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I know the type of career I would ideally like to have... I also know the type of career I absolutely hate. For many years I tried to create a business out of what I love - but guess what? There simply wasn't a market for it! I had to learn that in order to get people's attention, I have to give them what THEY want... that in the end, it really wasn't about me at all. In this week's article, marketing guru, Seth Godin discusses how focusing on the consumer's needs and appealing to their emotions will create a viral effect and demand for your product that is much more important than paid advertising.
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This past Monday I clicked on the tumblr page of one of my favorite authors and I was greeted by what seemed like a support group for fans of Veronica Mars. These people were beyond upset at the quality of the movie they paid for via crowdfunding. For those who don't know, crowdfunding is a projected $5.1 billion industry that funds various projects with small donations from regular people. So, if your dreams are economically viable, you now have funding alternatives even if your bank says no. This won't be a cakewalk though - to succeed you will need to Become A Crowdfunding Wizard by following these 8 simple tips.
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I once had an employer who had a simple rule: any employee who worked more than X number of hours per year would receive a significant bonus. Needing the money, I worked around the clock. Though my personal life suffered, I endured. So, you can imagine my surprise when my employer tried to weasel her way out of paying me my bonus at the end of the year. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she claimed there was a requirement that I had not met. Was I informed of this requirement beforehand? No. Thankfully, my situation worked out well in the end but this is not the kind of relationship you want to have with your employees! It breeds resentment that saps productivity. That is why I wholeheartedly recommend Ed Powers' approach to handling employees' pay and performance.
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When I first started on Facebook in 2008, I was very excited about linking up with elementary and high school friends I had not seen in decades. There was, however, this one former friend who would flood our timelines with ads and promotions for his business. It was almost like spam! I eventually had to "unfriend" him and since then I've been very wary of liking other businesses because I want to keep my facebook timeline, well "personal". But now that I am on the other side of the fence I understand the value of facebook, google+, etc. in reaching and keeping up with customers. So the issue at hand is: how do you promote your business in a manner that seems personal? Sherice Jacob has the answer.
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Sometimes it seems like cyberhackers have invaded every aspect of our virtual life. Well, I'm sorry to say that they are now impeding our ability to efile our taxes safely. In 2011 alone cybercriminals filed fraudulent tax returns in the amount of $3.6 billion. According to Jennifer Schlesinger, these cyberhackers access your private information via fraudulent emails where they claim to be the IRS. Efiling in a public setting is also a bad idea because public wi-fi offer no security and can be hacked quite easily. I hate to add to your burden this tax season but you need to read this if you want to protect your money and your identity.
That's it for this week! Check in on Monday for the updated Small Business Legal News. Also, don't forget "Wildcard Wednesdays". See you for next week's "Weekly Small Biz Top 5" on 3/28.
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