Whooah Biz

The first thing in setting up an office or moving to another place for business is letting people know that you there. You can do this by a number of means. Registering at the Chamber of Commerce, sending out information, attending networking events.

There are also some more interesting and innovative ways. Like writing a blog post about the area and mentioning the names of businesses that appeal to you. Of course in my case Lancaster is really well known for it’s Universtiy where some 15,000 sudents come to study. There are a lot of networking groups and clubs. Most of the clubs tend to use tools provided by Facebook for organising events.

So a little about Lancaster courtsey of Wikipedia. “Lancaster is a city in Lancashire, England. Situated on the River Lune, it has a total resident population of 45,952, and together with a number of other towns, forms part of the wider City of Lancaster local government district, with a population of 133,914.

Long existing as a commercial, cultural and educational centre, Lancaster is the traditional county townof Lancashire, to which it gives its name. Lancaster has several unique ties to the British monarchy; the House of Lancaster was a branch of the English royal family, whilst the Duchy of Lancaster holds large estates on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, who herself is also the Duke of Lancaster.”

Some companies that caught my eye that are based here include, Backbone Solutions McCulloch Accountants Lancaster, Choices Employment Services, Mount Recruitment Ltd, Intec, Gillows. Ubertechs.

I have been thinking for a while how to differentiate ones self from the super competitive internet market. The closely held maxim that content is king deserves to be re-examined.

I have recently been doing a lot of research and study into Law. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, the amount of information on the internet relating the subject is more than sufficient. In this academic study where there is little commercial interest and expertise in generating Law content, I found the internet has more than enough sources.

My bet is that if you created a website which is well written and has truly informative content, you may have already missed the boat. This is purely in regards to search engine traffic and becoming an authoritative source on the internet.

Go any to any search engine and type in these words; blogging, How to blog, biz development, I would be very surprised if any blogger came on the first page except possibly A listers, or a blog that has been around for some considerable time.

There is no hard or fast solution here, first it is important to get to the facts.

It is no longer possible with millions of pages being created on the internet for Google to index yours at the top.

We must ask ourselves some questions:

If a tree falls in a forest with no one to hear it, does it make a sound?

My own suggestion is that we possibly have to start moving to a more local applied use of blogging and use of information on the internet.

For example, small offline groups/communities in your particular area brought online by people they know. It is so much more interesting when you have met the person. You may than be able to gauge your audience and ultimately interact much better. So in my case it would a sales/business development that I would find and bring it online. Connecting to local people.

Thoughts?

Question: I am planning to present SMO services as a separate service of our company. Can any you tell me ways to market it. It would be a big favour if anyone can reply me in a descriptive manner. I would also like to get the list of major SMO service provider along with some case studies.

Answer:

First you will need to answer some of the questions below, than we can draw up a detailed plan for your company/organisation including listings, cost structure, time line etc.

Questions:
The seize of the company
What is your budget?
Any current Internet SMO policies
Any current use of advertising medium
What do you want to achieve/Goal?

After you have answered these questions just contact me here: leo at wcx dot me

I came across a really interesting interview today with Reputation management expert Andy Beal which summed up simply how to make the most of online social media. I do not think I could say it better. It has so many benefits establishing a social media policy.

“When a company creates an interactive online profile, it’s effectively telling its stakeholders -customers, investors, employees, etc- that it cares about the community and wants to be a part of the conversation. When an online reputation crisis hits, companies that have an social media profile are more likely to be given the benefit of the doubt and more likely to be able to respond quickly, within that channel.

I advise my clients to look for the “centres of influence.” Where are their stakeholders hanging-out online? When you understand the types of social media your stakeholders are using -maybe they prefer blogs over forums -you’ll increase your chances of successfully engaging them.”

Social media channels that you may find useful for establishing a thriving social network, depending on your market and your niche, include:

FaceBook

MySpace

Twitter

Plurk

FriendFeed

Linkedkin

What networks would you add to this? Which ones do you enjoy the most?

The Institute of Directors has just recommend blogging as way of connecting with your customers in an interesting article they explain:

“If you want to compete, you must pursue your customer’s loyalty and pay them attention; they have many options and will move on without a second thought.”

“A blog will also enable you to build relationships with customers. Many will appreciate the chance to ask questions; others will be influenced by the feedback they read and how you respond to it. A positive comment or a problem sorted promptly can establish you as a trustworthy seller.

Sometimes you can turn a negative into a positive - by offering a prompt return for a customer who’s made the wrong choice, for example. But you’ve got to make sure you’re able to deliver what you promise, otherwise it could do you more harm than good.”

The full article can be read here. This is just the sort of thing we have been waiting for at www.Wcx.me

We have been doing quite bit of debating at www.Wcx.me about the future. It is good to keep developing and brain storming ideas.

The more you brainstorm the more you are able to do it.

Blogging is a form of brain storming. As is debating a subject. With debating one can develop many more ideas and understanding of events that happen around us.

I recommend setting an hour per week to brainstorm, call it personal development.

Why do politicians think that spending more money is going to save the economy? Does George Bush or any other world leader think that they can remotely buck/control the economy.

If your economy is already broken and by that I mean that is it has stopped making money. Why borrow? The current trend in the world is than to spend more money to solve it.

Let me see if I understand it correctly? 

You do not have any money,

the companies are not making any money but you want to borrow money to supposedly solve it.
I can understand the theory about borrowing money to grow a business, but borrowing money to prop up badly run companies does not sound like a business plan to me. Especially when it is Tax payer’s money. I know which way I will vote.

 
What would be your advice to the government?