Throughout the month of November we will be running our “SMB blog series.” While SMB traditionally refers to “Small/Medium Business,” here at Volusion it has come to mean something else: “Small Made Big.” This month we will be sharing resources, tips, stats, and inspirations to help you turn your small ecommerce endeavor into something greater- something BIG!

It’s important for all business owners to stay on top of industry information, but as a small business owner, it’s even more important to understand the business landscape! Running a small business, you have less room for error so you’ll want to make sure you have as much information as possible when making decisions that will affect the future of your business.

Blogs are an excellent way to get the essential news, tips, resources, and advice you need to run your small online business! Here are some great business blogs to follow on a regular basis:

• Duct Tape Marketing
  Duct tape is an absolute essential, and so is this blog. Just look at the Duct Tape Marketing blog’s  extensive left-hand navigation of blog topics and you’ll know why it’s a must-read for small business owners.
• All Business- The Small Business Blog
  Small Business expert Reiva Lesonsky updates The Small Business Blog weekly with straightforward and passionate entrepreneur insight.
• Small Business Trends
  Like their name would imply, Small Business Trends keeps tabs on all of the breaking trends that impact every aspect of your business. They also maintain an extensive list of ongoing business events. (more…)
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Congratulations on creating and maintaining a blog for your business! Now that you have taken the steps to create a blog that people actually want to read, make sure that they can find it by submitting it to the top blog directories. These are the best blog directories online right now (sorted by PageRank- a numeric value that measures the importance of a webpage on Google): (more…)

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Today’s economic climate stresses the importance of a cost effective marketing strategy in order to achieve the most gain with the least expense. Blogs fit this bill because they allow you to reach a vast global audience with very little monetary cost. Free blog software has made blogs accessible to even the smallest companies, and the movement away from structured formal writing to a more conversational dialogue has made the average person well equipped to maintain a blog. With the explosion of the “blogosphere” your business can fall behind quickly without a regularly updated quality blog. This is why it’s important to know (more…)

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We have all come across “That Guy” at one time or another using social media- you know the one we’re talking about! “That guy” does not use social media to participate in healthy balanced conversations; instead, he/she indulges in narcissism- making sure to be the center of attention or the loudest voice in every discussion. How do you know if you are “That Guy” in your social media efforts? Here are some classic “That Guy” actions when it comes to blogging and/or Twittering:

• Posting comments on blogs just to drop your URL and promote your company/products/etc.
• Twittering almost solely about yourself
• Declaring yourself an “expert” or “guru” in everything you list as an interest on your various online profiles
• Ignoring all conversations that are outside of your professional agenda
• Advertising your sales on other companies’ blogs (especially competitors’ blogs)
• Tweeting the same thing multiple times a day so that you make sure to expose your followers to your message all throughout their day
• Dismissing any content or conversations that may conflict with your own opinions or experiences
• Keyword optimizing your profiles so that they are virtually unreadable by real people (ex. “Ecommerce Online Selling Internet Small Business, Social Media, Marketing”)

If you are “That Guy” there’s no need to worry. Outlined below is the seven step “That Guy” recovery program:

1. Be human- people want to see the quirky real you come out in all of your social media interactions
2. Build relationships before you need them so that when the time comes you’re leaning on a friend not asking for a favor
3. Follow a few key blogs and build a relationship with the authors/brands instead of trying to cover all of the blogs in your industry
4. Stop focusing on numbers of followers, friends, etc. and remember social media is about meaningful interactions
5. Teach yourself how to handle criticism so you can remain level headed in negative situations
6. Promote others- if you are willing to dish out referrals and reviews others will trust you more than if you just promote yourself
7. Listen- you don’t have to insert yourself in every conversation you find about your industry

A special thank you to Shannon Paul for contributing ideas for this post!

-Kate Pierce eCommerce Specialist

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Business blogging can be a daunting task. First-timers can get scared off and end up missing out on a great business opportunity. How should you even get started? What should you blog about? How much time will you need? What if it isn’t good? Will anyone really follow it? Even if you are currently blogging for your business you may be asking yourself some of these questions. What you need to ensure that your business blogging efforts will pay off (and your sanity will not be compromised in the process) is a blogging check-list to adhere to. The following five point check-list can get you going and help keep you going:

1. Listen
   Find out what your audience wants and give it to them- it’s that easy. If you take the time to understand your audience and put them before your own agenda they will appreciate your efforts and reward you for making them feel like real people instead of numbers. Use the customers you already have by talking with them or having them complete surveys (often right after they have made a purchase or right after they have received the product is the best time). Do focus groups and market research if you have the time and money. The more in your audience’s heads you can get the better the return will be on your blogging.
2. Enrich
   You don’t have to have a flashy business blog or world-class writing to have a good blog that people will follow. As long as you are committed to providing factual, relevant information and advice your blog will be a success.
3. Maintain
   You don’t need to blog everyday- in fact, you probably shouldn’t. Set aside a set amount of time each week to research and blog. Don’t let it consume you, but don’t forget about it either.
   Submitting to industry related blog feeds will help you think of what you will want to blog about and keep you at the forefront of your industry’s news. Tools like iGoogle will house all of your feeds in one place for easy browsing. This is a good way to collect information/stories/press releases/etc. quickly without actually doing any work. Anyone in a time crunch can appreciate this writer’s block cure!
4. Sustain
   Use your blog to sustain your blog and your business. Try to get your blog readers to sign-up for your live feed and emails. By letting them give you their information, you are collecting the most accurate contact information for your current customers and potential customers for free. We don’t need to tell you how important this information is to your business!
5. Conquer
   Once your blog is active get out there and promote it. Integrate your blog into your marketing strategy and overall business plan. Get creative too; add it to business cards, promote it at trade shows, include it on packing slips- whatever makes sense for your business. Like the new hip bar down the street, make sure your blog is the place for consumers to be!

Helpful Links:
Free Blog Software
Easy to Use Publishing Software

Further Reading:
Learn How to Use Your Personal Business Expertise
The Benefits of Social Media

-Kate Pierce eCommerce Specialist

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