Small Business Marketing Basics and its Implications in ProBlogging

If you're attacking your market from multiple positions and your competition isn't, you have all the advantage and it will show up in your increased success and income. -Jay Abraham

When marketing your small business, you have to remember that you are embedding a message in each unit you sell; a message that you hope will aid your market in distinguishing you from your competitors, because consumers don't just buy a product, but perceived benefits as well. Jeans, for example, are clothing articles made of denim, but Calvin Klein attaches sex appeal to every pair, and Lee sells individuality. Coke sells happiness in a bottle , while Pepsi sells youth.

Ironically, I have observed that in most cases due to our ardent desire to pursue our customers, we tend to neglect the basics of small business marketing where all of our small business efforts hinge. When engaging on a marketing campaign, online or off-line, consider the following small business marketing basics:

• Product. Pay attention to your product features and benefits; capitalize on them. Today's consumers are value driven. Consider finding what your niche market values most and present your product towards that end. Remember, customers buy on the perceived benefits of your product first and foremost, the rest is secondary. So package your product benefits well. Make them stand-out from the rest of the pack!
  

• Price. Is your price competitive? Is it a pay-per value offer to your targeted consumers? I know, you want a quick ROI (Return on Investment) on your capital, but please don't do it overnight. Business experts say that the first six months of your operation may be considered operating at a loss. Pay-off usually starts on the seventh. One way of keeping your targeted customers is paying close attention to your pricing.
  

• Place. Is your product accessible to your targeted customers? Is it visible on the shelf, if you are selling off-line. Do you have a shopping cart in your web site where they can conveniently add the product when they purchase online? Is your web user-friendly? Meaning, they do not have to use the search function in order to find what they came for? IMO, a good, simple, and easily-navigated web design is a customer-keeper. Also, check your websites's loading time more often. Product pictures or other graphics can slow down its loading. Slower loading can easily drive-off your potential customers.
  

• Promotion. Try other marketing activities. Don't stick on one medium or methodology. Experiment. But experiment with caution, i'd say, for experimenting is costly. Lastly, three important things: (1) promote, (2) promote, (3) and promote your products to your targeted consumers.

Implications in ProBlogging:

If you are treat ProBlogging like a small business, here are ProBlogging Marketing basics you need to seriously consider:

• Product: Is your blog a visit-for-value blog? How is it different from the millions of blogs out there? Do your readers get a perceived benefits when they visit?
  

• Price: I suppose, you are selling ad spaces or reviews, then check with other blogs on the same niche if your pricing is competitive. Compare by PR's, Alexa Ranking, Traffic, and other elements which advertiser might consider.
  

• Place: Is your blog lay-out 'eyes-friendly'? Meaning, are readers encouraged to read when they visit your blog? Consider your blog's design. Avoid clutters. Remember the KISS principle? Keep it simple sweetheart (err...stupid?). Ask the opinion of others regarding your blog's readability. Also, if you have submitted your blog to social networks and blog directories, make sure that it is listed on the appropriate category. IMO, that is plain common sense, right? Sadly, to date I am seeing a lot of blogs that are somehow misplaced in Entrecard. ^^
  

• Promotion: There are so many mediums out there, don't stick to one. If you are thinking (imagining) of monetizing your blog with 10 to 30 page views a day -forget it. Your source of income is from traffic -I see none else. So, again, promote, promote, and promote!

Here's to your ProBlogging success! Now, you may react. ^^

Basic Personal Finance and Credit Cards Management Tips

How you manage your personal finances and credit cards directly reflects how you manage your small business’ finances. You cannot isolate the former from how you actually manage your small business. I have noticed that those who failed miserably in their start-up business were actually those who mismanaged their personal finances and buried themselves in debts. You can avoid that. Here are three practical tips on basic personal finance and credit cards management (unfortunately, we tend to neglect) you might want to consider:

• Credit cards are your business allies. They can bridge the gap between paying your suppliers and your next collection. Caution though, you should always get only no annual fee credit cards. Do not add burden on yourself with annual membership fees that arbitrarily increase yearly even when you have not utilized your cards. If you can find credit cards that can offer, interest-free credits but with annual fees, try to weigh your options.
• Choose balance transfer credit cards. This is by far the easiest way to manage your spending and protect your good credit ratings. Through this sensible process, you actually save money from APR interest rates. Not only that, here, you will only worry about a single creditor. Why carry multiple cards when you can have one that can suit your needs? Having one creditor breathing behind your neck is more comfortable and you can ably have control over your personal finances. Remember; make your credit card works for you like an ally.
• Carefully use your credit cards for your NEEDS, not WANTS. This is personal finance common sense. But how many of us have really taken this seriously? Well, if you are one of the heirs of Hilton probably you need not worry about this. We have seen many rich and famous people who were dethroned from their financial thrones (pun intended) and are now wallowing in debts. Lesson: they failed to manage their wants. I will always revert you to Tips No.1 because that is where it should start. Make your credit card your ally by utilizing your credits on your NEEDS only. In short, prioritize your spending.

Very basic indeed, yet we tend to ignore. Let me hammer this with Dave Ramsey’s sensible admonition:

Financial peace isn't the acquisition of stuff. It's learning to live on less than you make, so you can give money back and have money to invest. You can't win until you do this.