Owning your own business of any type is going to require some amount of networking. Networking is a method of building awareness of your business, among people who may be likely at one time or another to use your products, your services or to refer someone else to your business.

Networking is all about getting to know other people, and locally your best bet in finding additional network contacts is going to be with other business owners.

You can find many types of networking opportunities around you. Every club and every association that you belong too is going to be a part of your network. From there, every person you come into contact with and every person you talk with is going to be part of your network.

Make a lasting impression:
You can make a lasting impression on the people that you meet by talking about what you know best, and by talking about topics that are vital to your business. If you are not sure about a topic that is being approached during a conversation, ask questions. This will show you are part of the conversation and that you still want to know more. Just listening is going to keep you out of the conversation and will not make a lasting impression of you on any one.

Make your voice known:
Join local chambers of commerce; join local men and women’s associations. Join the local PTA, the sports boards, and join clubs that interest you. If you don’t find a club locally that does interest you, create one and build your local network from that point. The more people that you can put yourself into contact with is going to increase awareness of yourself, of your business and what you have to offer. Even if you are selling online, you have to be proud of what you are doing, and talk about it as often as possible to build a network of people that will call on you when they need your products or services.

Once you have built a good network it is important that you maintain and set goals for yourself. As you have set goals, you need to keep them. This means, that if you strive to meet one new person a week, or to make it a point to call one person you know each week that is not a current customer, you are going to increase your business. Think about this, for every five calls you make, and only one turns into a sale, that is one more sale than what you had. Increase exposure for your business, and use this for your personal success.

Article contributed by:  Conor Whelan – www.whelantechnologies.com

Product or Service Features and Benefits

Enthusiastically describe the features of the product or service that you are selling or offering. Be detailed about it. Highlight its strong points or benefits. You must be realistic as well. Point out some of its weaknesses, if any, in the form of warning. Your approach or tone should also be based on the nature of the products or services that you are promoting. If you are selling computer hardware and peripherals, for example, your approach should be more formal or professional. If your product is women’s apparel, on the other hand, you can be more conversational and more candid about it.

Announcements

These can include the launching of a new product or upcoming promos that your customers should watch out for. These are helpful as they will trigger product interests and excitement, which can be passed to other potential customers by word of mouth. You must be creative so that your customers will be enticed to watch out for your upcoming products and promos. All these will surely contribute to the success of your blogging for business endeavor.

Tutorials

You can offer tutorials that are related to the operation or functionality of your product or service. If your business is related to cars, for instance, you can upload videos demonstrating some “do-it-yourself” techniques to help customers perform simple repairs on such problems as car dents and scratches. If you’re selling cookware, you can include tutorials on gourmet cooking. Your customers will even be happier if they can easily retrieve such tutorials from your blog in case they will need it in the future.

Related News

If your business is sportswear, your target market segment will surely be delighted to read some news about their favorite basketball players. If you’re selling computers, you can feature the latest computer software in your blog. This will make your blog more interesting and more useful to visitors.

Related Tips

Customers will surely appreciate it if you can include some practical tips that are related to the product or service that you are promoting. If you are engaged in a hotel business, for example, you can give tips on how to travel safely. If your business is health supplements, you can give tips on how to have a healthy body.

Testimonies from Satisfied Customers

You can do this creatively to show how your service or product has helped others solve their problems. If your business is car supplies, for instance, you can share testimonies of customers who were able to successfully eliminate recurring engine troubles by using the engine fluid that is included in your product line-up.

Feedback Section

Encourage your customers to leave feedbacks or comments. Your willingness to receive feedbacks from customers, whether positive or negative, will convey your sincerity and concern for them. Use their comments to further improve your products or services or to provide more customer services in the form of warranties or after-sale offers.

These are some of the content that your existing or prospective customers would like to see in your blog. These will further motivate them to try your product or to continue patronizing them. With blogging for business done the right way, you’ll surely have more customers coming in.

Article provided by:  Conor Whelan : www.whelantechnologies.com

Top Ten Reasons To Shop Locally

1 KEEP DOLLARS IN PUTNAM COUNTY’S ECONOMY (Your Economy!)
For every $100 spent at a locally owned business, $45 stays in the local economy, creating jobs and expanding the county’s tax base. For every $100 spent at a national chain or franchise store,only $14 remains in the community.

#2 CONSERVE YOUR TAX DOLLARS
Small neighborhood and downtown businesses require less public infrastructure and make more efficient use of city services compared to sprawling big-box stores and shopping centers, which are far more costly in terms of road work and police services.

#3 FOSTER LOCAL JOB CREATION
Studies show that locally owned businesses create more jobs locally and, in some sectors, provide better wages and benefits than national chains.  They also employ local carpenters, plumbers, web designers, advertisers, etc.

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#4 PRESERVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Entrepreneurship fuels America’s economic innovation and prosperity, and serves as a key means for families to move out of low wage jobs and into the middle class. Plus, the success of locally owned, independent businesses provides real-life inspiration to our young people, proving that they can stay in New York and prosper on their own terms.

#5 BENEFIT FROM LOCAL OWNERS’ EXPERTISE
Local business owners and employees often possess a level of expertise and a passion for the products they sell that is unmatched by employees and managers of national chains. They also tend to have a greater interest in getting to know their customers—who are, after all, also their neighbors. Simply put, local owners and employees take a special pride in their trade.

#6 HAVE MORE CHOICES
A marketplace of thousands of small businesses helps to ensure more innovation and competition, and lower prices over the long term. Independent businesses, choosing products based on what their local customers need and desire, not a national sales plan, guarantees a more diverse range of product and service choices.

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#7 HELP THE ENVIRONMENT
Local business owners tend to set up shop in existing commercial properties and in neighborhood business districts, rather than developing on large tracts of undeveloped land. Having a diverse array of businesses within walking or biking distance reduces the amount of driving Putnam County residents must do to shop for goods and services. It also helps to conserve land, limit sprawl and lessen traffic and air pollution.

#8 NURTURE COMMUNITY
Independent businesses are owned by people who live in this community and are committed to investing in Putnam County’s future.  Locally owned businesses contribute more than twice as much of their revenue to charitable causes as corporate chains do. And advocates of local causes find that local business owners are generally much more accessible than executives of large corporations based in other states.

#9 EMBRACE WHAT MAKES PUTNAM COUNTY UNIQUE
Putnam is a county of neighborhoods. Where we shop, where we eat and hang out-all of it makes our neighborhood home. Chain stores are growing more aggressive throughout Putnam County and threatening to change the unique character of our city. One-of-a-kind, independent businesses are an integral part of what makes Putnam County a great place to live.

#10 ENSURE PUTNAM COUNTY STANDS OUT FROM THE CROWD
In an increasingly homogenized world, communities that preserve their one-of-a-kind businesses and distinctive character are more likely to attract entrepreneurs and new investment. Putnam County places a high value on individuality and considers our homegrown enterprises a source of pride. They are also an attraction to visitors

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