Small Business Center

A web site is a must have for any small business in today’s digital age but to stand out among the crowd you need to build credibility. That is, you need to come across as a company that can be trusted to do business with. When your website visitors trust you, you are more likely to convert those visitors into paying customers. Here are 20 tips that have worked for our company and I believe that will work for you as well:

1. Find a Good Name

The company name is usually the first impression the customer gets of your business. If you’re going to plaster it all over the internet, be sure the name is easy to remember, spell, and more importantly is relevant to the products or service you are selling.

2. Have a professional looking website

Tasteful simplicity is usually the way to go. Something too flashy or sales-oriented will drive customers away while an attractive but straightforward layout will denote professionalism. Also make sure you have your own domain name (www.yourcompanyname.com) and a blog that links from the site. Try Weebly for easy, tasteful website building.

3. Showcase Press Coverage

Press coverage is a valuable badge of credibility. In the physical world we see restaurants displaying positive reviews on the door; why not do the same online?

4. Blog

Keeping a well-maintained blog is simply the standard these days. It’s an opportunity for you to engage customers, as well as to demonstrate your vast knowledge of the industry. As stated previously, match the blog to your site for a unified brand feel.

5. User Testimonials

Testimonials go a long way in reassuring visitors that you indeed have happy customers. Reserve a prominent place on your site for users to share their praises, and include pictures to prove these are real people.

6. Find a logo

Similar to your name, a logo can define your business as professional and established. Try to come up with a clean, tasteful stylization of a common word or image relevant to your business. If you need some help, you can consult Logoworks and they will come up with one for you.

7. Video Content

When it comes to web content, eyeballs tend to gravitate toward pictures and videos. Produced videos of reasonable length will grab the attention of browsers, and establish further your web credibility. For help producing a professional looking business video visit Pixability.

8. Social Media

Also a new standard, sites like Twitter and Facebook are now integral to a respectable web-presence. Build out your own social media pages, engage the community, and include link buttons on your main site.

9. A Friendly About Page

Often overlooked, your site’s about page is the first stop for many internet-goers. Speak in a relatable voice about what your company does, and include pictures and employee bios for personality.

10. No Errors

If your site is riddled with typos and broken links, who’s to say your product isn’t flawed as well? Attention to detail is the mark of a professional business.

11. Mention Company News

Customers will always prefer an active company to a stagnant one, and sharing company news and updates is a great way to establish yourself as the former.

12. Update Content Often

Changing the content of your site (even a little) shows that there is a living company behind the webpage, a fact vital to your credibility.

13. Establish yourself as an authority

This means engaging in the community surrounding your industry and showing you know your stuff. Leaving informed comments on relevant articles and forums will help you and your company be known as a credible resource and business.

14. Provide Helpful Information

By offering genuine, unbiased information relevant to your industry you show both that you are knowledgeable in your field, and also that you aren’t just trying to sell something.

15. SEO Optimize

Customers obviously need to find you , but Google and the like are also important to your web credibility. If people have a hard time finding you on major search-engines, they assume something is wrong.

16. Make Contact Easy

Phone numbers, email, address, and any other forms of contact should be made painfully obvious. Showing customers that you’re open to talk improves trust and professionalism. Your own 800 number is also a mark of professionalism, and can be easily set up with Grasshopper.

17. Show Affiliations with Credible Sites

If you are somehow associates with or work alongside sites that have already established credibility, let that be known. Conversely, do not link to or associate with less than credible ones.

18. Awards

Awards act as a shiny badge of credibility that customers can take comfort in. If there are any industry or other awards your company has won recently, be sure it’s clear on your site, and if not, enter to win some.

19. No Gimmicky Interruptional Advertising!

Honesty is the best policy, and gone are the days that anyone actually fell for the “you’re the 5,000th visitor!” trick. If anything flashes or pops up on your site, you can bet you aren’t going to be taken seriously.

20. Highlight Experts on Your Team

If there is anyone on your team that would qualify as an expert, find a way to include this on your site. It gives customers that personal feel, and makes them feel that they are in good hands.

As you can see, building web credibility takes a lot of work and patience, and that is precisely why you should do it. Your competition may not be up to the challenge leaving you standing above the crowd.

What things do you look for when you are visiting a potential vendor’s website? How do you try to help your website visitors feel confident in your company?

Popularity: 28% [?]

On Monday, Twitter revealed that they’ll soon be giving users the ability to give context to tweets by allowing them to tag tweets with specific locations via Twitter Places. Once tagged, users can click the location cited in the tweet and see a list of ALL the tweets coming from that particular location.  And users won’t just be tagging tweets with a city or zip code, they can tag them from the exact building their standing in.  In their announcement post, Twitter used the World Cup as an example.  They showed how through tagging, users could see all of the information coming out of the stadium where the match was being held. That’s cool in itself, however, bring that to your business. Now you (and others) will have the ability to see all of the tweets coming from your location. That’s where things get interesting.

Before we talk about where Twitter Places could end up, here’s a look at what it will look like once enabled:

To assign a location to a tweet, obviously you’ll have to turn on Twitter’s ‘tweet with your location’ feature that was revealed a few months back. Once you do, you’ll be asked to add your location under the text box on your Twitter home page. You’ll be able to select your exact location from a drop down box or add a new one if it’s not currently listed. You know, sort of like you can with all the other geolocation services.

Speaking of those services, Twitter Places will also be integrated with FourSquare and Gowalla so that they can take advantage of tweets generated by these services. Users will also be able to see a list of nearby locations and points of interest.

Sounds neat out of the box but, where could this really go?

In Matt McGee’s post over at Search Engine Land, he hypothesizes that Twitter may eventually create business listing pages ala FourSquare that will house all of the tweets about a certain location. And to be honest, that’s where I was inclined to go with this announcement, as well. With Google Places, FourSquare and other services creating full business profiles, it makes sense that Twitter would get in on that game as well and maybe even challenge Google. With Twitter’s partnerships with FourSquare, Gowalla and Localeze, they already have quite a data source to pull from to create the pages. And if/when they actually do create business Twitter profiles, that’s going to open up a whole new arena for business owners to create, monitor and use to engage.

Right now everyone is trying to figure out the next great play to add context and consumer intent to local: Google’s trying with Tags and Google Places,  Yelp’s adding check-ins, Facebook is all over, and FourSquare added analytics to try and compete with Google. Twitter’s being smart about how they’re going about things and they’re putting it front and center into their program. Twitter has the ability to merge real-time conversations around any business or location. And unlike Foursquare, Twitter has a real adoption rate and is gaining mainstream cred as media and ‘traditional’ entities all form online presences there.

As a small business owner, this is one I’d watch. If Twitter were to create business listings and then find a way to allow SMBs to claim them and engage with people…Google could see their local dominance in serious question.  And at bare minimum, it’s something else for SMBs to put on their list of Sites To Monitor.  Don’t say Twitter never gave you anything.

Popularity: 13% [?]

June offers some excellent small business events and webinars – check out this week’s list.

This list of small business webinars, events and conferences is brought to you every two weeks as a community service by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

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The Lies of Twitter and Facebook: How to Truly Leverage Social Media to Grow your Business
June 22, 2010, New York City

Taste of Technology Small Business Series, brought to you by Smallbiztechnology.com, is a fresh series of educational and networking events for small business owners, focusing on technology and making it work for small businesses.

At The Lies of Twitter and Facebook:How to Truly Leverage Social Media to Grow your Business, you’ll learn from gurus of social media SUCCESS (experts and everyday business people like you) how you can leverage social media as a POWERFUL tool to grow your business. You’ll also learn the LIES of social media. The “spin” from the hype doctors that you need to be aware of to be sure you’re leveraging social media to its fullest potential and not wasting your time posting and tweeting… but growing your business. You’ll learn what to NOT do on social media and you’ll learn what you SHOULD DO.

Cash Flow Forum
June 24, 2010, Houston, TX

Today’s credit reality requires new strategies for growing businesses. For one day only, hear from experts and business owners who have survived – and thrived – in a tight credit market, and learn how they did it. Register now to join the discussion.

MarketingSherpa’s Email Marketing Essentials Workshop Training
Multi-City Tour

Using Case Studies and research as a basis, every tactic discussed during the course has been proven. This one-day workshop is based on MarketingSherpa’s Best Practices in Email Marketing Handbook. You’ll receive a FREE copy ($497 value) to be used as your textbook during the course that you can take back to your office for future reference.

June 21, Chapel Hill, NC
June 25, Atlanta, GA
July 20, Minneapolis, MN
August 10, San Diego, CA
August 13, Phoenix, AZ

FAA Small Business Conference for 2010 – “Moving Into The Next Generation”
June 28, 2010, Oklahoma City, OK

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be conducting their Annual FAA National Small Business Procurement Opportunities Training Conference and Trade Show.

This outreach event is designed specifically for the small business seeking prime, subcontracting, and mentor-protege procurement opportunities. Workshops are information packed and the forums are designed for firms to network with one another as well as with government agency attendees. All types of businesses are encouraged to participate!

The Science of Facebook Marketing with Dan Zarrella
June 29, 2010, 1:00pm EDT, Webinar

With more than 500 million active users, Facebook has a larger population than the United States. Like a country, the population and demographic segments of Facebook are diverse. This diversity creates problems for marketers who want to use Facebook to drive sales and awareness for their business.

What if you understood how different groups of people interacted on Facebook?

Interaction on Facebook is a science. Join us for this live webinar with our social scientist Dan Zarrella, to learn data-driven approaches to successful Facebook marketing.

Free Money: How to Win Contests, Grants and Incentives for Small Business
June 30, 2010, New York City

Join us on Wednesday, June 30th for Free Money: How to Win Contests, Grants and Incentives for Small Business. Hear Speaker Christine Quinn discuss what the city is doing for small business. Included in the ticket price is a comprehensive white paper (valued at $59) that will detail 40+ grants and contests you can apply for to win money for your small business.
This exclusive event will also provide the opportunity to:
- Meet executive directors of grant/contest programs and find out what they are looking for and how to qualify
- Hear from Crain’s 2010 Top Entrepreneurs
- Get FREE MONEY for your small business

Get Listed “Local University”
June 30, 2010, Cleveland, OH

Some of the nation’s leading online marketing experts, including representatives from the Google and Bing Local Business Centers, will be on hand for an intensive four-hour crash course in Internet marketing that will help you navigate the possibilities for marketing your business on the web. You’ll learn Search Engine Optimization tips and techniques that will lead to sustained, long-term search engine rankings (and new customers).

Use discount code smbtrends at checkout to get $50 off the entrance price.

Maximize Your Success
July 15, 2010, Brooklyn, NY

HP, Intel, and SCORE provide real insights and simple solutions to help you increase efficiencies, boost your productivity and grow your business. You will get essential advice on technology-based solutions and marketing strategies that can help your small business, including how:

* To better understand and target your customers more effectively.
* To rethink your marketing in the digital age.
* Managing your own marketing can reduce costs and increase sales.

This program is designed for those established small businesses ready to grow and those getting started.

Registration for the Small Business Workshop is free for you and one guest; and includes a coffee networking session during the check-in and lunch hosted by HP, Intel, and SCORE.

smAlbany 2010 Business Showcase & Job Expo
July 27, 2010, Albany, NY

smAlbany was conceived because of the tight-knit business community surrounding the Capital District. With the difficult economic times, small businesses need to be agile and on the cutting edge of their field. From Google Adwords to protecting your company’s intellectual property to learning how to start a new career path, smAlbany’s seminars give you the knowledge to be ahead of game.

To find more small business events, contests and awards, visit our Small Business Events Calendar.

If you are putting on a small business contest, award or competition, and want to get the word out to the community, please submit it through our Events & Contests Submission Form ( We do not charge a fee to be included in this listing — it is completely free to list your event.) Only events of interest to small business people, freelancers and entrepreneurs will be considered and included.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Last week I was lucky enough to stumble upon Ben Parr’s post over at the AMEX Open Forum about how to become a savvier networker online. In his post, Ben shares some great tips for how to get and keep the attention of influencers. But not all your social networking takes place online. And it’s the offline networking that’s often a lot more intimidating! With that in mind, I thought it may be useful to share some tips about how to become a better social networker when you’re at a conference or meeting someone in the flesh. What can you do to make sure you make those important connections and don’t leave the conference without any new contacts?

Here are some tips for social networking offline, just like we used to do it before the age of Twitter.

Set goals for yourself: If you’re unlucky enough to follow me on Twitter it may come as a surprise to hear that I’m actually pretty introverted in real life. Okay, horribly introverted. It’s difficult for me to simply go up and approach people. To make it a bit easier, I’ve learned to turn it into a competition with myself by setting networking goals.

For example, it may be that I want to tell ten new people about my company, Outspoken Media. Maybe I want to get an introduction with an editor I really admire. Or maybe I just want to be grab face time with a social media heavyweight like Chris Brogan. [Note: If you constantly tweet about wanting to meet Chris and then run away when he looks at you, he may follow you into the hallway to introduce himself. True story.] Whatever it is you want to accomplish, write it down as a way of holding yourself accountable. It’s a little easier to get the nerve to say hello to someone when you’ve told yourself you can’t go home and hide under the covers until you do.

Arrive with something to share: When you show up at a conference or networking mixer, come with something to share. For a brief moment you’re going to be surrounded by people who may all have the possibility to help your business through partnership, mentorship or just plain friendship. Put your best face forward and have something to bring to the conversation. Whether you have something to share about your own business or something you can ask someone about theirs, have those first few talking points already mapped out to help take the pressure off a little bit. Sometimes knowing where to start is all you need to get the conversation flowing. If you’re attending a very large conference or major industry event, you want to plan some of your unveilings around the actual conference. This will not only help make sure you have something to bring to the table but it’s a good way to start some buzz.

Know who you want to talk with: Part of knowing what you want to say means knowing who you want to talk to. Oftentimes even the smallest networking event will post a guest list beforehand to let you know who is going to be attending. Do your homework and look up some of the people who will be there. This will help you have some talking points but it will also alert you to who in the room could most help you grow your business. For example, you may be able to better identify influencers or people who that you could partner with for promotions. Putting names to faces before you show up also helps cure early nerves. Not that meeting people in real life can be at all intimidating. Of course not.

Ask people to introduce you: Okay, fine it is! It can be really intimidating! If you’re a little shyer than you’d like to admit, why not ask the organizer of the event to introduce you to someone you’ve really been wanting to meet or find a common contact and ask them to do the introduction? Another tactic I’ve always used to meet people is to find the extrovert in the room and become their best friend. This person will love the fact that they have a new person to talk to and they’ll help introduce you to everyone else in the room. Make sure to thank them after the event!

Leave your comfort circle: One reason we attend networking event without ever meeting anyone is because we sit with the same five people we already know and never leave our pack. Obviously there’s a great comfort associated with this type of behavior, however, it not going to help you break out of your own circle of friends. Don’t be afraid to go out on your own and introduce yourself to people. Find the person in the room that you don’t know and strike up a conversation with them. Is it terrifying? Oh my goodness, yes. But you’ll feel a lot better once you leave that event with a lot more business cards in your pocket. Even if you set a goal of only meeting one new person an event, start there.

Don’t pitch, listen: Don’t be so focused on your own goals that you fail to listen to what anyone else is saying. Before you speak, listen. Listen to what concerns your colleagues have, hear about what they’re up to, learn about the methods they’re using. When there’s a chance for you to be helpful or lend some insight, speak up. Then share what you’re doing and how things are working. It’s the simple art of conversation that people tend to forget once they walk into a room with their “agendas” and “business propositions”. Don’t be so focused on your business that you forget to be human. No one wants to talk to that person.

Check in once you’re home: You’re not off the networking hook once the event ends. Make sure to follow up with anyone you chatted with to keep the lines of communication open. Whether it’s sending them an email, following them on Twitter or Facebook or even making plans to meet up for coffee in the near future, extend that relationship whenever you can. This helps them lock your name/face into their mental Rolodex and turns them from acquaintance to friend in the making!

With so many of us devoting time to networking online, sometimes we forget how to do it offline, as well. When you have a chance to attend a meetup or event in your area, get the most out of it by talking to people and forming real in-person relationships.

Popularity: 16% [?]

There are basic things every small business needs. Some version of a business plan can be helpful as well as some sort of marketing. (Yes, this would include the social Web.) But how about good branding and operations including managing and leading your employees to achieve desired results? Today on the Small Business Trends roundup, we look at the latest on all these issues…and more. Come along and uncover the basics from the business blogosphere. Learn the basics of small business today.

Business Plans

Why do you need a business plan? Tim Berry, an expert on business plans through his software business, posted these results to a survey his company completed recently of about 3,000 businesses. It should be noted that the businesses surveyed all use Berry’s particular brand of business planning software so the results aren’t comprehensive covering all businesses everywhere. Still, the numbers pretty much show that most businesses that had done some kind of business planning reported advantages in growth, as well as securing capital and loans. Have business plans been helpful to you? Bplan.com

Don’t just plan your business. Plan your life. In this post we look at a life plan that goes beyond the usual business description, projections and market analysis associated with the traditional business plan. Instead, focus on defining your skills, vision and ideal work situation. Have you planned your life? Blogtrepreneur

Operations

Winning incentives for small business employees. The success of your small business really does depend on the quality and performance of your people. With few exceptions and despite the automation of many functions, businesses still require employees or a team, no matter what size, to make them function. Here are five incentives that should bring out the best in them. Business.Gov

How important is transparency? This great post from David Siteman Garland looks at the changes resulting in the evolution of social media and other factors that affect reputation. Be aware you are creating your brand daily online with Tweets, posts to your Facebook account, blog articles and more. It’s true that reputation has always been important in business, especially small business. However, rarely in the past has your reputation and expertise been as much of a tool for marketing or as much of a potential stumbling block to success. The Rise To The Top

Social Media

How to loose your Twitter following. If you’re using Twitter to market your small business, this would, of course, be the opposite of what you want to accomplish. So be aware of these missteps when it comes to building and sustaining your following in social media. Really, many of Niall’s suggestions here also apply to other social media across the board. MyVenturePad

Gain backlinks through guest blogging. Guest post on your expertise and gain the best kind of backlinks to improve your site’s search engine placement. Chantielle MacFarlane explains how not all links are created equal. Signing up for a directory, for example, does not attract the same quality of traffic or create the same weight with search engines as, say, creating quality content people will want to link to. Chantielle also recommends one of the easiest ways to gain quality links to your site and shares an offer you should consider. CIK Marketing

Can social media sell your service or product? Todd Youngblood believes so and offers this podcast forum as an example. The forum features Marty Michael vice president of Avanceon, a Philadelphia area software company specializing in implementing control systems for the manufacturing industry. The target audience, according to Youngblood, includes manufacturers in need of control systems integration to improve their productivity. Notice how the conversation helps Michaels position his company as an expert in the field. Todd Youngblood’s “SPE” Blog

Resources

Top 10 forums for small business owners. Places to learn new things and build relationships abound on the World Wide Web. But with time at a premium (let’s face it, every minute is precious when operating a small business) who has time to sort through them all for the best and most useful? Enter Amelia Champion, who, in this post, has taken time to share a list of the most useful for you to try. Thanks Amelia! Small Business Marketing Ideas

Marketing

The truth in marketing. Marketing guru Seth Godin once wrote a book entitled All Marketers Are Liars. But here in the real world, small business owners know that lying in your marketing or claims about your product or service won’t get you far. Here are four things that will. Cloud Marketing Labs

Does your brand have a unique voice? If it doesn’t, it should. Without a unique aspect to your business, product or service, how can you expect to differentiate yourself from the competition? Why should someone want your brand over others? If you don’t have the answer to this question, better read the above link on 14 tips to giving your brand a unique voice. Sociatic

Popularity: 11% [?]