Trustworthy and Confident. Two very important traits in a successful business owner.

Definitions:

Trustworthy: worthy of one’s trust, belief, or confidence.

Confident: persuaded of; assured of.

What’s the easiest way to project yourself in this fashion? Use these guidelines:

1-Eye contact (don’t look up, down, or all around. If you have trouble with “eyes” use the eyebrows or the bridge of the nose as a focal point).

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As a business owner, there’s no better time than a slow week to establish your goals.

I always make two lists-Short Term Goals and Long Term Goals. By having two, you allow yourself to achieve smaller goals on a regular basis…thus giving yourself that boost of confidence needed to achieve the larger goals!

Some things to consider for your goals:

~Revamping a website-Is your site getting you the business you want and deserve? Maybe it’s the navigation, maybe it’s the content…or it could be the graphics and/or color scheme. Remember to think like a customer…not like the owner!

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Alice Seba tagged and challenged me this week to continue a challenge she received: “list the top 5 to 10 things you do almost every day that help you to be successful. They can be anything at all, but they have to be things you do at least 4 or 5 times every week.”

When it comes to my days, I can only feel successful if I keep everything organized, so I MUST start the day with #1.

1. Organize the day’s tasks. This always starts with reading and prioritizing emails. I must admit I’m also a “paper hog” (sorry trees), and I print out any emails that contain instructions for a project. Doing this helps me to keep everything in one place, and to have a stack that I can order and “move when finished”.

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-Write Conversationally-engage your visitor as if you were speaking directly to them.

-Make your writing “Skim” Friendly-remember that surfers/visitors will skim your pages, and write accordingly, using bolded text, headlines, and separators between thoughts. Sometimes you may need to edit what you’ve written, to make it more of a “summary”.

-Use Bullets when Listing-this makes your list stand out, and calls more attention to it.

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What should you include on your business cards?

We all hate to waste valuable space on any print materials for our business. Even if you print your own, it can be expensive to have to do it over!

So, what information should one include on their business card?

~Logo: be sure that you have a printable version of your logo to use, as many web versions are not in a high enough resolution to print clearly (and they will look “fuzzy”).

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Your Business Image is affected by more than just your logo….

Some of the front line aspects that affect your clients’ impression of your business are:

• Your Web Site-How well is it worded? Are the graphics clear and crisp, yet fast loading? Is it easy to navigate and find what you’re looking for? Do you have a Site Map for anyone who might get lost? (more…)

Nothing can cause a professional to turn away faster than a misspelling in a marketing piece or on a website!

In the age of automated spell checkers, there’s still a common problem: words that sound the same, but have different meanings. Your spell checker won’t catch them, and many people ignore or don’t use their grammar checker.

Before I get to the most common ones, I have to mention my pet peeve (only because it affects my business): Stationary-Stationery.

If you are selling “paper or writing materials”, then you’re looking for “stationery”. It’s a good idea to use the right spelling (although it’s also a good idea to include the misspelling in your keywords and/or site description). The spelling “stationary” means “still or unmoving”.

Okay, on to some other common grammatical/spelling errors:

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The homepage (or index page) of your website is like the front window of a brick and mortar store. It is your tool for gaining interest and “reeling” the customers in to see more.

What are the elements of a good homepage?

First and foremost an introduction that tells your visitor (quickly yet in detail) what your site is all about-and don’t forget to use your keywords. Ask yourself: What do I want my visitor to accomplish by reading this page? The answer should be a sense of understanding with a dash of excitement. Don’t forget to include an invitation…..you’re not a used car salesman, BUT you do want them to shop or read more! You should never assume that someone will just do that…..invite them to!

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It seems that through the years the advice about image alt tags has drastically changed. I can remember several years ago, being told that the importance was because many people were surfing with “images” turned off in their browsers. These days, with faster internet connections, that’s not so much the case. Now Image Alt Tags have taken on a different role in a website.

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What is a target market? The market segment or group of customers that a company has decided to serve, and at which it consequently aims its marketing activities.

How do you determine your target market? Start with a few great questions*:

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