Business Blogging Excellence

Windows Live blog

If you haven’t already checked it out, Microsoft has a great new Blogging tool called Windows Live Writer. It is in Beta form now and already supports some popular blogging sites such as wordpress, blogger, and typepad. This post is actually written using this new tool. Check it out.

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Communication is Key

Does your company talk to each other?  How many times have you been in an organization where you’ve been told to do something, produce the work for them, only for them to tell you something different upon completion?  What is it missing?  Communication!  Departmental duties fall apart when people don’t talk to each other.  What can you hope to do?

1. Talk.  Make sure you make all of your ideas clear to someone.  Always keep perception in mind.  Your idea of thorough may be different from someone else’s
2. Document things, and send them out to others.  If there is something important and detailed, make sure it is in writing and give it to all pertinent persons involved.
3. Hold meetings.  Weekly meetings are always a great idea to keep everyone in the loop.  Be sure to let everyone in the meeting have a chance to speak their minds.
4. Newsletters.  Having a quarterly, or monthly, or weekly newsletter is a good way to keep everyone informed about major changes in their workplace.

Remember, communication is the key to any organization.  Only with good communication can you hope to achieve the goals you desire.

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Whistle While You Work

Companies go to great lengths to keep their customers happy, but what about their employees? Is your company doing anything to keep employees happy? There are several reasons why you should make sure your employees enjoy their job:

• If they like their job, they are that much more motivated to higher quality products/services.
• They are more likely to create positive buzz for your company. It’s much better to have an employee tell their friends about a good work day rather than how lousy everyone has been at work. Let them advocate your business for you.
• More likely to stay with the company.
• Attract other candidates to work for your company.

How can you keep employees satisfied? The obvious one is having employees who enjoy their field, but there are some simple, little things you can do help keep them motivated:

1. First, and foremost, thank them. When they do good work, tell them! People like being recognized for their hard efforts. It doesn’t have to be anything to complicated, just a simple, “you did a really nice job on that”, or so will do.
2. The employee is a valuable part of the team. By letting them know this, they will feel much more motivated to do well. Let them feel like a significant part of the team. It’s human nature to want to feel like you have purpose and value.
3. Newsletters showing efforts and accomplishments of individuals. Just another way of show you care.

There are other ways of generating moral as well. In another company I worked for they tried their best to keep employees happy by having barbeques, newsletters, awards, and more. There are many ways to create a positive environment for your employees. If you want to improve the quality of your products/services, and your company, your employees are a great way to start.

Posted in Small Business | No Comments »

New Buzzoodle Book Release

Ron McDaniel just released his new book, Buzzoodle Buzz Marketing on the web recently. I had a chance to read his book and came away with some interesting new techniques for creating buzz. 57 different challenges are listed here for people to create buzz everyday, and although some may already be aware of, there are some other ideas I wouldn’t have normally been aware of. The key is to remain positive and sincere when creating buzz. Many of these are simple challenges that anyone can do, takes minimal effort, and can create great results. Check it out.

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WOMMA’s 10 Principles of Ethical Contact by Marketers

WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) has recently made a draft of their 10 Principles of Ethical Contact by Marketers public for comment. You can take a look at them at WOMMA’s website. Just click on the guidelines link below for the full list. There are some interesting guidelines listed here, most seem like common ethical practice, although another regarding disclosing your full identity online, may make some reluctant due to its departure from confidentiality. If you are truly trying to create buzz online, though, making yourself publicly known on other blogs is a good thing. Keep in mind that WOMMA did not set these as an authoritative rule, only principles they hope others will follow. Also, this is not a how to blog guide, mearly just guidelines to follow when communicating with other bloggers. Check it out and leave a comment. Feedback is most definitely welcome.

Posted in Blog Traffic, Buzz | No Comments »