crazy. The economic world is rather unstable right now. Who in his right mind would turn his attention to expanding and looking for other opportunities instead of focusing on the problems at hand? Well, let me tell you, in these hard times, there will always be opportunities for those who are alert to them. And you never know, these opportunities may very well be the answer to some of the problems that you face in your small business.

As a matter of fact, other business experts are thinking along the same lines. I recently read an article by Jared Lauber and Joe Orlando of Frank, Rimerman Consulting. It was thought provoking and encouraging at the same time. The conclusion really struck home:

The key to any decision-making process, especially in the assessment of risk, is a continuous and thoughtful assessment of available information. Every business owner must develop a fundamental understanding of the facts surrounding their business. Business owners need to know as much as they can about themselves and the world in which they compete. Similarly, every individual needs to understand their personal income statement and balance sheet. The better prepared a business owner or individual is to embrace change, understand risk, maintain visibility and seek out opportunity, the more likely they can begin the process of putting comfort back into what has become an uncomfortable world.

This simply means that we may have to look outside of our comfort zones and perhaps find a hidden gem that can make our comfort zones ever wider. Brilliant, don’t you think?

I am sure you know that old saying by heart: the only thing constant in this world is change. With what we have been experiencing in the past year or so, I am also sure that many of you have experienced this saying first hand. Change has been happening all over the world in various sectors, and the business sector has not been exempt from that. Your own business might even have had to undergo some major changes as well.

Talking about change, how is your business when it comes to dealing with change? Are you and everyone involved resilient enough to weather any changes that might happen or are you resistant to the possibility? Let me tell you know, even without an impending change in the horizon, it is always important that you ready yourself, your employees, and your business itself to change. At one point or another, it is bound to happen. And when it does, you will only really benefit if you are ready for it.

How do you prepare yourself, your employees, and your business itself for change?

Take a close look at your company culture. Perhaps you are of the traditional kind. Perhaps the culture that has been ingrained in your business is resistant to change. If so, it is time to do something about that. Talk about change on a regular basis. Talk about it in meetings. Talk about it over coffee. The idea is to help your employees open their mind to change and for them to be able to see it as a positive thing.

Here’s to change!

Medium sized businesses have a relatively high budget for gas. This is especially true if the nature of your business requires that your employees travel. Sales, marketing, and other similar activities will require that you move from point A to point B on a regular basis. One way to lessen your gas expense would be to find a supplier that will provide gas for your fleet at a good deal. But what if you are not getting the best deal out of that supplier? How can you save more on gas?

Make sure you have a concrete contract.
Verbal arrangements may work for some but you will always be better off with a contract in black and white. This will protect you when gas prices fluctuate. The important thing is that you get a deal in writing, a deal which will make both parties happy.

Do your homework.
Before signing that contract, make sure that you are not being made to pay more than you should. Look around for other gas suppliers that have similar services to businesses. Compare their rates and ask around for discounts and deals. Get the best deal and sign a contract with that supplier.

Do it yourself.
There is no need to pay someone to do the research for you or to broker the deal for you. While it may save you a little bit of time and effort, it will cost you a considerable amount of money – money that you can use for some other profitable activity. As such, set aside time and do the work yourself and save yourself some money!

Disaster can strike anytime. Even for those who are prepared, problems can occur without a moment’s notice. However, for those who are not prepared, problems can easily go from bad to worse, and worse to a disaster. Here are some tips which can help you prevent disaster before it strikes.

Make copies of documents and store them in a safe place.
There are documents and there are DOCUMENTS. While there are papers which will not kill your business if you lose them, there are certain papers which you simply have to have. For these kinds of documents, make sure you have double copies – triplicates if necessary. Take things one step further and do what every sensible person does: keep the original in a safe place. Now remember that you are not merely keeping them safe from theft. You need to keep your essential documents safe from natural elements. Get a fireproof, waterproof safety deposit box. Better yet, get something which you can move if necessary.

Make sure you have a line of credit.
Now some people are averse to borrowing money. Establishing a line of credit is different from borrowing, though. Just because you do have a line of credit does not mean that you have to use it. Knowing that you have one in case you do need it will not only give you peace of mind, but also real assurance that you have access to cash in case disaster strikes.

Document processes and contacts.
While you and other key personnel at the office may know everything there is to know about the business, there is no telling when/if you may not be around one day. Documenting processes and contact will ensure smooth operations, no matter what.