Category: Tools and Information

7 Ways to Attract New Readers to Your Business Blog | AllBusiness.com

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Effective blogging starts by creating an attractive space on your website, then providing interesting content that will keep customers coming back for more. Here are a few things you can do to bring new readers to your blog, which will hopefully then translate to sales.

1. Know your customers

Before you start trying to connect with customers through your blog, make sure they would be interested in reading it. You can tell a great deal about your customers by paying close attention to their preferred method of communication. Some of your clients will communicate with you by email, while others will take conversations straight to a phone chat. If your target audience is constantly on the go, your blog posts will need to reflect that with short, easy-to-digest content that displays well on a smartphone screen.

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The High Tech Gadgets You’ll Actually Want to Put Near Your Face | Elle

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Pros have long harnessed the power of LEDs (light-emitting diodes) for stealth skin enhancing with zero downtime. The three-minute at-home innovation we’re most excited about: DRx SpectraLite Faceware Pro (available in August), the brainchild of NYC dermatologist Dennis Gross, MD. The FDA-cleared mask is lined with the most powerful antiacne blue light allowed in DIY devices, plus four spectra of red light (infrared and deep red to boost collagen; light red and amber to keep skin cells healthy and reverse sun damage). The curvature of the mask around the eyes was carefully designed to fit all face shapes while still precisely targeting crow’s-feet.

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The Importance of Compliance and Regulation for Small Businesses | Getentrepreneurial.com

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As a manager or business owner, it is of the utmost importance to stay on top of industry standards and government regulations. If you don’t, you risk costly lawsuits, might miss out on valuable government grants and tax breaks, and could garner a poor reputation with a jaded customer base.

Review Regulations That Apply Now

It can seem daunting to wade through all the required licenses for your industry and to keep track of when they need to be renewed, but fortunately there are lots of sites that list permits you’ll need for your business by industry or by state. Many government websites also explicitly list rules and regulations for industries such as the liquor and nuclear industries.

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The Best BBQ Menu for Summer Parties | EatingWell

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Nothing says summer like a backyard barbecue! As soon as the sun is shining and the weather is warm—grilling outside is my go-to for party hosting. Not only does it avoid the ever-dreaded kitchen crowding (you know, when everyone is breathing down your neck while you’re just trying to get that one last dish on the table), but it also avoids heating up the house on an already hot day and cuts back on dishes to wash after the fun is all said and done. So whether it’s a weekend afternoon and all your friends are coming over for a shindig or it’s just a regular old weekday dinner party, this is the absolute best BBQ menu. It has everything you need: a quick-cooking main dish packed with protein, in-season summer veggies grilled to perfection and drizzled with a finger-licking-good dressing, plus a sweet, trendy treat: Frosé. Yep, you guessed it—frozen rosé wine. Oh sweet, sweet summertime, please don’t ever leave.

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How to Create an Amazon Alexa Skill for Your Business | Business News Daily

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When Amazon introduced Alexa, it changed how people interacted with devices. The convenience and ease of voice assistance has pushed this technology into nearly every new device, from laptops to even lawn mowers.

While Alexa comes equipped with a wide range of uses, small businesses can also take advantage of this technology through Amazon’s Alexa for Business initiative, which provides resources and support for Alexa in the workplace. Business owners with Alexa devices, like the Echo, Echo Spot, Echo Dot or Echo Show, can use various voice commands to carry out important business tasks, like ordering new supplies or starting a video meeting. Businesses can also create their own skills with Alexa and use Amazon’s APIs to build on existing interfaces.

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Conflict Management: How to Turn Any Conflicts into Opportunities | Lifehack

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There’s a lot out there written on conflict from how to ask what you really want and how to understand what the other side really wants.

But what I have seen from those materials is that most of them have been written in bubbles using armchair philosophy with almost zero empirical evidence and applicability in real life.

It’s like the case with the orange. One side just wants the orange bark while the other side wants the inside of the orange. You solve the case by giving them both what they need and there you have it, you’ve solved the conflict.

In real life, both sides want the entire orange and they are not willing to budge a centimeter until they get it and that’s why I’m making this guide. No more armchair philosophy, no more talking in the bubble. We are entering the real world and this is how you will solve the conflicts and get what you want.

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How To Get Great Testimonials (Without Pressuring or Badgering) | marketingforhippies.com

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I’m often asked, “How do you get good testimonials?”

Of course, the truest answer is, “Do good work.”

Without that, nothing I am about to say holds much water.

But, if we don’t acknowledge that it’s possible to do wonderful work and not be furnished with written testimonials from the very people you served, well… then my advice wouldn’t hold much water either.

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Top 6 Ways to Communicate with Your Customers | Small Business Trends

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Companies communicate with their customers in so many ways these days. They send email, surveys, post information on social media and their websites, call, chat, or text them. Not all of these forms of business communication are welcomed by the customer when they happen or are even effective. What is critical to their success is for each company to actually find how customers want to communicate with them and how to keep track of it all.

How Do Your Customers Prefer to Communicate?

Effective business communication methods can change by industry, customer segment, or issue. Here is a place to start to determine what is best for your set of customers and how to analyze these interactions:

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9 Smart Bookkeeping Tips for Small Businesses | AllBusiness.com

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Are you a numbers person? Some small business owners love going over their books—after all, it’s their personal scorecard of how well the business is doing. Others dread dealing with numbers or get so caught up in day-to-day operations that they neglect their bookkeeping.

Whether you love it or hate it, good bookkeeping is essential to small business success. Here are nine bookkeeping tips for small businesses that will help put your business in the black.

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