Most Active Articles 2009-11-24T11:37:05.329-05:00 Business Exchange Business_Exchange@businessweek.com urn:com:businessweek:bx:topic:most-active:small-business-coaching John Jantsch jjantsch566 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:13633652895317494451-a5972fa104f98c83a218835826cda68a 2009-11-19T12:17:22.428-05:00

When I first started my business, several decades ago, I was determined to tell people that, mine was an integrated marketing firm. To which, I generally received polite nods and the occasional more truthful – “What the heck is integrated marketing...

When I first started my business, several decades ago, I was determined to tell people that, mine was an integrated marketing firm. To which, I generally received polite nods and the occasional more truthful – “What the heck is integrated marketing... http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2009/11/18/what-the-heck-is-integrated-marketing-anyway/ John Jantsch jjantsch566 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:12085903822568143090-0fa5d12fb08b9ffe3810802c16d28cc3 2009-11-17T09:47:01.272-05:00

Do the conversations you have with your marketing guy (or gal) sound more like a negotiation or a collaboration? Lately, I seem to be hearing more marketing conversations that sound more like a negotiation than a collaboration. I know I’m biased,...

Do the conversations you have with your marketing guy (or gal) sound more like a negotiation or a collaboration? Lately, I seem to be hearing more marketing conversations that sound more like a negotiation than a collaboration. I know I’m biased,... http://blog.rebarbusinessbuilders.com/rebar/2009/11/are-you-collaborating-or-negotiating.html Bill Brelsford bbrelsford457 1 1 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:6856781978181855688-b9678ecd3b7773f7606f1250941ade2e 2009-11-17T12:32:06.590-05:00

We’re just about to head over to the Streaming Media West conference in San Jose, CA. For the first time in the history of this important conference, everyone will be able to watch parts of the conference live, both here on ReelSEO (below) as well as on Streamingmedia.com, courtesy of livestream. Coverage will start today with the opening keynote from Bill Stone, president of FLO TV at 12 p.m. EST/9 a.m. PST.

We’re just about to head over to the Streaming Media West conference in San Jose, CA. For the first time in the history of this important conference, everyone will be able to watch parts of the conference live, both here on ReelSEO (below) as well as on Streamingmedia.com, courtesy of livestream. Coverage will start today with the opening keynote from Bill Stone, president of FLO TV at 12 p.m. EST/9 a.m. PST. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/reelseo/~3/ZHLSYKgVa0s/ John Jantsch jjantsch566 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:445106771079975110-9d53e2eea16de9c9c719f131896a9eb9 2009-11-17T12:18:45.285-05:00

[ Professional Services Sale ... ] Social media has certainly changed marketing, but few people are addressing just how dramatically it’s changed sales. In this interview we hit that subject pretty head on.

[ Professional Services Sale ... ] Social media has certainly changed marketing, but few people are addressing just how dramatically it’s changed sales. In this interview we hit that subject pretty head on. http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2009/11/17/is-social-media-changing-selling/ John Jantsch jjantsch566 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:11441710170851723643-923fcc96d04060a6996901cc2ce296f4 2009-11-16T12:36:40.579-05:00

What is the ROI of social media? How do I measure the ROI of social media? Often, when receiving these questions, it's appropriate to quip: "What's the ROI of your phone?" Other times it's not appropriate to respond with such a glib retort.

What is the ROI of social media? How do I measure the ROI of social media? Often, when receiving these questions, it's appropriate to quip: "What's the ROI of your phone?" Other times it's not appropriate to respond with such a glib retort. http://feeds.searchenginewatch.com/~r/sew/~3/1uDxvwVpAGs/3635665 John Jantsch jjantsch566 2 2 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:2102172478341037942-60012bc7be7daeb8bef3d7afdbfc3fbf 2009-11-16T11:51:03.708-05:00

The SBA and President Obama are trying to free up more credit and make it available to small business owners. It is great that small businesses are getting attention, but I am going to put in a warning – Debtor Beware. Small businesses should focus...

The SBA and President Obama are trying to free up more credit and make it available to small business owners. It is great that small businesses are getting attention, but I am going to put in a warning – Debtor Beware. Small businesses should focus... http://cathyiconis.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/small-businesses-should-focus-on-reducing-debt/ Cathy Iconis ciconis331 1 1 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:12130645603044725231-7c089cf9a30248080732a573d1a50709 2009-11-16T12:23:03.513-05:00

I’m a big fan of the newish Twitter List function. I wrote about it last week – 5 Reasons to Use the New Twitter Lists Feature Now that I’ve you pumped up about using lists, I want to talk about a few tools that I think can make the feature even...

I’m a big fan of the newish Twitter List function. I wrote about it last week – 5 Reasons to Use the New Twitter Lists Feature Now that I’ve you pumped up about using lists, I want to talk about a few tools that I think can make the feature even... http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2009/11/16/3-tools-to-make-twitter-lists-even-more-useful/ John Jantsch jjantsch566 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:368885697379094339-bcda4fd413e9eb5c8277814fb64f858d 2009-11-16T11:50:02.914-05:00

Most business owners, especially small business owners, would rather spend time working in their company than on their company. That is why the word “Analytics” can become a dirty word for most organizations. You might just be missing out on a great...

Most business owners, especially small business owners, would rather spend time working in their company than on their company. That is why the word “Analytics” can become a dirty word for most organizations. You might just be missing out on a great... http://cathyiconis.wordpress.com/2009/11/10/is-analytics-a-dirty-word/ Cathy Iconis ciconis331 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:834184188851559422-79d36aac0c2bbc8dd023baf4cb18fc41 2009-11-16T11:42:57.105-05:00

Most business owners, especially small business owners, would rather spend time working in their company than on their company. That is why the word "Analytics" can become a dirty word for most organizations. You might just be missing out on a great time saving strategy without employing certain analytics.

Most business owners, especially small business owners, would rather spend time working in their company than on their company. That is why the word "Analytics" can become a dirty word for most organizations. You might just be missing out on a great time saving strategy without employing certain analytics. http://cathyiconis.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=108 Cathy Iconis ciconis331 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:10112538342582513250-d6faa85335f46d6b74dcb972903f7a66 2009-11-15T09:33:35.548-05:00

Even your Marketing budget could be identified and tracked by a Project Management System. A calendar cannot manage the complexities of today’s marketing. Developing good Project Management techniques is imperative.

Even your Marketing budget could be identified and tracked by a Project Management System. A calendar cannot manage the complexities of today’s marketing. Developing good Project Management techniques is imperative. http://business901.com/blog1/replacing-the-marketing-calendar-with-project-management/ Joe Dager jdager118 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:13051687142349205630-5bd7b43c73dd075213ae2d9cd3e79662 2009-11-13T15:34:19.632-05:00

Part 2 of this article focuses on who are the WRONG people are for a franchise coaching business...

Part 2 of this article focuses on who are the WRONG people are for a franchise coaching business... http://www.thefranchisekingblog.com/2009/11/franchise-opportunities-whats-the-real-story-behind-those-business-coaching-franchises-part-2.html Joel Libava jlibava813 1 1 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:14594007631926304429-0d06e0fd8115f4c721a43c72d3eca91e 2009-11-13T14:39:21.208-05:00

The fantasy of people across the political spectrum, ranging from conservatives to progressives, is that the free market will solve the increasingly desperate woes of small businesses and nonprofits. It’s not entirely impossible, but it does...

The fantasy of people across the political spectrum, ranging from conservatives to progressives, is that the free market will solve the increasingly desperate woes of small businesses and nonprofits. It’s not entirely impossible, but it does... http://thecostsavingsguy.com/saving-small-business/ Bruce Judson bjudson427 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:3371533949854728166-79da70a370fcaeef86977edfe977be29 2009-11-13T02:05:56.534-05:00

The purpose of a project plan in marketing is to coordinate many of the uncertain activities that happen. Maybe more importantly, a good project plan will coordinate the activities of your resource requirements. Not everything will be predictable but even if we make some of the predictable we will increase the likelihood of success.

The purpose of a project plan in marketing is to coordinate many of the uncertain activities that happen. Maybe more importantly, a good project plan will coordinate the activities of your resource requirements. Not everything will be predictable but even if we make some of the predictable we will increase the likelihood of success. http://business901.com/blog1/your-value-stream-map-is-not-your-project-plan/ Joe Dager jdager118 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:15820464771875017265-481877d3af83355db25d3aace7e03813 2009-11-12T06:52:28.845-05:00

In this grand old world of search engine optimization, technicians, advocates and clients alike all tend to get caught up in the terminology, the latest analysis of the Google “slap,” an interpretation of the most complex algorithms and the tactics necessary to jump ahead of your closest competitors within the search engine rankings. Many snake oil salesmen will tell you that you should just focus on following their techniques and opening their bag of tricks and you can get your latest “made for Adsense” masterpiece way up there on the rankings. Follow this link to discover more

In this grand old world of search engine optimization, technicians, advocates and clients alike all tend to get caught up in the terminology, the latest analysis of the Google “slap,” an interpretation of the most complex algorithms and the tactics necessary to jump ahead of your closest competitors within the search engine rankings. Many snake oil salesmen will tell you that you should just focus on following their techniques and opening their bag of tricks and you can get your latest “made for Adsense” masterpiece way up there on the rankings. Follow this link to discover more http://www.youngentrepreneur.com/blog/2009/11/be-remarkable-and-you-will-get-noticed/ Adam Toren atoren469 1 1 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:171559788717255807-2eab3d0c109dce0cf3f80a1f03d30b90 2009-11-12T12:58:53.626-05:00

I get daily pitches from PR folks and business owners asking me to write about their news, launch, product, or survey. On one hand, I still think it’s awfully cool that people think enough of blogs and this blogger to pitch me. (Can’t imaging what some really big blogs endure.) On the other hand, I sure see my share of really bad pitches.

I get daily pitches from PR folks and business owners asking me to write about their news, launch, product, or survey. On one hand, I still think it’s awfully cool that people think enough of blogs and this blogger to pitch me. (Can’t imaging what some really big blogs endure.) On the other hand, I sure see my share of really bad pitches. http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2009/11/12/getting-bloggers-to-write-about-you/ John Jantsch jjantsch566 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:3868456968726247155-68ec562c69747fc8c298d9c6647f9e37 2009-11-11T13:09:10.115-05:00

1. Prepare yourself to be promotable. First, shift from an attitude of need to an attitude of want. It’s healthier, more attractive and good practice surrendering. Second, acknowledge your own value. If you don’t, nobody else will. Third, exercise a high degree of conscious control in creating the career you want.

1. Prepare yourself to be promotable. First, shift from an attitude of need to an attitude of want. It’s healthier, more attractive and good practice surrendering. Second, acknowledge your own value. If you don’t, nobody else will. Third, exercise a high degree of conscious control in creating the career you want. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/hmnib/~3/iHnzx6K2WQo/how-to-get-promoted-faster-than-wharton.html John Jantsch jjantsch566 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:17012712871074094264-754de73ba7d63f08c2048b7f38124756 2009-11-10T11:19:00.356-05:00

Successful organizations spend a lot of time saying, "that's not what we do." It's a requirement, because if you do everything, in every way, you're sunk. You got to where you are by standing for something, by approaching markets and situations in a certain way. Sure, Nike could make money in the short run by licensing their name to a line of wines and spirits, but that's not what they do. "That's not what we do," is the backbone of strategy, it determines who you are and where you're going.

Successful organizations spend a lot of time saying, "that's not what we do." It's a requirement, because if you do everything, in every way, you're sunk. You got to where you are by standing for something, by approaching markets and situations in a certain way. Sure, Nike could make money in the short run by licensing their name to a line of wines and spirits, but that's not what they do. "That's not what we do," is the backbone of strategy, it determines who you are and where you're going. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/sethsmainblog/~3/RgibzgDp2_E/the-why-imperative.html John Jantsch jjantsch566 1 1 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:10715820794008731877-e8c2c6c92e40be8c1df1da13cc4debc1 2009-11-10T11:11:04.084-05:00

Here’s a question I’ve learned to ask on a daily basis at the completion of every post I write: “Would this post work better if I split it into two (or more) posts?” While the answer is usually ‘no’ for me I do semi-regularly get to the end of a blog post and realise that what I’ve actually written is probably better if it is split into parts. For me the reasons that I split posts this way generally fall into these categories: * Length – some posts just contain too much information to digest in one sitting. * Multiple Topics – sometimes a post meanders too much across multiple topics. While they might all relate they also might require readers to make too much of a leap from one topic to another and run the risk of losing readers halfway through.

Here’s a question I’ve learned to ask on a daily basis at the completion of every post I write: “Would this post work better if I split it into two (or more) posts?” While the answer is usually ‘no’ for me I do semi-regularly get to the end of a blog post and realise that what I’ve actually written is probably better if it is split into parts. For me the reasons that I split posts this way generally fall into these categories: * Length – some posts just contain too much information to digest in one sitting. * Multiple Topics – sometimes a post meanders too much across multiple topics. While they might all relate they also might require readers to make too much of a leap from one topic to another and run the risk of losing readers halfway through. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ProbloggerHelpingBloggersEarnMoney/~3/P_q_X9QYrs0/ John Jantsch jjantsch566 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:3252262741850750605-c5fa459646c968866f13f968b1e05ea0 2009-11-10T11:20:19.507-05:00

"What am I doing wrong?" is often the question many people who are just starting out in online social networks and Social Media (Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc...) ask. It's a fair question, but then again, it's not a fair question because there are...

"What am I doing wrong?" is often the question many people who are just starting out in online social networks and Social Media (Blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc...) ask. It's a fair question, but then again, it's not a fair question because there are... http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TwistImage/~3/KGzxUoOEAlg/ John Jantsch jjantsch566 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:256210944923663369-ae19ffb57a1f7e8e5ce0edad0b843155 2009-11-07T21:34:25.205-05:00

Please join us for this special interview with an in-demand speaker who travels the United States and internationally to provide social media keynotes and in-depth training.

Please join us for this special interview with an in-demand speaker who travels the United States and internationally to provide social media keynotes and in-depth training. http://business901.com/blog1/how-to-make-a-lead-generation-funnel-with-facebook-and-twitter/# Joe Dager jdager118 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:16388211011975060981-636d05794158a8b61b6b955452bfd938 2009-11-05T13:57:45.806-05:00

from TechCrunch by Robin Wauters [France] Paris-based Deezer is not waiting for Spotify to expand into new territories and is moving forward with its own plans pretty quickly. The French startup recently raised $9.5 million (€6.5 million), bringing the total invested into the company to nearly $20 million, and today the company's launching its previously rumored premium offering and a couple of new products. Basically, the Deezer website, where users can listen to streaming music and create playlists, will remain free of charge while users who would like better sound quality (up to 320 kb/s) and no more advertisements can opt to pay €4.99 per month for Deezer HQ. The Premium offering (€9.99 / month) is the most interesting though, since it gives users the opportunity to download a full-fledged Adobe AIR desktop application and lets them gain access to their accounts through a wide range of mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPod Touch and multiple Android-run and Blackberry device

from TechCrunch by Robin Wauters [France] Paris-based Deezer is not waiting for Spotify to expand into new territories and is moving forward with its own plans pretty quickly. The French startup recently raised $9.5 million (€6.5 million), bringing the total invested into the company to nearly $20 million, and today the company's launching its previously rumored premium offering and a couple of new products. Basically, the Deezer website, where users can listen to streaming music and create playlists, will remain free of charge while users who would like better sound quality (up to 320 kb/s) and no more advertisements can opt to pay €4.99 per month for Deezer HQ. The Premium offering (€9.99 / month) is the most interesting though, since it gives users the opportunity to download a full-fledged Adobe AIR desktop application and lets them gain access to their accounts through a wide range of mobile devices, including the iPhone, iPod Touch and multiple Android-run and Blackberry device http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/zpWFfEgNJUg/ John Jantsch jjantsch566 2 2 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:9381818152566582454-c7db6175128b5f2d5f0b4c4b8c522eb0 2009-10-26T19:47:26.794-04:00

Some franchise companies use slick marketing methods to entice would-be franchise owners. I don't think you'll like this type of slick....

Some franchise companies use slick marketing methods to entice would-be franchise owners. I don't think you'll like this type of slick.... http://www.thefranchisekingblog.com/2009/10/franchise-opportunities-whats-the-real-story-behind-those-business-coaching-franchises.html Joel Libava jlibava813 9 8 0 1 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:8472790771909432301-e7327eaa4510912ea3b9c0085de7bf91 2009-11-05T13:56:22.168-05:00

Mark points us to this great set of stats. Basically, all of the clicks for all the ads online come from only 16% of the surfers, and most of them come from just 4% of all internet users. So, if you optimize your ads for clicks, it means you're ignoring a huge population. If your business is built around the kind of person who clicks, you win. If it isn't, you either need to not buy ads online or buy ads optimized for attention and familiarity, not clicks. Imagine that only left-handed people clicked on ads (it's about the same percent). What are you going to do if you make a product for the right-handed portion of the population? It's okay to make an ad that isn't easy to measure. If it works, that's enough.

Mark points us to this great set of stats. Basically, all of the clicks for all the ads online come from only 16% of the surfers, and most of them come from just 4% of all internet users. So, if you optimize your ads for clicks, it means you're ignoring a huge population. If your business is built around the kind of person who clicks, you win. If it isn't, you either need to not buy ads online or buy ads optimized for attention and familiarity, not clicks. Imagine that only left-handed people clicked on ads (it's about the same percent). What are you going to do if you make a product for the right-handed portion of the population? It's okay to make an ad that isn't easy to measure. If it works, that's enough. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/typepad/sethsmainblog/~3/JVT_hN3GKVU/the-unclicking-84.html John Jantsch jjantsch566 1 1 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:3323870554454522364-def98f5cb93fca4858b009a383d1ba9b 2009-11-06T12:50:19.585-05:00

Success and failure are sometimes viewed as opposites and mutually exclusive. After all, if you’re a success, then you’re not a failure, right? However, to be successful means to fail--a lot. To illustrate, consider the research of Phillip Cassey and Tim Blackburn. Cassey and Blackburn looked into publication rates of successful scientists and found that the people who published the most papers also had their papers rejected more often. Turned out, these eminent scientists were more successful because they risked (and experienced) failure far most often than their less successful colleagues.

Success and failure are sometimes viewed as opposites and mutually exclusive. After all, if you’re a success, then you’re not a failure, right? However, to be successful means to fail--a lot. To illustrate, consider the research of Phillip Cassey and Tim Blackburn. Cassey and Blackburn looked into publication rates of successful scientists and found that the people who published the most papers also had their papers rejected more often. Turned out, these eminent scientists were more successful because they risked (and experienced) failure far most often than their less successful colleagues. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TaraRoddenRobinson/~3/rYNW0MNP91I/leveraging-failure-.html John Jantsch jjantsch566 0 0 0 0 urn:com:businessweek:bx:article:3476695459796300236-e08252f43abc827884c99ac7ac642daa 2009-11-05T13:52:02.865-05:00

We all have friends that post inane or annoying comments, photos, or videos on Facebook. Sure, we can hide their content, but more and more Facebookers are looking for a dislike option to visually show their disapproval. Some Threadsy members can dislike Facebook items from within that dashboard, but we’ve found something even better suited to displaying your dislike: the Facebook Dislike Firefox plugin.

We all have friends that post inane or annoying comments, photos, or videos on Facebook. Sure, we can hide their content, but more and more Facebookers are looking for a dislike option to visually show their disapproval. Some Threadsy members can dislike Facebook items from within that dashboard, but we’ve found something even better suited to displaying your dislike: the Facebook Dislike Firefox plugin. http://mashable.com/2009/11/05/facebook-dislike-firefox-plugin/ John Jantsch jjantsch566 0 0 0 0