Favorites Archives - Smallbiztechnology.com https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/category/favorites/ Small Business Technology Tue, 21 Mar 2023 20:18:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.5 https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/cropped-smallbiz-technology-1-32x32.png Favorites Archives - Smallbiztechnology.com https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/category/favorites/ 32 32 47051669 10 Awesome Email Management Tools https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2016/05/10-awesome-email-management-tools.html/ Fri, 20 May 2016 14:00:00 +0000 https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/?p=36423 What’s your favorite email management tool and why? The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live […]

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email marketingWhat’s your favorite email management tool and why?

The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

1. Constant Contact

I use Constant Contact to manage my email lists and communications. The tool makes sending smart, custom-designed emails easy. All of the bells-and-whistles features make you look like a big company, even when it’s just you. The best thing is that, if you aren’t going to send any communications for a while, you can store your list for a small fee.

Alexandra Levit, Inspiration at Work

2. Boomerang

If you use Gmail for your email needs, go get Boomerang  ASAP! It lets you remove emails from your inbox that don’t need immediate attention or that you’re waiting to follow up on. It then brings them back whenever you choose. It can also send emails automatically at a preferred time. Trust me; get it now.

Shahzil (Shaz) Amin, Blue Track Media, LLC

3. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing 

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing is a great software that easily creates and runs email marketing campaigns with the help of templates, reusable content blocks, and design tools. The top reason I enjoy using this tool for email marketing is that you can send only the information your leads and customers want to receive due to the capability of customer segmentation and AI-driven analysis of customer preferences and their past interactions.

Oleg Khmelkov, ScienceSoft

4. Bananatag

Bananatag is a must-have email management tool for any business owner. This service effortlessly tracks your sent emails so you can see what happens to them after they are sent. The system then notifies you of both email opens and link clicks inside your email. The interface is very user-friendly and displays all your email metrics in an easy-to-follow dashboard.

Anthony Saladino, Kitchen Cabinet Kings

5. MailChimp’s Group Feature

We use MailChimp “Groups” to send subscribers content they want. We’ve used MailChimp’s tools to collect more data about our subscribers so we know what they like to receive. This has allowed us to steer away from blanketing users with mass emails. Instead, MailChimp makes us smarter as marketers because we can pinpoint our target audiences using their technology.

Brett Farmiloe, Markitors

6. Mailbox

I’ve really enjoyed using Mailbox on my iPhone. The app is super slick and is based on a practical philosophy. The app encourages you to take action on your email (archive, delete, snooze, list) and will actually get you to inbox zero. It’s a great feeling.

John Meyer, Lemon.ly

7. Klaviyo

I’m a huge fan of Klaviyo. It allows you to segment your customers in any possible way (people who bought or haven’t bought products, people who always open your emails, etc.) and send messages to those people. By sending the right content to the right people, it increases engagement, sales and our ability to connect directly with our customers in a relevant way.

Kit Hickey, Ministry of Supply

8. Taskforce

Taskforce lets the user transform all of his or her emails into tasks. It comes with an automatic filtering feature as well. Even if an email comes from someone not using Taskforce, you can still assign it to one of your tasks. It’s a great tool for managing and prioritizing your work-related emails, and it cuts down on the time spent digging through your inbox.

Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

9. Unroll.me

I’m not a fan of receiving newsletters, so I’m a big Unroll.me user. Unroll.me lets you easily unsubscribe from newsletters you may have receive. if you want to continue receiving them, it lets you combine multiple newsletters into one single email.

Ben Lang, EpicLaunch

10. Streak

Beyond its role as a de facto to-do list, email is most valuable to me as a tool to manage my business connections. Streak does an awesome job of organizing my emails into specific “pipelines” for sales, fundraising, PR, etc. I love the ability to share specific pipelines with teammates.

Neil Thanedar, LabDoor

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Which Tech Bag Is Best For You? 14 Experts Weigh In On Tumi, Thule, Briggs & Riley, Piquadro and other tech bags. https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2015/11/which-tech-bag-is-best-for-you-14-experts-weigh-in-on-tumi-thule-briggs-riley-piquadro-and-other-tech-bags.html/ Fri, 13 Nov 2015 16:35:50 +0000 https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/?p=47685 As a public speaker, frequent traveler and overall geek, the bag I carry is important. My current tech bag is a Briggs & Riley Bag – it’s getting a bit worn and the straps lack enough padding. I’ve had it for many years. My back hurts when I wear it for more than an hour or […]

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As a public speaker, frequent traveler and overall geek, the bag I carry is important. My current tech bag is a Briggs & Riley Bag – it’s getting a bit worn and the straps lack enough padding.

I’ve had it for many years.

My back hurts when I wear it for more than an hour or so. It’s probably time to get another one. I’m not sure if the pain is from the straps not being padded enough or from the weight I carry. Either way – I suspect more padding would help.

I’ve been eyeing Tumi, but wonder is it worth the $400 – $500 – which is a comparable cost of a Briggs and Riley bag.

But then I wonder, should I pay $50 – $200 for a much cheaper tech bag from Target or somewhere else. Sigh….yet, Tumi, Briggs & Riley and other “high end bags” have style, form and function – which I like.

I reached out to my Facebook friends to get their insight on which bag to purchase.

Carland Wright suggested North Face – definitely durable, low cost but not a line of bags that look good with a suit and tie. Serenity Baldwin is a North Face voter too.

John Lawson (ColderICE) – e-commerce expert and speaker – suggested a Swiss Gear bag from Target. He bought one on sale for $30. Their line of bags look pretty good.

Jenny Baio suggested a customizable bag from Vans.

Bryan Eisenberg said that Ebags is a good option. They take good bag designs and make their own bags – but cheaper. I’ll check them out.

Jon Ferrara, founder of Nimble (social CRM software) and Mario Kroll (gaming consultant and more) said to go with Thule. Thule bags are light and strong, Jon says.

Jay Baer, global speaker and online marketer and author of Hug Your Haters is a fan of Piquadro. I never heard of this brand – but if Jay likes them – they must be pretty good.

Steve Strauss is in the Tumi camp! PR consultant Haim Hass switched from Briggs & Riley to Tumi.

Sylvia De Gusto, is an executive image consultant and her expert opinion is that a well dressed man should not be wearing a backpack.

Robert Patterson of Progressive Computing, says that Incase is his brand of choice for backpacks.

Ellen Williams said that if my back was hurting I needed to ditch my back pack and use an option that would not hurt my back. Ron Fleming said that he uses a wheeled bag.

On the other hand, Virginia Steinberg said that with her back pain, it was suggested a backpack might be best to more evenly balance what she needs to carry.

Richard Marker said that book bags work well – but uses a wheeled bag if it’s heavier than a laptop computer.

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6 Benefits of A Document Scanner For A Paper Intensive Business https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2015/09/6-benefits-of-a-document-scanner-for-a-paper-intensive-business.html/ Sat, 19 Sep 2015 13:00:16 +0000 https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/?p=39808 Even though offices have become highly digitized spaces, the fact of the matter is that hordes of critical-to-business information continues to be communicated through paper. This includes business invoices, contracts, business cards, tax documents, travel claims, customer information forms and employee personal records. Businesses such healthcare, financial services, logistics and education are especially susceptible to […]

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Even though offices have become highly digitized spaces, the fact of the matter is that hordes of critical-to-business information continues to be communicated through paper. This includes business invoices, contracts, business cards, tax documents, travel claims, customer information forms and employee personal records. Businesses such healthcare, financial services, logistics and education are especially susceptible to a document-overload.

In most offices documents are stored in files, cabinets and boxes, making the task of accessing information a time-consuming process, not to mention the ever-present risk of loss of an important business document, people just end up looking for the In Confidence secure document shredding once they give up trying to organize all the documents. In fact problems associated with paper-based information can impact all areas of productivity. Alternatively, converting documents to the digital form can address many of these concerns and create hitherto unrealized efficiencies.

6 Benefits of Scanning Business Documents

1. Lower operating costs – Scanning documents eliminates the need to provision for document storage at the office premises. Instead, the additional space can be used to add value to the business via an additional sales or service desk.

2. Reduced risk of loss – Scanning documents reduces the risk of loss of vital information as well as the risk of a lost business opportunity for lack of timely access to information.

3. Improved employee productivity – A digital filing system makes it easier to search for information using a keyword or phrase, reducing the amount of time it takes employees to complete tasks.

4. Anytime, anywhere access – Today document scanners come with the a one-touch functionality of sharing the scanned document across multiple platforms such as email, on the cloud and third-party applications; thereby making it easier for employees to access information remotely.

5. Improved information security – Storing information in digital form and deploying restrictions on access enhances confidentiality of business information. Scanned images can be saved as PDF documents with digital signatures to authenticate contents.

6. Better disaster recovery practice – Even for smaller businesses with limited budgets, investing in a document scanner can prove to be a valuable disaster management tool.Scanned documents stored on computers tend to be routinely backed-up; plus they can be easily stored on drives at off-site locations. 

Clearly a document scanner can provide a plethora of benefits for businesses of every size and type. But given the multitude of choice available in the market, it can be confusing to decide on a scanner that will deliver the required results for your business. If you want an item to help you scan items, then check out this new  Bluetooth Barcode Scanner to make things easier for your business.

Important aspects to consider before choosing a document scanner

Digital scanning devices are available at a wide range of prices, from scanners costing less than $100 to those costing several thousand dollars. However, pricing is only one of the factors to consider.

Scanning volume:  If your business has a high per day scanning volume, then investing in a device that scans more pages per minute (ppm) may be worth the investment. On the other hand, for occasional or low volume document scanning, scanner speed may not even be a consideration.

What are you scanning?  While scanning in offices mostly involves documents and images, there could be other items as well (business cards, books and magazines).  Both type and size of document will determine the suitability of a scanner. Here are some of the common scanner types and features to consider:

  • Flatbed scanners are recommended for photos, bound material and easily damaged originals such as stamps
  • 3 D scanners, a relatively new technology, are used for scanning objects to 3D
  • Sheet feeders to scan up to 10 pages in one-go
  • ADF or automatic document feeder for scanning large stacks of 50-100 documents in one batch
  • Duplex scanners for scanning both sides of the document at once
  • Scanners with a higher ppi optical resolution may be preferable for higher resolution scanning

Scanner portability: With compact and portable document scanners, the convenience of scanning moves from a back-office system to being available at the point of need. For example – sheet-feed scanners that fit into a laptop bag and pen-sized scanners. Document scanners with WiFi connectivity are especially useful for businesses working out of a small space.

Whether the over-riding goal for your business is document archiving, workflow management or distribution of digital content, ensure that you check these basic aspects before buying an office scanner.

Recently launched document scanners

Depending on your business scanning requirements, these recently launched document scanners may also be worth considering.

Epson WorkForce DS-510 Color Document Scanner – 

This scanner is suitable for businesses with moderate but frequent document scanning requirements. A compact color document scanner, the WorkForce DS-510 can be used to scan and share documents via cloud services and email. Priced at $399, the scanner comes equipped with software for advanced image and color adjustments, optical character recognition (OCR) for scanning documents in editable format and TWAIN and ISIS drivers for compatibility with third-party document management software.

Scanner specifications:

  • 26 ppm ; 52 ipm ( inches per minute)
  • 50 sheets in one batch of automatic document feed, with duplex scanning
  • Scan up to 3000 sheets a day
  • Its network module (available at an additional cost) can support up to 100 workstations.
  • Ultrasonic double-feed detection technology which stops the scanning if more than one page has been detected.

Fujitsu ScanSnap iX500 ( wireless connectivity) 

This next-generation office document scanner lets you scan documents to an iOS or Android mobile device or PC using WiFi connectivity (although only a single device can connect remotely to the scanner at a time). Priced at $ 495, this compact wireless scanner can be placed in any corner of the office and is ideal for businesses that lack space. The basic scanning specs are similar to the Epson WorkForce DS-510, including the functionality of scanning to cloud services. It also has an ultra-sonic sensor for detecting jams.

Pulstek New SmartOffice PS456U Scanner –

The big-daddy among the three scanners listed, the Pulstek New SmartOffice PS456U Scanner at $ 849 is ideal for businesses that have high scanning volume. As per Mark Druziak, Plustek’s director of marketing and business development, “This scanner is exceptionally fast, has a high daily duty cycle and is much less expensive than competitive scanners. Industries that would benefit greatly from the SmartOffice PS456U include: healthcare, financial, insurance, manufacturing, educational, and legal offices”.

Scanner specifications:

  • 80ppm/160ipm
  • 100 sheets ADF
  • Scan up to 8000 sheets a day
  • Ultrasonic mis-feed detection allows for documents of different sizes and thickness to be scanned in the same batch

All three scanners have single touch scanning and allow for advanced color adjustments in the scanned document.

For many businesses, documentation is simply a way of life. However as technology evolves, the danger for such organizations is that paper based and digital communications may continue to exist as two disconnected halves and therefore impair business efficiency. This is where a powerful scanner can be a valuable tool for converting documents to electronic format. Doing so will give the business a 360 degree view of its operations, while also empower employees with greater access to information.

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7 Items You Should Always Include in Your Privacy Policy https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2015/09/privacy-policy-7-items.html/ Fri, 18 Sep 2015 19:30:09 +0000 https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/?p=39867 Members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) share their thoughts on the seven items you should always include in your privacy policy. “What’s one crucial item that every web property should include in their privacy policy?” The following answers to that question are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only organization comprised of […]

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Members of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) share their thoughts on the seven items you should always include in your privacy policy.

“What’s one crucial item that every web property should include in their privacy policy?”

The following answers to that question are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invitation-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, the YEC recently launched #StartupLab, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses via live video chats, an expert content library and email lessons.

1. Age-Related Issues

Collecting information about minors is particularly problematic. You need to lay out both any information you collect about your young users and any expectations you have of your users. For example, state whether or not minors can use your website without parental supervision.
Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting

2. Personal Information Privacy

Most people are concerned about privacy and how their information will be handled, and for a good reason. Almost anybody you know has had his or her information and privacy mishandled on the Internet at one time or another. Although it may seem like a no-brainer, you should include this information up front. Especially during the sign-up process.
– Andy Karuza, brandbuddee

3. Cookie Data

A sophisticated website possesses a series of cookies. These track and store users’ session(s) and overall engagement with said website over time. As a result, experienced Web surfers will want to know how these cookies function. They want to know what type of data is being extracted from their visits.
– Logan Lenz, Endagon

4. Collected Information

Be as transparent as possible in detailing how users’ collected information will be used. Have a section in the privacy policy titled, “How we use the collected information.” Likewise, make sure the section includes positive reinforcements. These might be “to improve our site,” “to personalize user experience,” and “to process payments.”
Brett Farmiloe, Digital Marketing Agency

5. Information Usage

The most crucial item for every website’s privacy policy is a clear statement of how the site owner may use the information. It must state whether that usage includes or may include sharing the information with others. Secondly, it should include instructions on how to opt out of email communications. It should cover how to prevent the site from sharing personally identifiable data. The cookie policy is third.
– Jay Wu, A Forever Recovery

6. Everything Necessary

Your privacy policy must contain at least five items: the personal information collected, the categories of third parties with whom your company shares the information, how consumers can review and request changes to their information, how your company notifies consumers of material changes to your privacy policy and the effective date of your privacy policy.
Doug Bend, Bend Law Group, PC

7. A Customizable Privacy Clause

Some enterprise companies will choose not to use a product based on the stated privacy policy. For example, your company might have a privacy policy that covers 99 percent of all scenarios. However, for those few who require something special, let them know that you’re willing to work with them. Above all, make it really easy for them to get in touch with you so they don’t look elsewhere.
– Jim Belosic, Pancakes Laboratories/ShortStack

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Why I Cautiously Switched To QuickBooks Online and You Should Move Your Accounting Online Too. https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2015/09/why-i-cautiously-switched-to-quickbooks-online-and-you-should-too.html/ Sat, 05 Sep 2015 16:30:00 +0000 https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/?p=39408 I work in a 99.9% online software (cloud computing) based environment. Very little computer installed software. All my data is backed up through one or more means and all (almost all) the software I use is via  web browser. The ONLY main software that I use “offline”  (installed on a computer) is Microsoft Office and […]

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I work in a 99.9% online software (cloud computing) based environment. Very little computer installed software.

All my data is backed up through one or more means and all (almost all) the software I use is via  web browser.

The ONLY main software that I use “offline”  (installed on a computer) is Microsoft Office and Quickbooks.

Microsoft Office is not a key productivity software for me as I can easily work in Google Docs or Office 365.

For my needs, computer installed software is NOT needed, except for a web browser and tools like Dropbox and Carbnoite and AVG’s anti-virus software.

A few days ago I started using QuickBooks Online for my cash flow management (accounting) needs. I’m glad I did it so I can be 100% online (very convenient) and have my bank statements more quickly reconciled.

However, I’m afraid.

Not because it’s QuickBooks Online, but for the overall issue that I’m taking one of the most important aspects of my business (money) and trusting it to the cloud.

I now better understand why there are still many business owners (not the ones who are cloud illiterate) who are very cautious of moving their enterprises to the cloud.

I’m in the midst of a not fun tax audit. My thinking is, if I need records years from now – will they be safe with Quickbooks Online? On my OWN computer that I can see and touch – I know it’s safe (unless the hard disk gets fried or something else happens – which DOES happen!).

Of course cloud computing IS SAFE. This does NOT mean there are not problems with security breaches and etc. But online computing is as safe as your bank accounts – or safer.

However, I feel the time is now to upgrade to a fully online computing world. Also, I hate having my computer slow down by firing up QuickBooks (yes I know I could install more memory).

I’ve been using Quickbooks Online for several days and I like it. It’s fast, relatively easy to use and overall works well.

I thought about using Xero (I don’t think Peachtree has an online accounting software, but they do have SageOne). However, I decided to stick with the software my accountant is most familiar with.

Another interesting “issue” has cropped up.

I’ve been using Freshbooks (which is so awesome) for my invoice management because I found Quickbooks (the software version) invoicing to be a bit complicated and cumbersome. It looks like the Quickbooks Online version invoicing tool is easier and smoother. If it is easier I’ll have a fully integrated accounting solution no double entry of Quickbooks and Freshbooks.

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10 Great SaaS Products for Building Customer Loyalty Programs https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2015/06/10-great-saas-products-for-building-customer-loyalty-programs.html/ Wed, 24 Jun 2015 14:00:54 +0000 https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/?p=44434 What are the best SaaS products on the market for building strong customer loyalty programs and why? The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. 1. Intercom […]

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What are the best SaaS products on the market for building strong customer loyalty programs and why?

The Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

1. Intercom

Intercom allows us to understand how our customers are using our product and to communicate with them directly in the application, thereby improving our customers’ experience and giving us valuable product feedback.
– Arjun Arora, ReTargeter

2. Conduit Mobile

Conduit Mobile (renamed Como) has a DIY mobile app builder that allows you to create your own loyalty app. You can brand the app and set up coupons and loyalty cards. Foursquare is actually a great way to build loyalty to your brand/local business. Foursquare will provide you with promotional material to showcase at your business locations.
Gideon Kimbrell, InList

3. Smarter Remarketer

If you want to to really scale your customer loyalty program, look into Smarter Remarketer. The founder, Angel Morales, is quite possibly the most brilliant mind in online retail and his product proves it. Smarter Remarketer allows you to build detailed customer segments, score customer value and automate actions that will drive true brand loyalty.
Matt Hunckler, Verge

4. InfusionSoft

I’ve been through several SaaS products and none can compare to InfusionSoft. There’s a reason I’ve used it for years, when often I pick up and drop so many other SaaS systems simply because they promise something flashy and fail to follow up. InfusionSoft allows me to interact with my customers intelligently.
– Rob Fulton, Matikis

5. Curebit

Curebit is one of the best customer referral and loyalty programs on the market. They’re a relatively young startup, and have a very simple-to-use program to enable brands to get their customers to share products. We find incredible value in rewarding advocates who spread the word, and Curebit makes this easy.
– Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches

6. LoyaltyMatch OnDemand

LoyaltyMatch is easily integrated, has mobile apps, is customizable and has a gamification feature.
Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance

7. RelateIQ

RelateIQ is a best-in-class CRM, or as they call it “relationship intelligence” tool. I use RelateIQ to keep in touch with all of our customers. Their insights and organizational tools really make it easy to build better relationships and increase loyalty.
Adam Lieb, Duxter

8. Loyalty Gator

Loyalty Gator offers tons of options in setting up your loyalty program to best suit your business. They offer reasonable pricing and unlimited transactions as well.
– Josh Weiss, Bluegala

9. Index

Index is a brand new, mobile-friendly tool now on the market that helps build multi-channel customer loyalty programs for online retailers.
– Rameet Chawla, Fueled

10. Pirq

Pirq has a simple, easy to use mobile app for on-the-spot punchcard loyalty programs. What makes it great is that it encourages repeat customers and it’s digitizing a concept that’s been around for ages, thus making it relatable to people.
– Andy Karuza, Brandbuddee

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Gary Vaynerchuk’s 16 Tips For Your Success In Marketing, Social Media, Entrepreneurship and More https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/archive/2015/06/gary-vaynerchuks-16-tips-for-your-success-in-marketing-social-media-entrepreneurship-and-more.html/ Sat, 13 Jun 2015 14:30:39 +0000 https://www.smallbiztechnology.com/?p=44313 Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary V) was interviewed by Startup Grind and and shared a lot of great insights on topics that impact small businesses, like marketing, reaching customers and using social media. While we definitely don’t want to encourage you to BE Gary V, you have to be YOU, we know you can use his small business […]

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Gary Vaynerchuk (Gary V) was interviewed by Startup Grind and and shared a lot of great insights on topics that impact small businesses, like marketing, reaching customers and using social media. While we definitely don’t want to encourage you to BE Gary V, you have to be YOU, we know you can use his small business advice to your advantage.

Gary V. on Marketing and Doing Business

You have to market and do business for the year we actually live in. Gary demonstrated this throughout his career in many ways. In 1997 he knew that computers were starting to get big. He focused his business on creating a website, doing email marketing and using Google Adwords. Nowadays what you have to do is get a gmb listing verification.  Always focusing on what is relevant at the moment has led to his success. Let the team help you develop an online marketing strategy to drive more qualified visitors to your site and convert those visitors into leads and sales.

Gary V. on Patience and Persistence 

Gary has gotten a lot of emails from entrepreneurs over the years who claim they are being patient and wonder how long until they should just throw in the towel. Basically you just have to keep at it, and don’t quit! Want some inspiration? Consider that Gary did Wine Library TV for 19 months before it was really recognized on a large scale.

Gary V. on Criticism

Before writing his new book, Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, Gary was looking through Amazon reviews of his first two books – getting angry about one and two star reviews. But he used that anger to fuel himself to do something better. He listened to the reviews to figure out what people were looking for, and then delivered it to them in his latest book.

Gary V. on New Trends

Although Gary started his Wine Library TV using Youtube, he let it go and ended up moving to another platform instead – a move he admits was a mistake. He did vow that he wouldn’t let the next big thing pass him by though, so when Twitter came out he recognized it as something great and decided to angel invest in it right away. And if you’re going to go into a new trend he says go ALL in. He spent hours every day when Twitter came out, just talking to people and answering their questions in order to build a following.

Gary V. on Family Business

Frustrated with your family business partners? Gary loved working with his father, currently loves working with his brother, and hopes to have the chance to work with his kids someday. “Family businesses, if you over-communicate and you care about the other person more than you care about yourself, are the single best thing you can ever do.”

Gary V. on Social Media Strategy

Social media platforms aren’t a place to just push your business out there and expect to get results. You have to create quality content that is native to the platform – for example, great pictures for Instagram, infographics for Pinterest, hashtags on Twitter, etc. You have to know who you want to reach and go to the platform where your target group is spending their time. If you know what you’re doing and understand the nuances of that particular social media platform, you can create stories about your business that are a perfect match for the platform…and that you engage with your target customers.

Gary V. on Social Media Content

Social media isn’t a place where you should run to beg for business or to brag about yourself. The point of Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is that you should GIVE, GIVE, GIVE to your followers and fans. It’s a way to gain leverage with them. When you give and keep on giving, it gives you permission down the road to ask for business. It’s all about developing the relationship with all the key components that you want in any good relationship – trust, respect and connection.

Gary V. on Entrepreneurial Entitlement

With the creation of Facebook by college student Mark Zuckerberg, now everyone thinks they can create a startup. And when they have a business they believe that they are entitled to everything that comes along with it, including customers. But you aren’t entitled to anything – you have to work for it.

Gary V. on Storytelling to Make Sales

Storytelling can help you sell a product or a service to a customer. “You have to understand what’s the commodity and what’s not. What’s not is where you need to story-tell.” And a good story WILL translate into sales.

Gary V. on Social Media for Start-Ups

The first thing you have to do is figure out who you want to reach. Narrow it down to the demographic that you want to target, and then use social media to find them. You can use Facebook ads to find that exact demographic. You can also use options like Twitter search. But you have to win new followers and fans with interesting and quality content. You could start out by running an offer, but then you’ll get the “lowest common denominator fan” – the one who is following you to just get the offer. Instead you want to find people that are interested in your topics and truly want to connect with your business. Giving them the content they want will get them in the door, and you can market to them later.

Gary V. on What Social Media Platform You Should Start With

There isn’t one place that everyone should start if they’re looking to get into social media marketing. You have to look deep into what you want to accomplish and who you want to sell to – then go where those people are. So, for example, if you want to sell to 12-18 year olds you should start on Vine, but if you want to sell to 42 year old women you should start on Pinterest or Facebook.

Gary V. on Gaining a Twitter Following

You have to work to build a loyal following. Gary V did it by spending a lot of time on his Twitter profile, then searching and finding people who were interested in wine. He then took time to answer their questions – to jump into the conversations they were having and provide information and advice. Those people began to follow him and with time the base grew.

Gary V. on Facebook

Whereas some social media platforms are best for certain things – like animated gifs on Tumblr, real life pictures on Instagram, infographics on Pinterest – Facebook gives you a lot of freedom to do what you want. One new feature he recommends is Facebook dark posts – unpublished posts that can be used to target specific groups. That way you can send relevant, targeted posts to different groups, even if they’re not fans of your site yet.

Gary V. on Social Media Tools (Hootsuite, Google Analytics, Buffer, LocalResponse, etc)

All of these tools are fine and can work for your business if there is a good match between what you need and what the tool offers. You also have to know how to use the tools properly or you’re never going to see good results. You should also weigh the tool properties to what you want to achieve. For example, Hootsuite allows you to send out your messages to all networks at a click of a button – but Gary is completely against that because he believes you have to match the content with the specific platform to get the best results.

Gary V. on Investing

Gary has made a lot of investments in the past. Some are successful (for example, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr) and some not successful. But when choosing who to invest in, he likes to “bet on the jockey, not the horse every time.” That means he likes to bet on entrepreneurs themselves – those that have the fire, the spark, the determination to succeed. One example is his investment in Birchbox, a female-owned startup that got a lot of “no”s before they got a “yes” from Gary.

Gary V. on Business Advice for Women, Minorities, etc

Being an immigrant to the US, Gary understands the difficulties certain groups face. But he boils it all down to execution. If you can execute your plan and make things happen then nobody will care. Underdogs can use their status as a motivator for the climb to success.

These are the main points from Startup Grind’s Fireside Chat interview, but if you’re hungry for more you can watch the full interview here. As you go forth, ready to try some new things in your own small business, remember the most important point – success doesn’t come easy, but if you’re willing to work hard, you may find it – just like Gary V. did.

The post Gary Vaynerchuk’s 16 Tips For Your Success In Marketing, Social Media, Entrepreneurship and More appeared first on SmallBizTechnology.

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