Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Are You Paying Too Much to Accept Debit/Credit Cards?

The usual method for a business to accept credit cards is terribly expensive for small businesses.  It can really cut into your profit margin!

Accept Credit Cards with Your Mobile Phone! I've been using Square for quite awhile now. It's very efficient for me. In addition to accepting cash or check, I can also accept credit and debit cards. All you need is an account (free) and a smartphone with a headphone jack.


Get an account, install the app on your phone, plug in the device and you're all ready to swipe a card. See if this is right for your business. It could save you some money.

  • One simple rate, all major cards -- 2.75% per swipe flat fee
  • Direct deposit to your bank account -- next day payout after the successful processing of first few transactions
  • For iPhone, iPad, Android -- free reader and free app
  • Take your first card in minutes -- fast setup

P.S. If you are a QuickBooks user, Intuit has a similar service called GoPayment. Check it out if you're already using QuickBooks. Easy to implement and it integrates seamlessly with your existing accounting functions.

Pinterest: The Next Big Thing for Business?

logo copyright Pinterest.com

Probably  not. It can be a tool for your business. But just like any new and shiny thing, it should be just that--a tool, not a strategy.

If a tool fits with your overall marketing goals and your customers are there, then it may make sense to use it. Pinterest is working well to drive traffic for online retailers, fashion magazines and Etsy merchants. It can be a great source of traffic for those with visually-oriented goods. Pinterest is all about sharing your own or others' pictures (pinning) on your virtual, themed bulletin boards.  I've found it a great resource for DIY ideas or how-to's about the things I love.

If you're thinking about using it to expand your business reach, sign up and just start pinning and observing first. After a couple of weeks, you can decide whether this is an appropriate spot for you to share photos of business products. But keep in mind, Pinterest is not for business. It's a social sharing site where people go to have fun--they aren't looking for things to buy and don't want to feel as though items are being promoted. Plus you may just get yourself banned.

As with all social networks, it's about the conversation. If you can't add value to the conversation going on around your boards and pins, no one will be interested. At the very least, it's a great place to see what people are doing, see how they are using it, and maybe you'll get some new ideas to use in your business. But beware -- this, like other social tools, can be a big time sucker.

In the words of John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing, "The big message in all of this is clarity of purpose. Until you’re clear on your marketing strategy every new tactic will sound like the next big thing."

If you want to venture into the pinning world, you'll need to be invited. Pinterest rolls out free accounts a little at a time. So go to the site and click the red banner at the top that says "request an invite". It should only be a matter of days before you receive an invite via email. Once you sign up, you can add the Pin It bookmarklet to your browser's toolbar making it easy to pin anything you find around the 'net and wish to share.

I'm using it strictly for fun at the moment. Since I'm a gardener and foodie, I'm finding great fun in pinning visually appealing pictures I'd like to refer back to later. The possibilities for themed boards is endless. It's an easy, fun form of self-expression!


Ciao for now and Happy Pinning!
See my Pinterest boards.
Paula

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Productivity: Tools I Use

With all the mobile devices available today, seems like we all use at least 1 to connect to our businesses on a daily basis.

There are some apps and plugins that I've used to save time so I can work smarter and not harder. See if any of these can help you be more efficient.

WordPress  - if you have a site or blog built with WordPress you can set up a post-by-email feature so you can make updates on the fly. Find it under Settings/Writing/Post by Email.

Facebook app - get the Facebook app for iPhone, iPad or Android to access and update a mobile version of your Facebook or business page. The app also allows sharing of photos or videos. If you use text messaging, you can set up your account so that you can post updates from your smartphone via text message.
GMail - I like this web-based email service better than my old Outlook. It's easier to access no matter where I am. Get GMail using your Google account or sign up here.
Warning: I don't have this automatically sync to my device. I don't want to be that connected! But if I need to access email on-the-go, I have the option.

Evernote - I have this add-on to my Firefox browser as well as an app on my mobile devices. It allows me to save my notes, ideas or a web page. This free service is available for your computer and almost any phone or mobile device. Bonus = the things you save are searchable by keyword even if the text is within an image! Really handy way for me to keep notes since a large part of what I do for a living is consume, distill, write and share information.

LogMeIn - when I go to a meeting or travel, some times I need something from my computer at home. I use this free service to log into my computer and get what I need (your computer at home has to be on in order for you to use it remotely). If that's not practical, try DropBox. You can save any file using this free online file storage service and access it from anywhere.

Woobox - free Facebook app that allowed me to create a custom tab for one of my business pages on Facebook. Use it to personalize your Page with additional tabs. It can be hard to find within Facebook. Go to your business page, choose "edit page", then choose "Apps" from the left-hand menu. Use the search bar to find it. You'll have to walk through some permission steps to install it to your page.

What types of tools do you use to improve your business efficiency? Share them here!

Ciao for now, Paula

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Tips to Build Customer Loyalty

Most local businesses know the value of customer loyalty and the relationship to profitability. It costs significantly more to gain a new customer than to keep an existing one.

Small businesses realize that it's more about building relationships than being a good sales person or even having a good product.

Inc.com's Goeffrey James shares ways to build customer loyalty simply by putting your customer's needs ahead of your own.

--find a unique niche and be the expert to your customer
--help your customer build their own business (B2B)
--deliver what you promise
--deliver IMPECCABLE service AFTER the sale

Most of this is common sense, but the last bulleted item is where nearly ALL businesses fail. In my opinion, very few local small businesses provide "impeccable service after the sale". This is critical to customer loyalty. It keeps you top of mind and lets your customers know that you truly value their business.

Challenge: What way(s) can you implement an "after the sale" service? It can be as simple as a series of follow-up emails or a phone call. You know what's best for your business--just pick one thing you can do easily and do it!

Ciao for now, Paula