Strategy Matters brings you news, tips and strategies for effective communications from Strategic Communications, LLC. We're committed to bringing you success through strategy. www.stratcommunications.com |
Boosting Credibility Through Guest Blogging
Many companies promote themselves with a website and may include a blog as part of that website. Blogs are a great way to demonstrate your expertise, particularly if you're part of a professional services company, such as a law firm, consultancy or public relations firms. While many of these blogs contain posts from their own staff members or representatives, or may actively seek participation from well-known members of the profession, it can be worth your while to offer to guest blog for another individual or organization. Here's why:
- A third party endorsement. When you're invited to be a guest blogger you are, in essence, being "endorsed" by the person who owns that blog. By guest blogging, you have the luxury of being "bragged up" as a credible source of information by the blog host. Provide them with choice details about your experience, knowledge and education, and let them do the rest.
- Additional exposure - guest blogging is a great way to multiply your chances of being discovered by potential customers. If you guest blog for four sites, in addition to your own, you've quadrupled the number of places someone might stumble across your name, your qualifications and a sampling of your expert advice. Be sure to include a link to your own website at the end of every guest blog.
- Reciprocal blogging - guest blogging can and should be a two-way street. If you supply a post to a colleague's site, ask them to do the same for you. Not only does this "return the favor;" it also provides further credibility to your own information portal. By hosting other guest bloggers, you are showing your audience that knowledgeable professionals want to be associated with your blog.
To get started:
- Research other blogs in your areas of interest or expertise and identify those that seem to offer you the greatest opportunity for exposure.
- Identify the types of content you would be able to provide, consistent with the current topics covered, and style of, the blogs you're interested in contributing to.
Contact the blog host and offer to provide a guest blog - send along a sample or two of blogs that you feel fit their style and content, would interest their readers and reflect your expertise. Need help? Contact us.
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Is It Time to Hire?
For large companies, employees can be added fairly fluidly. What is one more employee or even 100 more employees to a company employing thousands of people? But for a small business, hiring just one more person could mean literally doubling the size of the workforce. In addition, adding employees can mean significant increases in regulation for your business; and, depending on the level of responsibility given to your new hire, you may lose a certain level of control over your company's day-to-day operations and public image.
Before rushing to become a boss, consider the following tips:
- Match needs, not wants - Every small business owner would love to have an experienced expert on hand to help them run their business and manage the tough tasks of their trade. However, it's important to not lose sight of your specific needs and balance those against the costs of a top-gun employee. It probably won't make sense for most small businesses to seek Fortune 500 executives they won't realistically be able to afford. On the other hand, eager interns can represent value and may become loyal supporters of your company and trusted advisors over time.
- Network - Particularly in a tough job market, job postings might receive a seemingly insurmountable number of applicants. Sifting through all these candidates and choosing the right one is not only time consuming, but often a shot in the dark. Think about people you know who have friends, relatives or former colleagues that fit your needs.
- Think long term - Hiring a new employee should never be rushed into. It may be very difficult and expensive to let an employee go once brought on board. Take the time to really think about whether to bring someone into your organization and who that someone should be.
- Explore outsourcing - It's hard for any business, let alone a small business, to predict its labor needs down the road. Hiring that extra employee may not be enough to meet your needs if business suddenly picks up; but if business takes a downturn, you may have excess staff that aren't producing but are still being paid. Outside contractors can be used as needed and the relationship can be expanded or eliminated with relative ease, subject to your agreement.
Strategic Communications is positioned to provide communication and marketing assistance, as needed, for companies large and small. We've also worked with some clients to help them identify staffing needs and select the right person for the job.
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Identifying quality suppliers is a key part of the operation for many small businesses, especially those in the business of producing products, as opposed to services. Unfortunately for many companies, some suppliers will attempt to take advantage of their disproportionate power over their customers and may otherwise not live up to expectations. Below are some tips to finding and managing small business suppliers:
- Do your homework - Before entering a relationship with a supplier, make sure you perform your due diligence. For example: tour their facilities; ask for references from a handful of their current customers; sample their products. Make sure you truly know who you are doing business with before you make what could be a huge decision for your company.
- Have performance measures in place - any agreement you have with a supplier should include some basic performance metrics. Make sure you agree to a certain standard of quality, timeliness and overall service, for example. If these standards are not met, have a stipulation in place saying you don't have to accept delivery or can break your agreement. Depending on the size of the project, you may want to consider consulting an experienced attorney to help create a contract between you and your supplier including such provisions.
- Have a replacement in mind - Even the smoothest business relationships can quickly turn sour. New management or a personal squabble can turn a once positive relationship into a nightmare situation. Even if everything is going smoothly, keep an eye out for replacements in case things change. If worse comes to worse, you will have a suitable alternative lined up and can avoid any unnecessary productions problems.
Finally, don't forget to let your suppliers know how important they are to you and to provide them with feedback -- both constructive and positive -- throughout the relationship.
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If there's one thing that can be said with certainty about SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (the Protect IP Act), it's "the issues are confusing!" What does it all mean? From media reports that both are bad for business, particularly small business - to backers of the proposals, the reports are confusing to say the least. Read more.
Could you be the victim of disruptive innovation?
- VHS tapes.
- Landlines.
- Encyclopedias.
- Film (the Kodak kind).
All examples of products that have already, or will probably soon, disappear from use. Why? Because they were made obsolete due to new advancements, replacements or changing consumer demand that led to their demise. That kind of evolution is happening all of the time. Sometimes slowly. Sometimes rapidly. Read more.
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Maximizing Social Media Effectiveness
Social media can provide significant communication benefits, but can also represent a drain on resources if not used effectively. Are you confident that your social media efforts are generating positive results?
Contact us for a free copy of this white paper.
| | Offer Expires: 3/1/12 |
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