Should You Have More Than One?

Website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Yahoo, Google, MSN etc.?

My answer would be a resounding YES!

The more Websites and Social Media Pages you have, the more you can take advantage of key search words for Search Engine Optimization.

If you have more than one business, you may want to present a totally different image for each site consistent with your branding and separate sites allows you to do that.

Different Market Segments may be interested in different areas of your business and when they are using a search engine, they use keywords particular to their area of interest.  You can only use so many keywords and metatags for each site, however, the more keywords you use and the more Geographic areas you list, the more likely your business will be found; multiple sites allow you to use more key words, increasing the likelihood of your business being found.

Multiple sites are a great way to showcase your values and personality which are becoming so much more important in making a decision to work with a professional.  It answers the question of “What are they really about and do I want to be associated with this company?”

Link the sites together to give a complete picture of you and your so searchers will completely explore the possibilities of your services and research has shown you will gain more business.

How Do You Know That?

I have been challenged many times in a conversation when I state what to me is a fact, with “How do you know that?”  The answer is simple “I read it” or “I saw it when I travelled to...”

I read voraciously.  I read books and not just for recreation, newspapers, magazines (More Magazine is a favourite), flyers, ads, tourist information, whatever I can get my hands on.  I spend time in the library scanning parts of the new books.  I am a regular at the nearby discount bookstore where the staff are so used to seeing me browse, they discuss the latest books with me.

I have found some really useful and interesting sites on the internet and download articles to save “in case I need them”.  I have articles saved on the computer, in a binder, and in a file to put in the binder, when I get a ‘round tuit’.

The point of this is to encourage you to read and to let you know there is a wealth of information available to help you with your business.  The most useful sites I have found include Entrepreneur.com which has some great “how to” information for your business.  I recently spent an afternoon browsing through Sbtv.com (Small Business TV) which has informative and helpful articles, and a menu of webcasts in a wide variety of business areas.  The websites of other groups and companies are also useful; check out Company of Women, Womenentrepreneur.com and Art of Marketing for some good business tips

There are many more helpful sites, and yes you may ‘borrow’ my articles!  Let me know how I can help.

Telephone Messages

Do you know who Richard Rice is? 

Neither do I! 

He left a message with a phone number on my cell phone on Friday evening (?) asking me to call him. 

He has a hint of an Irish accent, the soft kind with a bit of a lilt from around Dublin.

The problem is that the phone number does not exist.  I don't recognize it.  I can't find the number in any reverse number search.  I tried to Google him, and searched LinkedIn and FaceBook.  No Joy there either!

I think we have a lesson in phone message ettiquette.

If I knew what he wanted to talk to me about, or how he got my CELL Number, I might be able to track him down and return the call.

I can only hope that if it's important, he will call me back.

When you leave a phone message, please listen to the message upfront (have you even called the right phone number to begin with), speak clearly, leave an accurate return phone number and a brief message with the reason for the call - who are you and why you want me to call you back.

Of course, check the message on your phone systems and make sure people can hear who they have called (in case it`s a wrong number).