It  is not easy being a small business competing against the big boys. They have got the budget, the expertise, and the size to push you around. That said, it does not have to be half as hard as some small businesses make it. For example, for many businesses, their social media and PR plans can be a lot easier and communicate far more authority besides.

To that end, today we’re going to look at how you can automate both to make your efforts both easier and more fluid, using some simple best practice and strategic planning.

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A strong social network can become an asset for any business. Social media offers every business the opportunity to strengthen relationships with their target audience, creating loyal customers and even brand advocates. Exploiting this potential is no easy feat, but can be done if the medium is used well.

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If you have a small business, you know you want to use social media like Facebook and Twitter to increase sales. Kim Garst has made her living telling businesses how they should use social media to their advantage.

The one thing all business owners say to her is that they want to use social media to make money. This is possible Garst says, but you have to first build a brand.

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Millennial business owners depend on social media for brand promotion more than any other medium.

Shocked, right? OK, probably not. But just how much Millennial business owners are using this relatively new media — or how much they don’t use traditional media — may come as a surprise.

New data (PDF) from Magisto shows that 68 percent of Millennial small business owners and entrepreneurs depend on social media channels for developing awareness of their own brands.

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The founder of a multiracial beauty company shares how she coped after her “personal and professional victory” angered many fans.

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How do you stay on top of the latest trends in your field?

I read a lot of blogs. I stay on top of Google Webmaster Central Blog, Search Engine Land and Moz Blog are ones that I read. I network with colleagues in the field to see what they’re doing, what they’re hearing and learn from them. There are a few SEO and social media marketing meet-ups in town that I attend.

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As 2017 unfolds, small businesses should take a look at what did not work in 2016 and find ways to improve in the upcoming year. While you work to control spending and shed some of the holiday pounds, don’t forget about making social media resolutions for your business.

Social media in 2017 will really be a defining factor in successful marketing strategies and strong businesses. In 2016, social media boomed for businesses. It was part of marketing strategies in previous years, but new advertising updates for social platforms and business-friendly changes made it easier than ever for organizations to make connections and offer valuable customer service.

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The try-out period for social media is long past. Even tiny businesses – even many who don’t even have their own websites – know they need to be on social.

10 Classic Small Business Social Media Mistakes

The tools, platforms and methods you use to grow your business are constantly changing. So you need to keep up with all the latest updates and trends. Members of the online small business community have some great insights about these changing tools and trends, ranging from social media algorithms to augmented reality. Read on for some helpful tips.

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Building a small business online is scary. Big businesses can easily outspend you with PPC, SEO, SMM and inbound marketing campaigns.

However, smart startup founders grimly pass around business battles on the blogosphere, charging low prices for quality product, reversing their vision, failing to voice their opinion on their podcasts, showing contempt for our product, and disrespect for our craft.

And yet, look around at the World Wide Web jungle. It's watered by the services offered by small businesses. The technology to produce product and convert customers exists because we create codes, design services, and write web pages, blog posts, and marketing materials that generate leads and close sales. And every 350-pound gorilla company uses our products or services to thrive.

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Why does qualifying for a small business loan have to be such a mystery?

According to a CB Insights study, cash flow issues are the second most common reason startups fail, accounting for 29% of failures. In many cases, access to capital would make a big difference. Yet the loan application process is notoriously opaque for small business owners. Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows the average small business owner spent 26 hours searching and applying for credit, contacted three financial institutions and submitted three credit applications. Despite this time-consuming work, only half of small-business applicants end up being approved for the loan amount they applied for.

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Social media, email, text messaging and other communication technologies are transforming government into a more efficient, effective and dynamic process. Whether it’s an elected official using Twitter to address constituents or a city using a Facebook page to make public announcements, government entities and elected officials are becoming more accessible and connected to constituents. And therein lie today’s nuanced First Amendment related challenges

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Social media is a crucial component of any small business' marketing efforts. When done well, a strong social strategy helps you connect directly with your customers, and can even create some free publicity along the way.

For all of social media's advantages, there are pitfalls as well. The internet can look like a cavalier place when it comes to copyright rules, but there are plenty of no-nos that you need to follow if you want to stay out of legal trouble.

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Establishing a strong social media presence can mean big business for your small business. But if you don’t have dedicated resources to devote to it, or you don’t have much time to spare, you might find it tough to gain traction. Use these nine social media tips to boost business and grow your brand.

Set Clear Goals

No matter how eager you are to start using social media for your business, take the time to set clear goals before you begin. Try setting SMART goals — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely — to guide your social media strategy.

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As any entrepreneur will tell you, owning a business comes with a lot of demands, pressure and hard work, but it can also be extremely rewarding. Thanks to an impactful conversation with an old friend and fellow business owner several years ago, I realized that I was wasting a lot of money by just having one credit card to pay business expenses.

Multiple credit cards can provide big bonuses.

Credit card companies are fighting a turf war, and they all have enticing offers to get us to sign up with them. My rationale is, why be exclusive to one bank? Why choose only one credit card? Why not enjoy the benefits from multiple banks?

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The research shows that the majority of small businesses believe their revenue growth underperforms their peers. Specifically, 60% of respondents ranked their revenue growth below the 50th percentile of similarly sized companies. Yet, when comparing their actual cash flow and revenue data with the analysis drawn from the Kabbage Small Business Revenue Index, the information indicates that the vast majority of respondents have healthy revenue performance. The question is, why are these business owners feeling pessimistic about their company's performance, and how is it impacting their decision making?

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Digital marketers often identify social media as one of the best forms of content marketing, but it can often feel like we’re just going through the motions. If the social media content isn’t attracting leads, what good is it? It’s likely you just need a quick boost in strategy to make sure your content is appealing to your target audience and getting inbound requests and messages.

In fact, 90 percent of social media users have used the platform to communicate directly with a business before. So if none of your customers or followers are reaching out to you, it’s a telltale sign that something should be changed. Ideally, you’ll post a picture or video with a robust caption that offers value and the floodgates will open: direct messages, likes, comments and queries should start coming (or even just trickling at first) in, proving that your content struck a chord and inspired action. Not there yet? Here are four ways to bolster your strategy to attract those leads.

1. Focus your content on interesting stories
2. Do a poll asking what type of content people want most
3. Host a Q & A on Facebook or Instagram Live
4. Make sure you have a call to action in every post

With the tax filing deadline approaching, make sure your company is getting all the assistance available from government programs. For instance, that means checking that you've fully utilized the Employee Retention Credit (ERC), the refundable tax credit designed to make it easier for businesses to keep employees on the payroll.

The credit is getting extended as part of the American Rescue Plan Act, the $1.9 trillion relief package just signed by President Biden. Originally scheduled to end on June 30, ERC will continue through year end, giving business owners access to as much as $33,000 per employee in incentives.

How the credit works, depending on the time frame
First half of 2021:

Eligible employers can claim a refundable credit against the employer share of Social Security tax equal to 70 percent of a full-time employee's qualified wages paid--including certain health plan expenses--from January 1 through June 30, 2021. The maximum ERC amount available is $7,000 per employee per quarter or $14,000 for eligible wages paid in the first half of 2021.

I've been rereading Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. This quote really struck me:

"You are never dedicated to something you have complete confidence in. No one is fanatically shouting that the sun is going to rise tomorrow. They know it’s going to rise tomorrow. When people are fanatically dedicated to political or religious faiths or any other kinds of dogmas or goals, it’s always because these dogmas or goals are in doubt." ~ Pirsig, Robert M. (2009-04-10). Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (p. 140).

Made me think of all the zealotry accusations levied at Extreme Programming practitioners about 10 years back... still seen in reaction to some of the more ardent claims of the primacy of TDD even today.

No conclusions, just suspect I will see the next fanatic a little differently next time I encounter one.

(EMAILWIRE.COM, October 31, 2024 ) The global Medical Billing Market is projected to grow significantly, reaching USD 27.7 billion by 2029 from USD 16.8 billion in 2024, growing at a CAGR of 10.5% from 2024 to 2029, driven by factors such as increasing patient numbers, the complexity of billing procedures,...

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My career started with HTML, and then Flash. Flash had a great run, but mobile devices with limited battery life and Flash movies which required complicated computation were not a good match. People mostly don’t make Flash content anymore, though some actual cartoon animation has had Flash in their workflows. As for my own personal...

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Avast! Free Antivirus is the perfect package of applications for people who send e-mails and surf popular websites to protect their computers from a virus infection or other malware threats and can significantly reduce the risk of losing vital or private data. [License: Ad-Supported | Requires: 11|10|8|7|macOS | Size: Size Varies ]

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What is the purpose of spiritual gifts and how can we prevent them being used to selfishly promote an individual? Is the fruit of the Spirit not more important than the gifts? In Part 23 of 'The Holy Spirit' study series, we see that love must be the primary motivation for the seeking and operation of these gifts. Their God given purpose is 'To Edify' (build one another up) in the church. As we have explored, there is much division in the church about whether spiritual gifts should be sought at all today, but there is also much division and competition among those who claim to move in these gifts - why? More love and edification are the answers. This message is available at https://www.preachtheword.com now in MP3 audio format and in HD video on our YouTube Channel (https://youtube.com/PreachTheWord)...

Autor: Redakcija 031 Naslov: Potpisan sporazum o suradnji između Akademije za umjetnost i kulturu u Osijeku i Hrvatske komore den
Postano: 12.11.2024. 11:59 (GMT 1) Dana 11. studenog 2024., točno u 11 sati i 11 minuta, u Svečanoj dvorani Akademije za umjetnost i kulturu u Osijeku potpisan je sporazum o suradnji između Akademije i Hrvatske komore dentalne medicine. Sporazum su uime institucija potpisali dekanica Akademije, akademkinja Helena Sablić Tomić, i dr. sc. Hrvoje Pezo, predsjednik Komore.

Sporazum označava početak suradnje između jedinstvene umjetničko-znanstvene institucije u zemlji i strukovne organizacije koja predstavlja dentalnu medicinu u Hrvatskoj. Cilj je sporazuma objediniti znanje i resurse kako bi se postigli viši standardi u razumijevanju i unaprjeđenju zajedničkih područja djelovanja koji se protežu kroz edukaciju, zdravstvo, kulturu i interdisciplinarne projekte koji se razvijaju na specijalističkom studiju Kreativnih terapija pri Akademiji za umjetnost i kulturu u Osijeku.

„Ovim partnerstvom želimo otvoriti nove mogućnosti suradnje u području obrazovanja i profesionalnog razvoja te omogućiti razmjenu iskustava između umjetničko-znanstvene zajednice i medicinske struke“, istaknula je akademkinja Helena Sablić Tomić. „Akademija i Komora mogu se zajedničkim naporima baviti istraživanjem novih pristupa u edukaciji kao i poticanjem šireg društvenog dijaloga o važnosti holističkog pristupa zdravlju.“

Predsjednik Komore dr. sc. Hrvoje Pezo naglasio je da sporazum predstavlja jedinstvenu priliku za razvoj novih standarda u edukaciji o zdravstvenoj kulturi i prevenciji. „Spoj umjetničkog i znanstvenog pristupa, uz medicinsku ekspertizu, omogućuje nam da dublje sagledamo utjecaj koji zdravlje ima na svakodnevni život, ali i na kulturu i društvenu dinamiku. Vjerujemo da će se kroz ovu suradnju razvijati inovativni pristupi obrazovanju i informiranju javnosti,“ izjavio je dr. Pezo.


Tekst i foto: Akademija za umjetnost i kulturu u Osijeku

Autor: Redakcija 031 Naslov: Grb grada Malog Lošinja dvojici pripadnika Jedinice specijalne i interventne policije Osijek
Postano: 13.11.2024. 16:00 (GMT 1) Povodom Dana Grada Malog Lošinja dodijeljen je Grb Grada i dvojici pripadnika Jedinice specijalne i interventne policije Osijek, za izuzetnu hrabrost, stručnost i profesionalnost u realizaciji složene akcije izmještanja mine iz lošinjskog akvatorija 14. ožujka ove godine.

Robert Dorinka i Tomislav Slabinac su ronioci Jedinice specijalne i interventne policije Osijek, koji su sudjelovali u izmještanju mine zaostale iz 2. svjetskog rata, koja se nalazila u lošinjskom akvatoriju.

Da se radilo o opasnom podvigu, potvrđuje činjenica da je zbog bombe teške oko 1000 kilograma, uoči početka akcije zbog mjera sigurnosti u potpunosti evakuirano stanovništvo iz takozvane crvene zone, odnosno područja uvale Čikat. Osim toga je tijekom akcije bila na snazi privremena zabrana cestovnog, pomorskog i zračnog prometa.


Tekst i foto: PU osječko-baranjska

CNN Wins the Right to Cover the Search for Bodies of Katrina Victims:

On the one hand we're fed up with government trying to sanitise the carnage. They do this not for our benefit but to minimize public outrage.

In explaining the ban, Ebbert said (the city's homeland security director), "we don't think that's proper" to let members of the media view the bodies.

But on the other hand the media want to cover it because they know that drama and horror sells.

"In an e-mail to CNN staff, CNN News Group President Jim Walton said the network filed the the lawsuit to "prohibit any agency from restricting its ability to fully and fairly cover" the hurricane victim recovery process."

And the political left want to exploit it for the "Perfect Political Storm".

Unfortunately that is the world that we live in. The public are but pawns in this political game. Either way the dead and the suffering lose.

Hollywood meets the news; Drama + Hype = Ratings

Dan Rather was taken to task by Mark Steyn of the Chicago Sun-Times over his comments on the 'Larry King Live'' show about the Katrina news coverage. Personally I like Dan, but ever since Rathergate he does seem to be in a habit of putting his foot in it:

"They took us there to the hurricane," he told Larry. "They put the facts in front of us and, very important, they sucked up their guts and talked truth to power."

According to Steyn, the media got it all wrong:

"Er, no. The facts they put in front of us were wrong, and they didn't talk truth to power. They talked to goofs in power, like New Orleans' Mayor Nagin and Police Chief Compass, and uncritically fell for every nutso yarn they were peddled. The media swallowed more bilge than if they'd been lying down with their mouths open as the levee collapsed. Ten thousand dead! Widespread rape and murder! A 7-year-old gang-raped and then throat-slashed! It was great stuff -- and none of it happened. No gang-raped 7-year-olds. None."

Dan Rather:

"That frickin' Superdome," he raged. "Five days watching dead bodies, watching hooligans killing people, raping people."

Stein:

"But nobody got killed by a hooligan in the Superdome. The problem wasn't rape and murder, but the rather more prosaic lack of bathroom facilities. As Ben Stein put it, it was the media that rioted. They grabbed every lurid rumor and took it for a wild joyride across prime time. There was a real story in there -- big hurricane, people dead -- but it wasn't enough, and certainly not for damaging President Bush."

Stein:

"How appropriate that it should be Dan Rather, always late to yesterday's conventional wisdom, to bless the media's fraudulent coverage of Katrina."

He makes a good point doesn't he? CNN is the worst. It's a good thing we have bloggers to keep them in line.

The innocence of its name belies the true nature of this new virtual organism.

Meaning? PJs is a powerplay by a handful of elitist bloggers to carve out a new media empire for their personal (and financial) gratification.

"Pajamas Media, a new blogging venture designed to bring together top online writers, journalists and commentators under a single umbrella, today unveiled its editorial board as it prepares for its formal debut next month.

The announcement comes as Pajamas Media further realizes its vision of coalescing the internet's brightest minds and most compelling content into a single source that will, in turn, complement and re-define journalism in the 21st century."

So there you have it folks. The brightest stars in the virtual firmament who are going to "re-define journalism in the 21st century".

Can you believe the hype? The kahunas! A bunch of pompous self-serving goofballs if there ever was.

And speaking of balls, here I thought re-defining journalism is what the blogosphere is all about, even without the help of PJs et al. Silly me.

They are touting Glenn Reynolds as one of their greatest acquisitions. I must confess that I am all the more enlightened from his inspired and in depth analysis. Spewing his best Spock impersonations such as "indeed" and "indeed", or one of my personal favorites... "indeed".

Do you think perhaps they might (hopefully) consider (God willing) allowing us insignificant pee-ons add our (albeit smallish) comments to their omnipoobah flatulation? Well try this one on for size:

"Golly gee Instapundit, you sure are great. I was really hoping that if you might possibly consider linking to me some time. Pretty please, and I promise to forever be your grovelling fan... pant, pant, drool."

Or will it be the same old droning monologue we're all accustomed to - the sermon from the mount a la Instapun style.

Hell, if we wanted sermons we can always watch Anderson Cooper 360 report to the CNN situation room. So much for a blogging community folks.

Guys, you've got it all mixed up. If you want a one-sided conversation find a soap box and run for public office. Or better still make an application to CNN.

If you want to write a book then write the stinkin' book. If you want to build an exclusive empire so you can call the shots, give Bill Gates a call. But if you want to blog, join the community.

BUT damn it choose, because they're different. Got it? (Are you listening Glenn)?

Can somebody please explain to me how all this nonsense benefits the blogosphere? Oh yeah right, I forgot - it doesn't.

It sounds more like Al Gore's reinvention of the internet than anything else. So let's be clear boys and girls - it is the technology and all of our collective efforts that has re-defined journalism. Not just a few arrogant twits.

Not since the invention of the printing press has so much been given to the common folk. It is its inclusive, collaborative nature and community spirit that gives blogging its influential power.

HELLO! Are you listening? The blogosphere is not the exclusive playground of an old-boys network trying to elevate itself above the rest of us mere mortals.

That is bass-ackwards thinking, destructive and the last thing we need. Another media empire of self-important opportunists believing in their own press, shovelling verbal poop down our collective throats.

Think about it. Did we take down Dan Rather just to create a job opening for Reynolds? I don't think so. Personally I'd rather have Dan back (no pun intended). And for that matter I hear he's looking for work. Any takers?

It's the same old story. If it becomes popular the politicians have to control it, and the capitalists want to exploit it.

Not that I object to making money from blogging. God knows I could use the extra coin. But it is their elitist business model and its ominous implications that I find offensive.

It's called good old fashioned exploitation. The great American way. Look out Weblogs here we come.

Mark my words. The blogosphere is on the fast track to being hijacked by the control freaks and big business interests.

More restrictive laws and government intervention. Acquisitions and mergers, IPO offerings, get-rich-quick dot-com scam artists, media moguls, ABC, MSNBC, FOX, Pajamas party, whatever.

Sounding all too familiar? PJs is a cash grab. Plain and simple. And for whose benefit? The way it reads right now PJs will benefit only a few elitists, that's who.

Perhaps it got lost in the translation, but until they can find a more inclusive model the blogosphere needs this shite like a hole in the head.

```
UPDATE: An Open Letter to Roger Simon

Source: daily FISK!

I love the fact that while I work away in my high-tech-gear-jammed edit suite, the chair I’m sitting in dates back well over a hundred years. It was one of many in my grandmother’s home – it survived the great depression and a Manitoba tornado that destroyed the house. There’s nothing high-tech about this chair, … Continue reading The Edit Chair →

The post The Edit Chair first appeared on Bigsnit Blog.