Almost half the year is gone; time to review your goals

You can't score a slam dunk
if you don't know your goal.

We're coming up on the halfway point in the year. How are you doing? Great? Not so good? Or can't tell, because you don't have usable goals?

Goals are the basis of all your plans.
You have to get good at goal setting and achieving. Here are the four steps you must do, over and over:

1. Where are you now? Be honest.
2. Where do you want to be? Set your goals.
3. Plan backwards, step by step. Look at the intermediate steps to lead you there.
4. Find the steps you can take tomorrow. Take action immediately! As soon as possible! There is always something you can do now to move you forward.

Action step: 
Right now, schedule time away from your business and unplugged. 1 hour minimum. 1 full day is better. Use that time to do this review.

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Finding online champions for your business

Word of mouth online. You want more of it, but how do you get it?
Ever tried emailing your press release to bloggers? It doesn't go anywhere.

We'll share success stories from
Hutch, and other blogger outreach.

Want to get the “inside scoop” from two experienced bloggers about how to make them sit up and take notice of you? How about plenty of Q&A with them, about finding and developing your own group of online champions who will talk about you?

It’s a good thing I happen to know someone who can help: My Tourism Currents co-founder Sheila Scarborough has been blogging since early 2006. I did my first blog in 2003, and we're ready to share what we know about blogger outreach.

Please join us on this Thursday, June 30, 2011 for a 90 minute webinar:


Finding Your Online Champions

We'll show you

• resources for sifting and finding the right sort of online publishers, 
• tools and techniques for evaluating them, how to best approach and connect with them, 
• and why outreach to niche online publishers and smaller audiences may reap the most dividends for you.

The webinar price of $29 includes the slides and a recording of the presentation that you can refer to again and again. Even if you miss the live webinar, you’ll still have access to these items if you’ve registered.

You know how it is with us....we'll give it to you straight, and show you how to do it right.

This Thursday, June 30, 2011. 2pm Central

For more info, check out Finding Your Online Champions.

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More sales ideas in the weekly roundup

Matt About Business Weekly Link Roundup

Each week, I collect the 10 best posts that I've read and share them with you here. These posts focus on either choosing, or using, small business solutions online (or both!).

Enjoy!
Matt Mansfield

If you need a website, consider getting a free consult with Matt: Think Outside the Browser

Introducing: The Periodic Table Of SEO Ranking Factors
Link: http://searchengineland.com/introducing-the-periodic-table-of-seo-ranking-factors-77181
My Take: A fun infographic on the not-always-fun topic of search engine optimization (SEO)

Retailers: How To Sell Online In 60 Seconds
Link: http://bloggertone.com/marketing/2011/05/31/retailers-how-to-sell-online-in-60-seconds/
My Take: An interesting look inside the mind of your customer as they make a buying decision online over 60 seconds.

Getting Ready for the Cloud: 5 Tips for SMBs Looking for Cloud-Based Services
Link: http://www.getapp.com/blog/ready-cloud-tips-smbs-cloud-based-services/
My Take: A good high-level primer. In my humble opinion, #2 is the most important.

This is a Time for Leaders to Lead not React
Link: http://www.briansolis.com/2011/06/this-is-a-time-for-leaders-to-lead-not-react/
My Take: An introspective, and detailed, look at how you can intentionally begin using the power of social media.

Free Your Content, and the Rest Will Follow
Link: http://engage.tmgcustommedia.com/2011/06/free-your-content/
My Take: Great tips for offering free content so potential customers can sample your greatness.

An Expensive Lesson In Domain Names
Link: http://bloggertone.com/technology/2011/04/21/an-expensive-lesson-in-domain-names/
My Take: A cautionary tale regarding domain names (how often can you say that - hee hee).

Grow Your Email List, and Your Sales, In-Store
Link: http://www.pbsmartessentials.com/2011/06/grow-your-email-list-and-your-sales-in-store/
My Take: How an offline approach can really boost your e-mailing list and help you gain, and retain, customers.

A Dozen Ways to Improve Your Social CRM
Link: http://www.enterpriseappstoday.com/social-media/social-crm-tips-1.html
My Take: I selected this article to list here and then realized that I am quoted within! Cool, eh? Social CRM experts reveal tips for how businesses can best use social media to improve customer relationships.

The 12 Most Inspiring Blogs for New Entrepreneurs
Link: http://12most.com/2011/06/03/12-inspiring-blogs-entrepreneurs/
My Take: Need a boost? Check out these blogs for some daily pick-me-up!

8 Ways to Successfully Sell Using Social Media
Link: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/8-ways-to-successfully-sell-using-social-media/
My Take: Yep, you read that right! Some good tips in this post.

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Right this way for the Brag Basket

One of our traditions at Small Biz Survival is the Brag Basket. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one June 24-26, 2011.

Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. It's here so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend.

Don't hold back because of that word, "brag." When you hold back, you hide your good news and accomplishments that might inspire others.

Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.

How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.

This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.

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Want to retain more youth? Offer them downtown housing

A big trend in urban real estate is coming to small towns, to create a new opportunity to retain more young people.

Young real estate buyers have made an epic shift, away from big suburban homes, and toward smaller spaces in walkable neighborhoods. I read about this first in Grist: Millennials not looking for McMansions (unless they have to move back in with the parents). I asked Tulsa real estate agent Lori Cain about it, and she confirmed that Tulsa sees this trend, too.

Small towns have an abundance of unused downtown space. Look upstairs in any rural downtown, and the resources are there.

This past week, I tested this idea with my 17 year old nephew. He was enthralled with the idea of cool downtown apartments in our hometown.

Codes and zoning can be a big barrier to this. At the Revitalize Washington conference, I heard how a single apartment project required installing expensive sprinklers. That meant a new, larger service line under the street and sidewalk at the owner's expense. That lead to upgrading the fire hydrant spacing, paid for by the new owners. The list went on, in dizzying ways.

Can anything be done? Possibly. Washington was beginning to explore changing state laws to allow alternative codes. Alternative codes for historic properties and reuse of existing downtowns also exist, and may be adaptable by your municipal government.

It's a bit of a daunting challenge. But there is great entrepreneurial potential in creating the cool downtown housing younger residents want.

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Be specific to attract more buyers

Are you ready to attract more buyers? Then be more specific.

If you're offerings are too general, few people can get excited. By trying to appeal to everyone, you're really not all that appealing to anyone.

In New York City, we saw this sign outside a tiny steak place, advertising just "Lunch."

What would you put on the chalkboard
to draw in the lunch crowd?

Inside, we had terrific cheeseburgers made of ground sirloin with incredible slabs of bacon and tasty waffle fries. Much more exciting than just "lunch."

"Lunch" hardly begins to describe it.

What could the business owner have put on the chalkboard to draw in customers? Share your ideas in the comments.

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Our late weekend roundup

Matt About Business Weekly Link Roundup

Each week, I collect the 10 best posts that I've read and share them with you here. These posts focus on either choosing, or using, small business solutions online (or both!).

Enjoy!
Matt Mansfield

How to know if you can trust your SEO?
Link: http://biznik.com/articles/how-to-know-if-you-can-trust-your-seo
My Take: A great checklist for evaluating an SEO company before hiring.

How to Optimize Your Facebook Page for SEO
Link: http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2011/06/17/optimize-facebook-seo/
My Take: Optimizing your social profiles for search engines just makes good sense.

Tweet, Tweet: A Simple Twitter Strategy For Your Blog
Link: http://bestbloggingtipsonline.com/twitter-strategy/
My Take: Solid, entry-level advice on Twitter.

Majority Of Smartphone Users Online “Multiple Times” Daily
Link: http://searchengineland.com/majority-of-smartphone-users-online-multiple-times-daily-82265
My Take: Thinking about, and implementing, a local marketing strategy will become even more compelling after reading this report.

25 Facebook Marketing Tips to Increase Sales
Link: http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/06/16/25-facebook-marketing-tips-to-increase-sales/
My Take: This post is chock-full of actionable tips you can use today!

5 Creative Location-Based Marketing Campaigns
Link: http://www.openforum.com/articles/5-creative-location-based-marketing-campaigns
My Take: Real-world examples of location marketing tactics.

5 Ways to Improve Your Email Newsletter So People Will Read It
Link: http://www.networksolutions.com/smallbusiness/2011/06/5-ways-improve-email-newsletter/
My Take: Actionable and to-the-point tips.

How LinkedIn Is Helping Businesses Grow
Link: http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-linkedin-is-helping-businesses-grow/
My Take: Watch this video to learn tactics to use on LinkedIn.

How to Use WordPress for Business
Link: http://www.inc.com/guides/2010/05/wordpress-for-business.html
My Take: Learn more about WordPress and how you can use it for your businesses' site.

The Significant Potential of Twitter Ad Automation
Link: http://www.getbusymedia.com/the-significant-potential-of-twitter-ad-automation/
My Take: Ads? On Twitter? Apparently so! Learn more...

Your website should do more than sit there and look pretty
Link: http://www.mattaboutbusiness.com/
More great stuff from Matt

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Share your good news in the Brag Basket

One of our traditions at Small Biz Survival is the Brag Basket. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one June 17-19, 2011.

Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. It's here so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend.

Don't hold back because of that word, "brag." When you hold back, you hide your good news and accomplishments that might inspire others.

Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.

How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.

This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.

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How a small town can support rural sourcing firms

Rural sourcing is a trend I love. It leverages technology to bring more high tech, higher paying jobs to rural areas. But it's a small trend, and I'd love to see it spread to more places and more people.

What does a small town need to do to support rural sourcing? How can you get it going in your town? 

Rural sourcing relies on three elements: a well trained technical workforce, high speed internet connection, and an entrepreneur friendly community.

How I found hotels and restaurants on my road trip - would I find you?

"The Loneliest Road"US 50 in Nevada

I'm just back from a big roadtrip across the American Southwest, and I thought I'd share my perspective as your potential visitor. Would you be findable to me? Let's see.

I had very little planned out, so I did a lot of searching online, especially from my phone. I tended to use Google to search within my location, and I looked at a lot of places pages for hotels and restaurants. I skimmed lots of reviews as I was deciding.

Another tool to get to know your customers

If you like using online tools to better get to know your customers, Noteleaf is another tool that can help.

Here's some of the explanation from their website:

You schedule meetings in Google Calendar, Noteleaf gives you information about who you're meeting on your phone. Noteleaf sends you a text message right before your meeting with a link to a mobile profile that gives you all the information you need to be prepared. It's like having an assistant brief you before each meeting.

Read about more CRM tools in Tools to get to know your customers.

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Relax in the Brag Basket

One of our traditions at Small Biz Survival is the Brag Basket. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one June 10-12, 2011. My lavender is in bloom, so let's make this a relaxing lavender-scented basket. What good news helped you relax this week?

A basket of lavender from Maia C

Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. It's here so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend.

Don't hold back because of that word, "brag." When you hold back, you hide your good news and accomplishments that might inspire others.

Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.

How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.

This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.

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The White House creates a Rural Council - What should they do first?

Thanks to Tim Marema and an email from the National Rural Assembly, I took a quick look at today's announcement by The White House "that it is creating a Rural Council to help the administration better coordinate the impact of federal programs in rural areas."

Obama, center, and Vilsack, right,
and Morgan Hoenig, left,
touring an organic farm in 2010.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza) 

I'm pleased to see that rural smart guy Tom Vilsack (Secretary of Ag) will chair the council, and that all Cabinet departments will be represented.

Their first focus? Job creation and economic development. This morning, the group discussed availability of capital as a necessary first step to creating jobs in small towns and rural areas. Renewable energy was singled out as a sector with a lot of promise for rural areas, as well as a lot of competition.

The other issues listed in the AP announcement included education, transportation, health care, Internet access, agriculture, credit, innovation, conservation and regional economies.

"Many of you have worked long and hard to raise the awareness of rural issues within the Obama administration. We assume that the Rural Council is one response," Marema said. "So, now that you have their attention, what do you think are the most pressing inter-agency issues the federal government should address first in rural America?"

Add your thoughts on the Daily Yonder Facebook page.

Read the White House blog post by Vilsack: Rural America: Building Upon a Record of Success

Read the AP news story: Obama to create White Hour Rural Panel

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If you don't do this one thing, you might as well delete all photos from your site

Did you know the photos on your tourism website are actually annoying more people than they are attracting? I hadn't thought of this, but Andy Hayes explained it, in "Why Photos on your Travel Website Can be a Bad Idea." I'll give you the summary here, along with the action plan to fix it.

Lovely! But where the heck is it?
(It's Sage and Saddle B&B,
near Freedom, Oklahoma.) 

You put lovely photos of your place on your website. You even have some great photos on a rotating graphic. Great! Now I want to visit.

The Problem: You didn't tell me where those photos were taken. And I can't figure it out, because I've never been there. To make it worse, those rotating graphics make it impossible to stop and look at a specific photo or location.

Darn customers, go away and quit bothering me!

We all know small town businesses like this: the whole place says, "go away!"

Customers walk in and feel like they are an interruption, an annoyance.

Here's my question:
Is this your business? Are you sure? 

You might be the offender, and not even realize it. Put in some extra effort today to make your customers feel welcomed and valued.

When a customer walks in the door, take a deep breath, and remind yourself of your average sale. Mentally say, "Thanks for the $50!" Smile and make them feel welcome.

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How to overcome the small town politics

An anonymous reader left this plaintive cry on an old post here:

My Arizona small town is a mess. We are going to become a ghost town and/or absorbed into the County if we can't generate revenue. The Town Council and Chamber are full of power plays, bickering and a Good Ol' Boy attitude. We have no "quaintness" factor, no historical buildings, and not even a downtown center. Our business core consists of mixed-use buildings sprawled this way and that up and down the highway. However, we DO have a rich agricultural base that I'm positive can generate tourist income if approached correctly. I presented a proposal based on the "thematic approach" to tourism. My oral presentation was met with applause at the town meeting. But the Good Ol' Boys still seem to favor big box stores and factories as the answer to our economic woes, and the Chamber does nothing but point tourists to the surrounding towns that supposedly have more to offer. Is there a way to circumvent a self-destructing Council and Chamber? Wheels spin around here, but nothing productive EVER gets done. I'm just a "lowly" female citizen with a good brain, a great plan and enthusiasm. Can anybody suggest how I can proceed when I'm up against the Good Ol' Boys?

There are two ways to try to change a small town set in its ways: work with the existing system, or go around them.

I tend to favor going around them. Remember, every minute you spend worrying about the other people who won't do what you want, is a minute you can't spend doing something positive yourself. Other people do share your ideas. Find them, even if there are just two of you. Work together. Hold planning sessions where others can join in, like at the library. Be relentlessly positive in your planning, and tolerate no negativity. Take baby steps toward your goals. Build your own positive momentum, and more people will want to join you.

If you want to work with the system, learn everything you can about how it works. You have to know the system, to subvert the system. (I heard that from a smart person when I spoke in Washington.) Talk to everyone, whether they support your ideas or not. Be the connector and the center of information. Working within the system is all about networking.

What ideas can you help brainstorm to help this reader? How are you helping your town make positive changes?

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Matt and I disagree in the Weekly Roundup

Matt About Solutions Weekly Link Roundup

Each week, I collect the 10 best posts that I've read and share them with you here.

These posts focus on either choosing, or using, small business solutions online (or both!).

Enjoy!
Matt Mansfield
If you need a website, consider getting a free consult with Matt: Think Outside the Browser


5 Ways to Win More Business with Google Places
My Take: Tips for local, offline businesses!

Essential Mobile Marketing Resources
My Take: A collection of great resources on mobile marketing. The "Fortune 50 Use of Mobile: If You’ve Got It, Flaunt It" slideshow is especially engaging!

How to grow and build on social capital
My Take: Loved this to-the-point lesson: "Understand social capital and you’re more likely to achieve your social media goals. Long story short: you have to give to get."

Social Media Won’t Fix Your Broken Business: 15 Success Tips
My Take: Love the "down-to-earth" tips in this post.

I Will Never Hire a “Social Media Expert,” and Neither Should You
My Take: A hard-hitting post about social-media consultants. I do support the practice, but only if it's part of a larger marketing effort.
[Becky says: I liked this response by Shel Holtz: I'd Hire a Social Media Expert, and Maybe You Should, Too.]

Ranking The Value of Social Currency
My Take: An interesting perspective on the "value" of different online social actions.

Market Saturation: Is It Too Late For You To Make Money Online?
My Take: Though I do not believe in making all of your money online, I like the views and tips in this post on niche targeting. (Note: if you do not get this post (Page not found) - then try later. Good article, just seems to be missing for a moment)

The Big List: 168 Marketing Trends, Predictions & Resolutions For 2011
My Take: We're almost half-way through 2011 - how accurate were these predictions and what may still lie ahead?

5 Ways to Boost Your Email Prospecting Response Rate
My Take: Good, and actionable, e-mail marketing tips.

Nobody Cares About Your Website
My Take: Now this post is talking my language!


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Harvesting good news in the brag basket

One of our traditions at Small Biz Survival is the Brag Basket. The basket is always free and open all weekend, this one June 3-5, 2011. Since this is the time of year when we harvest wheat in Northwest Oklahoma, let's celebrate all your harvests. What great news have you harvested lately?

Digital Wheat Basket
By Pictoscribe on Flickr

Even though I call this the Brag Basket, it's not really about bragging. It's about sharing. It's here so you can introduce yourself, share some good news, or congratulate a friend.

Don't hold back because of that word, "brag." When you hold back, you hide your good news and accomplishments that might inspire others.

Speak up and add yourself or another deserving soul in the comments. We all cheer, and everyone feels great. It lets you meet each other a bit. Reading each others' stories brings us a bit closer to being a community.

How does it work? You write a comment on this post, email me, tweet me, or comment on Facebook. You tell something great about your week, or you give applause to someone who did good stuff this week. Or you celebrate something wonderful that you tried that failed.

This is not an ad. (I delete the ads.) It's a conversation with friends. So jump in. And remember to cheer for each other.

New here? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Subscribe.

One mistake that can kill your business

A local restaurant held an auction, to sell off all their kitchen equipment. They've been closed for over a year, devastated by a water pipe break that ruined most of their interior furnishings.

What if a nearby fire
forced you to evacuate
your business?

The news today is full of floods, tornadoes and even wildfires. We see businesses destroyed, damaged. We probably don't think about the business owners who have to evacuate, with no warning. I'm sure none of them felt prepared. How many of them will be back in business?

So here's that one mistake that might kill your business: not having a disaster recovery plan. 

It's not enough to think, or to know, what might happen, if you don't have a plan. Without a plan, 43% of  businesses don't recover and never reopen after a disaster.

So how do you get a plan? Head over to Get Prepared from Office Depot. They have lots of resources to help you make that plan to recover.

Because you don't want to lose everything you've built up.

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