tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1 2008-08-26T22:58:25Z Home based business resources, strategies and tools for the solo business owner Movable Type 3.33 tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.353 2008-08-26T14:32:38Z 2008-08-26T22:58:25Z

A little forethought and some basic precautions taken can help you to minimize the loss of income and inventory in your business due to credit card fraud.

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com The type of fraud I'm referring to is credit card or payment fraud as opposed to things like embezzling, tax evasion, or product scams. The Internet presents a special environment for payment fraud because transactions take place all over the globe often without one or even two parties being physically present to inspect or insure that everything happens as it should. Anonymity enables dishonest people to become bold and brazen. Credit card numbers and individual identities are stolen everyday by the unscrupulous. Web sites and shopping carts are hacked in every industry. Abuse of the payment system is commonplace nowadays.]]> Request information. Often the merchant account processor will suggest what information is acceptable but you can always gather additional data that will add to your records for each transaction. 2. Be aware of email addresses. Most criminals will not use their own email addresses which are easily hidden and fake addresses forged. Free web servers enable fraudsters to easily operate on false contact information and from anonymous locations. Be especially careful with addresses coming from Yahoo, MSN, Hotmail, etc, and other large sites where email addresses can be had by anyone in just a few clicks right on the spot. Some Internet merchants are actually refusing to process or deal with these "free" email addresses because they are so "convenient" for use by those who don't want to be tracked. 3. Compare the shipping and billing addresses of the customer. Unless a gift item is being sent to a family member or friend, the shipping and billing addresses will generally be the same. Of course, you should consider billing addresses here in the States with a shipping address overseas to be a waving red flag. I had a personal experience with this type of fraud. One day while at work, a camera store merchant called my office here in the States to ask if I had ordered several thousand dollars in digital camera equipment and accessories with the intent to have all the merchandize shipped to a small town in Russia. Needless to say, that was not my intent and the merchant didn't make the shipment when I explained that I hadn't sent her that order and didn't authorize my card's use for any such purchase. After several months of hassle, I was able to get all the charges dropped from my hijacked credit card account number - but it was not a pleasant experience. 4. Analyze your web log files. Employ a 3rd party service that will track your site traffic and help you locate the origin of visitors to your site. Some hosting services will also provide varying levels of site statistics so that you can better analyze who is coming to your store. This is not a total fraud solution, but it can warn you of possible ordering fraud and also help you track down the point of origin of those making the order. 5. Be wary of overseas orders. Let's face it, orders for your merchandise can be risky if coming from outside the U.S. and especially from certain 3rd world countries. No offense, of course, to the people living in less developed countries, but foreign governments often do not hold to the same postal and Internet standards as the U.S. And if fraud does occur, how are you going to go about getting your merchandise back or your money back, for that matter? How are you going to track down foreign criminals on the opposite side of the globe? Increasingly, businesses are refusing to process orders from certain "high risk" countries in eastern Europe, Indonesia, Malaysia, Africa, Turkey, Pakistan and Israel. 6. Investigate unusual orders. Very large and expensive orders that are to be shipped "Express" or as fast as possible should be given some increased scrutiny, especially if it is a first time order from a new customer. Of course customers like to be treated as being honest and loyal, but most will understand if you ask certain questions about an order since you are trying to protect the honest customers from the unscrupulous. Making contact with the buyer in advance of shippping should always be understood by legitimate folks that know you're trying to protect your business. 7. When in doubt, call the company. If you ever don't feel right about a transaction, most payment processors will be happy to discuss the matter with you during the moment. It is better to explain to the customer that you will get back with him personally than to rush the transaction and then to have to try to reverse the charges later. 8. Make your anti-fraud policy visible at your web site. If you are up-front and straightforward about how you deal with fraud issues, you are less likely to actually have them. Put notices on the ordering and check-out pages so that all can see that you are watching for fraud and that you will not tolerate it in your ordering system. In actuality, a strong anti-fraud stance will increase your business rather than decrease it because your customers will understand you are watching out for their best interests and you are protecting personal information. 9. Use special anti-fraud services. There are any number of Internet companies that can be found online that specialize in screening customers for potential abuses. I would suspect that these services would best be employed by businesses that ship physical goods as opposed to those that deal only in digital downloads. Fraud is difficult to detect at times. It is also difficult to deal with when the offender is stationed in a country overseas. But a little forethought and some basic precautions taken can help you to minimize the loss of income and inventory in your business. Thank you Michael Bloch. ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.350 2008-08-25T13:13:38Z 2008-08-25T18:23:52Z

The bounce back strategy has worked for direct mail marketers for decades. Why not give it a try in your online business with your next new product or service offering?

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com Who hasn't received a mailer that included an offer to purchase a product or try a service with the stipulation that all you have to do in order to activate the offer is peel off a pre-printed label and stick it in the box marked "I ACCEPT" and then send it off in the mail? Direct marketers send millions of these post cards or printed coupons everyday and have been doing so for many, many years. Why? Simply because they get response!]]> headline that grabs the reader's attention and lists the one greatest benefit that comes with your offer. 2. A photo or graphic that stands out from all the other boring mailing pieces that one receives every day of the year. 3. A product or service that will fill a "want" of the prospect. Remember there is a great difference between "wants" and "needs." People buy what they "want" and not necessarily what they "need." 4. Often the best introductory product or servcie to place before a new customer is one that solves a problem or concern that the customer may have. If he sees that you can make him feel better, save money, look younger, or be safer, he will be really interested in what you are selling. 5. A bullet list of benefits that the product or service will bring to the prospect. We're not talking about product features, but rather "'what the product will do for the user." 6. Compelling copy in the offer. Always make your copy stand out by including words that will make your offer seem new, exciting, one-of-a-kind, the latest breakthrough, amazing, professional, scarce, or thrilling! 7. Always include a great testimonial or two if you have the space. Testimonials legitimize the offer and make prospects more inclined to buy if they believe that "other regular people" have used your product and it really did solve their problem. 8. Don't forget the "call to action." So many marketers never actually request that the prospect make a purchase. The offer should include a simple phrase or sentence that tells the prospect what to do next. "Mail this offer today" "Call this number for your free product" "Order right now" "Send in your coupon before August 31st!" All these actions are designed to get the prospect to take the next step. The bounce back is a great strategy for: 1. Getting the prospect's mailing or phone contact information; 2. Offering a trial product or service that will expose the contact to your business; 3. Getting the prospect to "raise his hand" saying he's interested in what you have to offer; 4. Tracking and testing your offer details (headline, body copy, call to action, etc.). Why not give the bounce back strategy a try with your next product or service offering? ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.349 2008-08-23T14:06:42Z 2008-08-23T19:11:50Z

Your web site's privacy policy is very important and something that can greatly enhance the visitor's sense that the site owner really can be trusted - that he/she really does care about the confidentiality of the visitor's personal information.

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com Often a web site privacy policy is overlooked, thrown together in haste, or altogether omitted as the site owner is anxious to move on to more glamorous and creative aspects of developing a business home on the Internet. Privacy policies are sometimes akin to the "fine print" of most lengthy legal documents - something to be tolerated and considered, but probably there only in the extreme case that the user really cares about such things. I believe, strongly, that the site's privacy policy is very important and something that can greatly enhance the visitor's sense that the site owner really can be trusted - that he/she really does care about the confidentiality of the visitor's personal information.]]> A general statement of your web site business support of customer and contact privacy so that the visitor, early on, knows that you have a concern and have addressed that concern already. If the visitor can't find a privacy statement or a formal policy, he is more likely to end any contact with the business immediately. 2. An easy to find "Unsubscribe" link or mechanism. Regardless of the type of web site you run or the type of business niche you're in, the law requires that you provide an easy and convenient mechanism for customers to break the tie with your business. For whatever reason, should the contact decide she wants to stop receiving information from your business, she has the right and prerogative to do that immediately and her request should be honored by you right now! 3. As much as possible, your policy should be easy to understand. Don't bury the details in a lot of verbage and fine print. Be straightforward, concise, and to-the-point. Often privacy statements tend to sound like non-lawyer made up "legalese" (if there is such a word.) Why be unclear or wishy-washy about this aspect of your business policy? Your customers will be more impressed with your willingness to be straight up with them if you simply and accurately describe how their confidential information will be gathered, kept, stored, and deleted if they so desire. 4. Be clear with the contact about how you will gather and keep (store) personal information. Let the customer know that you intend to NEVER sell, rent, or share their data with anyone. 5. If you do plan to share other web sites, tools, and resources with your customers, let them know that these are trusted sites. Make sure you have visited all the links you give to your contacts as a sort of "pre-screening" so that you don't send your customers to sites that are not what they seem. Imagine the damage that will be done to your own reputation and your business if you send customers to a link that serves porn, distributes viruses, or in any way is harmful or unwanted by most web users! 6. Be clear about phishing, site napping, and other scams that are rampant online. Chances are, your business won't be a target of these scams if you are a small home operator. The large branded sites are usually the targets of these games, but it could happen to you at some point. Your goal is to help the customer or contact feel comfortable with your site and its communications. If they understand you're watching for these scams, they will trust that you are professional enough to watch out for their best interests as well. 7. COPPA is the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act and it should be mentioned in your privacy policy. It covers young people under the age of 13 and you need to be aware that for these children a parent or guardian must first give consent before you collect any private or personally identifiable information. 8. It is certainly good policy to let others know that your privacy policy only covers your site and communications from your business. Just because you share a link or make a product recommendation does not mean that your policy covers the customer once they leave your site. Your policy is in force while a customer reads your email or navigates your own site and no where else. 9. Give a clear instruction about what to do if a customer or user has a complaint. Customers want to know that there is a definite and easy way to get ahold of you if they need to for any reason. Make getting in contact a snap! I suggest giving a phone number, an address, a fax, and an email address for immediate contact. Some businesses don't do this because they are worried about getting put on scraped lists of spammers. But I can tell you positively, that having full contact information is much more satisfying to customers than not seeing that option. (If you don't want to give an email address to potential contacts, you can always provide a "fill in form" that they can use which is programmed to be sent to your email inbox - this way, your address will never be revealed. 10. Have a professional 3rd party review your policy and make recommendations. While this step may seem costly and not important, I would want my business to be covered to meet all aspects of the law. Hire a person that knows what to look for because, as a non-professional, you will not. Legislation and best practices change all the time. Stay on the cutting edge of progress. Cover your business and make your customers aware of the fact that you have consulted with proper legal authorities so they can feel secure in dealing with your business. ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.348 2008-07-24T13:28:12Z 2008-07-25T00:28:41Z

Don't rely on guesswork or intuition. Do a little research, spend the time necessary, and give yourself the greatest chance for success with your next product, book, web site, or other niche creation!

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com One of the most overlooked steps in web site publishing, product creation, and article writing is the "chore" of first doing market research. It's a chore to most people and therefore it is often neglected or shunned altogether because performing the research takes time, a certain amount of "know how" and definitely some amount of your precious time. But the consequences of not first doing research are almost always negative and will certainly cost you time and money in the long run.]]> Breeding Mosquitos For Fun and Profit. You have to ask yourself: (a) Is anyone interested in this subject to the point that they will pay me for my knowledge and guidance in this niche? (b) What is my competition like? Are there similar ebooks available that will cut into my sales projections and goals? (c) Who are my perfect customers and where will I find them? How am I going to target my advertising and sales messages? (d) What are the latest advancements and techniques in the field so that I am not trying to sell out-dated or "stale" ideas or strategies? (e) What is this type of information selling for elsewhere? How much should I charge for my book? (f) How can I make my product unique, timely, authoritative, and the best on the market? (g) What questions are my perfect customers asking that I can answer in my book so that they will be more likely to have a reason to buy from me? Now tell me, if you don't research the market to find answers to these and other pertinent questions, how are you going to know what to include, who to sell to, and how to advertise? Often, product creators and info publishers assume that they understand the market. They figure that they have the pulse of the niche and whatever they feel about the subject at hand must be representative of the niche as a whole. But time and again, these kind of assumptions turn out to be wrong. If you are basing your product or report on your own hunches or intuition about the market and its preferences, you stand to be sorely corrected. A little bit of targeted market research goes a long way toward "pre-selling" your product or book. Why? Market research allows you to set the variables of your product in line with what the market has already shown it wants. Said another way, you take the guesswork out of trying to match what your market wants and is willing to pay for your product. Based on history in your niche, you already understand what others have had to find out by trial and error. Imagine going on a long journey by yourself to a place you've never been and trying to find your way based upon what you already know. There are lots of pitfalls, roadblocks, and decisions to make as you forge your way into the unknown. Now, think of how much easier your journey would be if you had someone going with you that had already been to the same destination and knew the route well. You could be forewarned of the deadends, tricky maneuvers, shortcuts, and confusing road signs. That's what market research will do for you: help you make intelligent choices and hard decisions about your product based on what the customers in the niche have already said they want. It's like having a guide to your destination that already knows the way and has been successful in making the journey many time before. I promised some online sources that will help you in doing market research in your niche. Here they are: 1. Free Demographics http://www.freedemographics.com/ From the web site: "Perform fast and accurate market analyses with easy access to current and historic U.S. Census data. Your free subscription provides complete access to data collected from the 1980, 1990, and 2000 Census. FreeDemographics offers you the ability to create your own custom market analysis reports based on a number of selected demographic variables for any geography in seconds. 2. Market Research http://www.marketresearch.com/ From the web site: "MarketResearch.com is the world's largest and continuously updated collection of market research. As your single source for market intelligence, we offer more than 160,000 market research reports from over 600 leading global publishers. Whether you’re looking for new product trends or competitive analysis of a new or existing market, MarketResearch.com has the best research offerings and the expertise to make sure you get the right report every time. See why leading companies trust MarketResearch.com again and again to gain and maintain a competitive edge in new and existing markets." 3. eMarketer http://www.emarketer.com/ From the web site: "eMarketer is the first place to look for market research and trend analysis on Internet, e-business, online marketing, media and emerging technologies. eMarketer aggregates and analyzes information from over 3,000 sources, and brings it together in analyst reports, daily research articles and the most comprehensive database of e-business and online marketing statistics in the world." 4. Click Z http://www.clickz.com/ From the web site: "The ClickZ Network is the largest resource of interactive marketing news, information, commentary, advice, opinion, research, and reference in the world, online or off. From search to e-mail, technology to trends, our coverage is expert, exclusive, and in-depth. Our mission: to help interactive marketers do their jobs better." 5. Research Info http://www.researchinfo.com/ From the web site: "If you are involved in, or have any interest in the marketing research field, we recommend you bookmark this page now. Just as it is for thousands of others, this will become the source you turn to every time you're looking for information on the market research industry. Please feel free to use all the features on this site free of charge." 6. Jupiter Research http://www.jupiterresearch.com/ From the web site: "JupiterResearch provides unbiased research, analysis and advice, backed by proprietary data, to help companies profit from the impact of the Internet and emerging consumer technologies on their business." 7. Harris Interactive http://www.harrisinteractive.com/ From the web site: "We believe that market research helps our clients understand the drivers of decision making and can strengthen enterprise equity. By focusing on the full spectrum of the dynamics involved in making choices —and especially why those are made— we can help our clients make better choices too. Providing clients with this accurate knowledge will help them achieve measurable and enduring performance improvements. 8. Nielsen-Netratings http://www.nielsen-netratings.com/ From the web site: "Nielsen Online, a service of The Nielsen Company, delivers comprehensive, independent measurement and analysis of online audiences, advertising, video, consumer-generated media, word of mouth, commerce and consumer behavior, and includes products previously marketed under the Nielsen//NetRatings and Nielsen BuzzMetrics brands. With high quality, technology-driven products and services, Nielsen Online enables clients to make informed business decisions regarding their Internet and digital strategies." These are just a sampling of the many research sites that will help you to focus in on what your customers actually want based on past behavior and expressions of preferences. Don't rely on guesswork or intuition. Do a little research, spend the time necessary, and give yourself the greatest chance for success with your next product, book, web site, or other niche creation. ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.351 2008-06-16T13:28:47Z 2008-08-25T19:29:17Z

Bumper stickers are a tried and true advertising strategy that is simple, cost effective, and can pay great dividends for your small business if done correctly!

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com Yes, bumper stickers have been in use for a very long time. In fact, they continue to be an excellent strategy for small business because the cost of employ this strategy is minimal but the exposure it can give your business can be great! Who doesn't notice and read unique bumper stickers? Yes, there are many boring, ugly, and hard-to-read bumper stickers. The impact that these stickers have can be minimal. But circulate some fresh, eye-catching, humorous, and outrageous bumper stickers for your business and you may just unleash a wonderful branding and marketing campaign!]]> ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.352 2008-05-24T14:40:49Z 2008-08-26T21:30:45Z

Your business journey doesn't have to have a strict timetable or revenue standard for you to feel that you are making acceptable progress toward your ultimate long-term goals.

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com Today's post is a bit of rambling about a principle that all of us seek and can, at least to some degree realize, regardless of how our business endeavers pan out. Of course, from the title of this post you know the principle in mind is that of SUCCESS. Whether or not you feel that you are a success really depends upon how you define and measure results that you consider to be successful. Whether in business, life, in your marriage, in your relationships with family and friends, or wherever your "counting" takes place, the level of success you reach is often determined by the standards you set.]]> I've missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot . . . and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Success like beauty is in the eye of the beholder. As a business owner, you are in the sole position of determining how you measure your own success. Remember that this business journey doesn't have to have a strict timetable or revenue standard for you to feel that you are making acceptable progress toward your ultimate long-term goals. ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.347 2008-05-03T14:49:27Z 2008-05-03T15:58:35Z

Ad copy in many product PPC campaigns often doesn't get the thoughtful attention it ought to because the words are so few. But when you think about it, that's all the more reason why every word needs to be carefully considered!

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com Buyer beware! Many a novice business owner has charged into the pay per click advertising world (PPC, for short) with high expectations of mega targeted traffic at small cost and come away with an empty wallet, few or no sales, and a vow never to waste money again in that arena! One of the keys to solving the PPC dilemma remains hidden from many folks view. Usually the campaign owner focuses on keyword strategies and maximizing ad placement.]]> PPC advertising copy must lead to a profitable "click through rate" or CTR. Your copy must ensure that enough prospects click on the ad to allow for conversion percentages that will more than pay for both the advertising and an acceptable rate of return from sales. Have both CTRs and conversion rate goals that are set, in advance, for every campaign so that bottom line response to ad copy is a measurable statistic. If measurements aren't tracked, how will the owner know if a campaign is earning or losing advertising dollars? 2. Often advertisers will notice a decrease in keyword prices as CTRs increase. The search engines reward higher performing ads - so well performing ad copy, in turn, leads to a higher return on dollars expended in the campaign. What this suggests is tip #2: start out slowly and increase dollars spent on a particular campaign only after you have modified and tweaked your ad copy for the highest conversion possible. Many advertisers waste a lot of money right at the campaign outset before they have had a chance to test various aspects of their ad copy. 3. Ad copy should be targeted to prospects that are ready to make a purchase at that moment. Studies have shown that prospects go through a set of stages from first gathering general information about a subject, to then narrowing brands down with reviews and product information, to looking for specifications, colors, sizes, etc, to checking for pricing, availability, guarantees, and finally to narrowing the purchase down to the one alternative that seems to best fit all the criteria in the buyer's mind. PPC ad copy needs to appeal to the prospect that is in the final stage of this purchase time line if the goal is a quick sale. If the copy is geared to someone doing a preliminary review of the subject field, chances are he won't be interested in finalizing a purchase just yet and the CTR, if it comes, will be too low to be profitable. 4. PPC ad copy should naturally flow from the ad right into the landing page and the sales copy. The best way to ensure this smooth transition is to carry forward those same keywords and targeting from the ad into the sales copy. Some advertisers lose the prospect immediately when he clicks on an ad then sees nothing on the landing page related to what he thought he would find. 5. PPC ad copy must jump off the page and scream "CLICK HERE!" Surfers are so used to being bombarded with constant ads that they have learned to skim a web page with amazing speed. If the ad doesn't stand out in some way, chances are good that the ad will be ignored. In our fast paced world, our minds process information extremely quickly and tend to search for something out of the ordinary, or a little different - something that "catches our eye." Bland and boring ad copy is easily and purposefully bypassed without a second glance. 6. Focus, focus, focus. Make sure the PPC ad is focused squarely on the message you want to send. If the "hook" is that you have something new and more up-to-date than other alternatives, don't talk about price, guarantee, or fast shipping. Your USP (unique selling proposition) is often what differentiates your purchase advantage of others' - but it doesn't have to be. Maybe your ad copy is for a very limited one time offer, or the annual fall clearance, or Mother's Day Special. Whatever the main point is, make sure the ad copy focuses on that one thing. 7. Avoid "broad and wide" and concentrate on "narrow and deep." This principle is sister to staying focused with your ad copy. PPC copy is very limited in length so very concise and specific language needs to be used which focuses exactly on the message you want to send given your targeted keywords. Avoid writing to brand your product - you're after a sale and the most targeted of customers who is ready to click the ad and make a purchase. Ad copy in many product PPC campaigns often doesn't get the thoughtful attention it ought to because the words are so few. But when you think about it, that's all the more reason why every word needs to be carefully considered! ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.346 2008-04-19T14:00:45Z 2008-07-25T01:06:29Z

Internet users are most often concerned about two things: security/privacy and being target by increased amounts of spam.

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com The folks over at the Better Business Bureau commissioned a study in 2007 of the adult online shopper's most important issues. It seems that approximately 60% of those surveyed are primarily concerned about two things: (1) that their personal information could be stolen and sold online or reused by someone else, and (2) that their credit card information could be hijacked by some unscrupulous operator (59%).]]> Forrester Research painted a rosy and exciting picture of a 20% increase over the previous year (2006)! They estimated that $33 billion dollars would be spent online during the holidays. That's a hard number for any large or small business owner to ignore. The survey also concluded that 45% of those polled feared that if they shopped online, they would receive an increased amount of spam and junk emails. Other lesser concerns were: - That the user would have a difficult time navigating shopping sites (26%); - That the user would have to wait too long for purchases to arrive at their destination (25%). It's apparent that web site owners need to aggressively address these issues and concerns of their customers if they expect to sell actively online. What can the shopping site owner do? 1. Use safe and secure shopping cart software or service providers with an excellent reputation of safeguarding customer information and credit card numbers. 2. Provide all customers and prospects with a detailed privacy policy so that the buyer can feel confident that the site owner understands his fears. 3. Keep good documentation of each and every purchase so that in case there is a discrepancy, the record of purchase and shipping can be reviewed. 4. Accept credit cards, not just 3rd party payment solutions. Credit card use can be disputed though the process is sometimes lengthy and sometimes confusing. 5. Make sure the site is secure and display the logos of the security measures you've taken (if any.) 6. Make your whole buying experience as easy, intuitive, and simple as possible so the buyer isn't confused or left wondering what she should do next. 7. Offer to take orders by mail or over the telephone. Some purchasers will call their order in rather than trust the security of the Internet. 8. Protect personal information files in as secure a manner as possible. Don't share them with anyone. Hopefully, these simple suggestions will help you to "set to rest" the fears of many online shoppers so that your business will grow and prosper. Your reputation and future business credentials are at stake! ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.345 2008-04-18T13:37:40Z 2008-04-18T23:58:31Z

Creating scarcity in the physical goods world is sometimes difficult; but in the online world, almost every product or service can be marketed using some creative scarcity factor.

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com Of all the tricks and strategies that direct marketing professionals have devised over the years to increase sales and push prospects to take action at crunch time, maybe the ultimate trick is employing the "scarcity" factor to a product or service. When a product is limited (scarce) in availability, it's value skyrockets dramatically. Most of us understand the reasoning behind using this tactic and I can guarantee you that at least 90% of the online product offers and "launches" that you'll encounter will use one or more scarcity tactics in the sales message to get you to buy.]]> ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.341 2008-04-17T14:06:30Z 2008-04-18T03:20:21Z

Every business should have a company web site and a list of both customer and prospect email addresses at the very minimum. If you don't your competitors will wave goodbye in their rear view mirror!

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com Like most new and innovative things, Internet business for many people seems to be nothing more than a fad, a fancy, a fleeting hot topic that will soon cool off and die in obscurity. Many computer savvy folks have yet to make a purchase online and some still hold to the notion that the dot com era will soon be over for good. They reason that e-commerce online is not secure, too much of a passing fantasy, and something that they can easily do without.]]> ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.339 2008-04-16T14:51:46Z 2008-04-17T04:27:44Z

You must assume that what you have learned and gathered over your lifetime of education and experience, however long it has been, has in many ways become obsolete, out of fashion, and been replaced with new information.

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com You know I have often commented that "you are the business." Of course I'm talking about the fact that your business reflects your own personal ideas, traits, quirks, tendencies, and ability to be successful or not. You are the solo creator, fthe ounder, the operator, and only employee of your solor business. Without you, and everything that you know, do, and are, your business is nothing. There is no business if you don't make it so. That can either be a great asset or a debilitating burden.]]> ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.344 2008-04-15T14:24:26Z 2008-04-18T03:37:00Z

Smart marketers and product developers ought to keep an eye on the buying public and their wants.

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com Did you know there are ways to see what buyers are looking for at any given time online? The information is free. Smart marketers and product developers ought to keep an eye on the buying public and their wants. Understanding "demand" is one of the pillars of Internet marketing and product creation. CNET's Download.com is a library of free and free-to-try software programs and applications for Windows, Macintosh, and handheld devices. It began 10 years ago with 3,000 titles and today has over 30,000 potential downloads.]]> ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.340 2008-03-10T13:31:02Z 2008-04-17T05:10:04Z

There are ways to still enjoy productivity when you're struggling to squeeze some creativity out of your brain!

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com Every business owner will have his moments when all creativity and unique ideas seem to hit a lull. No matter what the owner does, he just can't come up with anything new and exciting for his customers. It's at these times that repurposing your content may be the answer until your creative juices begin flowing again! Here is a simple list of things you can do to get yourself going again.]]> ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.342 2008-02-11T14:43:28Z 2008-04-18T03:21:32Z

Often business owners wonder what the best URL or business naming strategy is for an online business or product. Sometimes they even wonder if the domain name has any bearing whatsoever on the search engines.

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com I have to be careful here because I'm not a search engine optimization wizard. What I am going to tell you is either what I have experienced or what I have gleaned from others that I consider to be very knowledgeable on the subject. Often business owners wonder what the best URL or business naming strategy is for an online business or product. Sometimes they even wonder if the domain name has any bearing whatsoever on the search engines. Of course, the reason to be concerned about SEO is to be able to get as much "organic" (or non-paid search engine) traffic as possible to your web site.]]> ]]> tag:www.businessalone.com,2008://1.343 2008-01-11T13:58:39Z 2008-04-18T03:23:32Z

I thought I would share my synopsis of "what's hot on the Internet right now" for those interested in the "wants" of Internet users.

Steve Browne http://www.businessempires.com Some of you may have seen this on MSN recently, but I thought I would share my synopsis of it anyway for those interested in the "wants" of Internet users. CNET's Download.com is a library of free and free-to-try software programs and applications for Windows, Macintosh, and handheld devices. It began 10 years ago with 3,000 titles and today has over 30,000 potential downloads. Here are the TOP TEN DOWNLOADS over the past 10 years:]]> ]]>