Supporting Black-Owned Business
We’ve read stats showing that Blacks have a buying power of $1.2 Trillion dollars and that Black women are starting businesses at a faster rate than any other group, but is this enough to change the economic inequalities that plague Black neighborhoods?
This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.
Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.
What You Should Know About Reputation Management
TIP! Always stay in touch with your customers, particularly after they have done business with you. This is even more important if your business is a bigger one.
Reputation management can help you stay on top in your personal and professional life. If this represents a priority to you, follow this advice. This advice will help to bolster your business reputation.
TIP! Be positive and friendly over the Internet. Unless you are truly communicating, people won’t care what you write online.
To improve your business reputation, stay in touch with customers. This is even more important if your business is large. They really want to feel like something other than a number. There are systems that you can use to help you do this. You may also ask for feedback on any recent services or purchases.
TIP! Be sure you’re keeping an eye on social media. According to Arnold Worldwide, a majority of consumers expect companies to respond to their inquiries and comments that they post in social media.
To make your online business reputation better, optimize web pages using search phrases essential to your business. This will usually be the name you have given your company. Search engines these days reward companies that have authority in a space. Your site will gain more credibility if they view your business as official.
TIP! Be sure that each social media account utilized by your firm is operated in a professional manner. These pages represent who you are, so it is important that no one is given a chance to see them in a negative light.
Make it a point to know what is going on in your business niche. This helps make sure you are giving the most up to date information to your customers. Spend a few minutes each day online gathering facts.
TIP! Go to your customers. Visit any places you know they go to often.
If you are the owner of a business, make sure that you treat your employees with respect. Sometimes, business owners are not concerned about this, but they should be. If people find out you’re not a good employer, they may avoid doing business with you.
TIP! If you do a search for your company online and you see information that is not true, you can petition the site owner and ask them to take it down. If you have solid proof of the libelous nature of the information, most owners of the site will promptly take it down.
Keep sales or secret promotions quiet. This is important especially if it’s for a complaint. One tip is to never post the steps you are taking to resolve a particular complaint, because you are bound to get other complaints seeking the same gestures.
TIP! Remain informed as to what is happening on the online social networks. These platforms are often places where companies are discussed.
Hang out where your customers hang out. Hang out in the same coffee shop as they do. If you are present and visible, you will seem more approachable. Most people feel more relaxed in a social environment and are more likely to open up.
TIP! Never try to cover up mistakes in the business world. You need to realize your customers are smart.
Now that you have read this article, you should have a better understanding of reputation management. Making the right moves will give you much better results. Start using these tips today to create and maintain a spotless reputation.
Historically Underutilized Business Zones
The Small Business Administration has established the Historically Underutilized Business Zones (HUBZone) Empowerment Contracting Program wherein they aim to provide federal contracting assistance to eligible small business corporations which are located in underutilized business zones so as to improve their employment opportunities, investments, and their area’s economic development. The Small Business Administration will identify which businesses are eligible to receive HUBZone contracts and will then maintain a list of qualified HUBZone small businesses which federal agencies can then use to locate them.
This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.
For more information on small business grant and home ownership programs visit TopGovernmentGrants.com.
What You Need To Know About Grants.Gov
Grants.gov features over 1,000 grant programs from 26 different federal grant-making agencies in the United States. Most of the grants that are found on Grants.gov are mainly for organizations and institutions, only a few of them are for individuals.
This post is part of a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.
For more information on small business grant and home ownership programs visit TopGovernmentGrants.com.
How to Apply for a Federal Grant
We often hear of federal grants and how they can help make our lives better. Well, they actually do, make our lives better. But instead of assisting our personal financial needs such as personal debts and rent payment, federal grants intend to make our lives better by innovating solutions to the problems in the community and the society.
This post is part of a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.
Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and Community Foundation programs from around the world.
Easy Marketing With Email Ideas That Are Proven To Work
TIP! Be certain to only send your messages to those you actually know. Most people treat email from unknown parties as spam.
Many people are intimidated by the concept of email marketing. If you study email promoting and find out how it can work for you, you’ll appreciate the profits it can bring you over time.
TIP! Find out who your audience is and then target their wants and needs. When you achieve having a few readers, be sure to think of ways on how to make them to ask their friends to sign up.
Ensure that your audience is targeted correctly. After you have established a small reader base, try to get them to spread the word to their friends. At the end of every email, provide a “subscribe” button and a “share” button so readers can pass along your information to friends. By doing this, your viewer base will grow.
TIP! Every single person on your email marketing list must request a spot on it, so never add anyone against their will. If you don’t, you could get a lot of spam complaints or lose customers for good.
If you’re embarking on an email campaign, the fact that you need permission to send people emails cannot be understated. If you don’t have permission, be prepared to not only receive spam complaints but also to lose customers.
TIP! Experiment with, and evaluate, different email layouts. The top of the emails should always contain the most interesting and important information.
Each message needs on clear message. You want to keep your customers from being bombarded with content in your emails, but you also don’t want to make them too simple and boring. Keep your messages on topic, of reasonable length, and interesting to read. A concise email shows respect for the time of your customers.
TIP! Don’t send emails to subscribers without their consent. Customers won’t take you seriously if you spam them or send them anything they didn’t ask for.
Try different email formats. Always place new offers and the most vital information at the top of the emails you send. But keep trying new formats and ideas until you discover the one or ones that provide you with the greatest number of responses. After you’ve found a format that works, implement it in all your emails. When you do this all of your customers know where they need to look for when searching for information they are interested in reading.
TIP! Keep in mind that the point of marketing, through email, is sales. Your emails should make your readers want to buy your products.
Try to send only one email campaign message each week. Your customer base is likely made up of people who are busy and receive many messages each day. By bombarding them with multiple emails, they may quickly begin to disregard your messages without even reading them.
TIP! Give your customer a clear choice to opt in to your email marketing, and an easy way to opt out, in order to build customer confidence. If you don’t do this, people may not trust you and that makes your business look bad.
Make sure that your customers give you permission before sending them correspondences via email. Without permission, you run the risk of losing potential customers and being labeled a spammer. Spamming activities can also cause your domain or IP to be blacklisted by Internet service providers, which can definitely affect your business.
TIP! It is wise to have a clean, unsubscribe link. You always want to have an unsubscribe link, and don’t keep it buried someplace where people cannot see it.
Hopefully, you can now see the many ways marketing via email can work to your advantage. Go ahead, add what you’ve learned today to your strategies and see the results that come from it.
Minority Business Enterprise Centers
Program wherein it aims to support minority-owned businesses by providing them with electronic and one-on-one business development services for nominal fees.
This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.
For more information on small business grant and home ownership programs visit TopGovernmentGrants.com.
Website Marketing: End Your Frustration With Our Simple Tips And Tricks
TIP! Consider using short term promotions as a means to improve your PageRank. Dependent on what type of promotion you are running, it is possible that outside information and deals websites will link through to yours.
Starting your own online business could be a great way to generate an extra income. The thing is that a lot of people aren’t sure how to get into Website marketing, but as you have found this article, then you must be trying to figure that out. You will find the advice you need by reading the article below.
TIP! Internet marketing is all about solving problems. Make sure you know exactly what problems your business seeks to solve.
You must take advantage of every tool at your disposal to be successful in Web marketing. If your company happens to fall behind the technology curb, the competition could leave you in the dust. If you want to gain respect and see more sales, you need to show visitors that you are up-to-date in your field.
TIP! An FAQ page is a great way to familiarize people with your products. For each question or issue, offer a thoughtful answer, and mention products that you sell as a solution when appropriate.
Flashy websites look neat, but avoid making your website too distracting. When someone comes to your website you have about five seconds to capture their attention and make them want to stay. If it takes a long time, the reader will go on to someone else’s site.
TIP! Internet marketing can reach beyond the Internet. For instance, you may want to host in-person gatherings or conferences for bloggers with whom you regularly interact.
Before you set out to get your website ranked, you should concentrate on building a quality site. This is the first thing a online business owner should know. The more aesthetically pleasing your site looks, the less time you need to put into maintaining it.
TIP! Even though you might not realize it yet, you possess all that is needed to be successful in internet marketing. All that is required to be successful is you, not pricey software or get rich quick schemes.
AJAX and Flash should be used very little. While the added interactivity might look nice, it does nothing to optimize your site for search engines. When it is necessary to use flash, be sparing and focus on keyword additions, as well as navigable links for these pages.
TIP! Direct marketing is complementary to any Internet marketing campaign. Customers should be contacted through email, phone or fax when trying to let them know about promotions or services.
Offer special sales on your site’s check-out page. You could showcase items that are half off if customers spend over a certain dollar amount, for example. This is a good way to clean out excess inventory and boost sales, and the customer will feel like they are getting a bargain.
Nearly every cell phone company will permit you to have an additional dedicated work number on your phone. So get that new number today.
TIP! Even if your company cannot afford to hire a high-priced marketing consultant, the internet offers a number of free resources that are useful for evaluating your marketing approach. Check out online communities for business owners, start following marketing blogs, download free e-books, and check out free seminars.
Psychology research reports involving Internet promotion and website design may be worth your time to read. Psychology traits include the colors you use, your brand name or even the theme you use. When you understand how this works, your profits will improve.
TIP! Another popular offer you might consider is a bundle. In this type of offer, two or more products are sold together at a discount.
Prepared with a deeper understanding of Web marketing, you can plan out some goals. Be certain to set realistic goals for both the short-term and long-term. Once you begin your Affiliate marketing plan, continue to do your research to discover new advertising methods and current industry information.
CDBG for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages
The Community Development Block Grant for Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages is a program of United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
HUD is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the US federal government, which work is focused in the development of strong, sustainable, inclusive communities, as well as quality affordable homes for the all the citizens of America.
This post is part of a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.
Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and Community Foundation programs from around the world.
Fail-proof Tips To Succeed At Web Marketing
TIP! While a few bells and whistles can enhance your site, avoid making it too busy or distracting. Studies show that once someone clicks on a website, they decide whether to stay or click away within five seconds.
As long as you’re operating an online business, then you should be trying a few internet promotion techniques to bring people to your virtual doorstep. In addition to getting new customers, you can communicate with them in newer ways. If you want to know more about Web marketing and how to use it to your advantage, be sure that you read the tips in the article below.
TIP! The purpose of Internet marketing is to recognize a problem in which you should fix. Make sure you know exactly what problems your business seeks to solve.
You need to use everything you can in Online marketing. When your company stops updating itself, your clients may start trusting you less. If you want to gain respect and see more sales, you need to show visitors that you are up-to-date in your field.
TIP! Marketing through the internet should not always be done on the internet. For instance, you may want to host in-person gatherings or conferences for bloggers with whom you regularly interact.
If you want to gain PageRank quickly, promote a limited-time offer. If you make the deal compelling enough, your PageRank will improve, even if the promotion itself isn’t a big moneymaker for you. Stores do the same thing by advertising an item on TV, which they then sell at a loss to bring people into the store.
TIP! Advertise with popular websites. This can make a big difference for exposure.
Create an easy to use “Link To Us” link. Let people know you would appreciate it if they shared a link to your content on their site or if they shared your content on social networks.
TIP! Offer a FAQ section on your website to improve visitors’ satisfaction. You can make your customers feel more comfortable and increase sales by answering their questions right away.
A little sizzle in your website design can be good, but don’t overwhelm your readers with fancy tricks. You will have around five seconds to bring their attention to your website. If they have found nothing to hold their interest in that time, then they will leave your site to browse elsewhere.
TIP! Regular blogging can have a large impact on marketing. A blog gives you another way to communicate with your customer base.
When considering advertising your site, evaluate the different ways you can go about that. You could for instance write articles for blogs or online magazines, list your business in online directories or share your content on social networks. You can get visitors to your page through many methods. It’s important to be creative.
TIP! Try to make your website memorable. Making your site stand out is what drives visitors towards your site, and there are a lot out there so this is a good strategy.
You can use Affiliate marketing to build the largest customer base possible. It can also be used to communicate with your existing customers. This customer and business interaction has never before been possible, but is now with the power of the Internet. Using these strategies, you can be successful in the Web marketing world.