Here are two articles I enjoyed reading this week published by Inc.com:

Great No-Cost Software: Free is a lovely word; unfortunately, it’s often followed by a disappointing product. We have found 10 great free apps that will help you run your business. Some are so good, you might even be willing to (shudder) spend money on them. – By Mark Spoonauer

Thirty Profiles of Resilience in Business: You just can’t keep an entrepreneur down, as these tales of leadership and overcoming obstacles illustrate. – By Kelly Faircloth

With respect to blogging and websites for small business owners:

15 Unconventional Uses of WordPress in Action: WordPress is known as one of the most powerful open-source blogging platform, but it can be a lot more then just a blogging platform. We already know about using WordPress as a content management system (CMS), but WordPress is much more flexible than that. – By the Editorial Staff at wpbeginner.com

The Entrepreneur’s Handbook – 59 Resources For First Time Entrepreneurs: As a first time entrepreneur you probably have tons of questions. And every time you do a Google search for an answer you are bombarded with too much information and in some cases that information contradicts other things you have heard. Due to this, I have created a list of 54 resources that should help you out.

I also gave a presentation to the Virginia Career Network. The group assists unemployed professionals network and find new career opportunities. For those interested, I posted the presentation here.

What did you find interesting this week? Let us know by leaving your comments – thanks!

Earlier today I read a great article by Brian Clark on copy writing that I’d like to share with you. Here’s how Brian started the article,

Mark Twain said the difference between the right word and the almost right word is “the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” Twain had an incredible knack for nicely summing it all up, didn’t he? The value of your content and/or your offer is what ultimately matters. And yet the words you use to demonstrate that value and present that offer will determine to what degree people take action. [Here's the link to , "50 Trigger Words and Phrases for Powerful Multimedia Content" by Brian Clark.]

Here’s a few words on my list intended to keep the reader’s attention:

• And in addition to that..
• And remember,
• As it turn out,
• But better yet…
• Make no mistake,
• Not many people know it but,
• Oddly enough,
• On the other hand,
• One more thing,
• Reality is…
• Simply stated
• So let me ask you…
• That’s why…
• Then again
• Trouble is,
• Seriously,
• What does all this mean to you? Better copy writing – enjoy!

1. What we think of as a website has changed. Long gone are “static” brochure like websites with infrequently updated content; replaced by dynamic, automated marketing machines.
   • Read more at Aliza Sherman’s blog, Are Web Sites Obsolete Yet?
   • Static verses Dynamic websites: Website Essentials for Small Business Owners
   • Here’s an article we wrote in March 2006; Are blogs replacing websites?
2. Simple Search Engine Optimization (SEO), visit SCORE’s new “Ask an Expert Blog” that covers a variety of topics of interest to entrepreneurs and business owners. Five volunteer business professionals, including yours truly, publish content on the site. We cover interactive marketing topics and our content is posted every Friday.
3. Business.com: Guide to finding time to blog, when it’s not your day job
4. Social Media Marketing graph by our friends, MarketingSherpa

Metro Richmond – Local Briefing

1. Virginia’s unemployment rate reached 5.2 percent (Dec. 2008) – better than the national average, which is 7.1 percent: see Virginia Business story here.
3. Richmond group hopes to buy a franchise that belongs to the Class AA Eastern League, the Connecticut Defenders, and move it to Richmond: AA Team – Richmond Times Dispatch

Far too many business owners absolutely take the wrong approach. They hunker down, cut marketing budgets and pull back.  The end result is “unattended customers” and less competition for you. Businesses that cut marketing budgets also demotivate their best salespeople, which start spending more time thinking about getting a new job than a new customer.

Economic downturns are an excellent time to strengthen your relationships with both your existing customers and your competitors’ customers. Odds are, they are not as busy. Are they more willing to spend a little more time with you? Definitely possible – use the time wisely:

• Collect testimonials: Asking for a testimonial is a contact with your customer that’s not a sales call. Tell them you would like to promote the testimonial and link it to their website, which will promote them as well. Use the opportunity to show your customers you value their opinion, your business relationship, and their business (i.e., dynamic websites, blogs, Scribd, PR news, etc.);
• Survey your customers: Create an opportunity to collect feedback and discuss services and/or products you offer that they may not be fully aware of or completely understand (i.e., email marketing, custom website landing pages, etc.);
• Network: Introduce your customers to people in your network that they consider prospects and ask to meet their business colleagues and associates – an excellent source of referrals (i.e., LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook, etc.), and
• Use your “consulting” skills: Help your customers and prospects save time and money by providing pertinent industry news and educational materials that will help them compete during these difficult times (i.e., email newsletters, white papers and custom publications all have high ROIs).

But don’t be fooled. There is also new competition for you – competition from new business start-ups and competitors that have invested in new technologies and lower-cost marketing tactics.

Hordes of new businesses are created during economic downturns. Layoffs create a lot of entrepreneurs that may soon be targeting your customers with fresh ideas, creative solutions and competitive rates. And, they are targeting your customers using high ROI marketing tactics such as online social networks, email marketing, industry newsletters, dynamic websites (blogs) and related marketing technologies. If you are not already taking advantage of these marketing tools, now is a good time to ask yourself, if not now, when?

Don’t forget, the marketing tools mentioned above are low-cost when compared to traditional marketing methods but there is a cost. And, implementation requires resources – consider the costs while developing your 2009 marketing budget. Next year will be a difficult time for many and many companies won’t survive. Yours will if you take advantage of the marketing tools available today.

Additional Info

We picked up the following info from a recent newsletter from the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce:

Market aggressively. While many customers are hunkering down, don’t make the mistake of doing it yourself. Because your competitors are lying low, use this as the right time to raise your visibility by being more assertive in your marketing.

When times get tough, most companies are far from ready to do battle. They have nowhere to turn because they failed at prospecting. Ask them if they stay in touch regularly with all their prospects and customers, and you’ll get a blank stare. Ask them if they actively help their customers reduce operating costs, and they don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. In other words, these salespeople and their companies are unprepared to meet the challenges of a difficult economy.

If you’re one of our clients, it is likely you already have a dynamic website that includes a blog. Now is a good time to plan. Consider how you can use it to your advantage the rest of this year and during 2009. Here’s another quote from the reference mentioned above:

This may be the perfect time to start a blog. People still buy during tough economic times. It’s just that every purchase or investment undergoes far more scrutiny. Fear of making the wrong decision is a primary motivator in purchase decisions. Thought leaders are perceived experts. Businesses want to hire experts. Experts get paid more, and they get recruited from further away. Why?

Because in going with an expert, the perceived risk is lower. One of the least costly ways to begin to establish thought leadership is through blogging. Done right, blogging can both greatly enhance your perceived expertise and increase your chances of being discovered on search engines.

There are many other reasons for using blog technology, which we frequently cover on this blog (subscribe if you haven’t already and you’ll receive the free marketing advice).

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Did Trout provide additional evidence during the roundtable to support his article and limited faith in WOM strategies? You decide.

The podcast summary (link below) let’s you hear the players in a one-on-one, unrehearsed healthy discussion. I’m a strong believer in using WOM strategies given their effectiveness when targeted, implemented and managed correctly. However, there still appears to be significant confusion in the understanding of “purpose, approach, and results.” The clash lies in the communication gap between two merging schools of thought, but that’s another article in itself. I’ll write it up and post it here on my blog next week.

Trout does a great job painting the “big picture” landscape as seen by companies such as Coke – seasoned product, flat brand and declining sales. Let’s face it, a very small percentage of Coke’s target market is surfing blogs and casting pods. And on the surface WOM appears to be a hard sell. Are there opportunities for Coke and similar brands to implement effective WOM strategies? Listen to the podcast summary and you’ll find out how the pro bloggers responded.

The Podcast Summary: Jack Trout ends his series on word-of-mouth marketing with a roundtable discussion with Edleman’s senior marketing strategist Steve Rubel; Rick Murray, executive VP and GM of Edleman’s Diversified Services Group; and Errol Smith, founder of The Affiliate Nanocasting Network and producer of Trout Radio. You’ll find a comment from Errol Smith, a link to the podcast summary and a link to the Forbes article here.

Additional Resources: Bloggers with discussions on the topic include: Buzz Marketing and Maneuver Marketing Communique. What’s your view on the subject?

[tags] WOM, word of mouth, social networking, Forbes, eoecho [/tags]