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I pride myself in being a bit of a contrarian.

When the ‘masses’ start taking to an idea in large numbers, I start to get suspicious. More and more people are accepting search engine optimization (SEO) as a way of life in business. The phrase is thrown around with reckless abandon amongst business people and there are literally thousands of new articles about the topic emerging on the market every single day (this article being one of them).

But, what difference is SEO really going to make to your business? What kind of results has SEO produced for other businesses? How well does it work for small to medium-sized business?

Well, I decided to find out.

The Biggest Market Ever

The Internet is the biggest market of consumers there ever was.

There are currently two billion Internet users around the world and that number is projected to jump to 2.7 billion by 2015. That’s more people than any other media source and makes up 40% of the world’s population.

That’s a figure that could make even the most self-restrained marketer salivate. All you need is to get the attention 0.000001% of this market and you’re on a major gravy train, right? Well, not exactly. The perils of working in market that big far outweigh the benefits.

There are approximately 634 million websites on the Internet – 51 million of which were added in 2012 alone. How do you stand out with so much competition?

That’s where SEO comes in…

Don’t operate in a vacuum

If your business doesn’t have a website, it doesn’t exist. In 2013, if your business website isn’t search engine optimized, it doesn’t matter either way.

The first thing most people do before they buy anything, even if it’s offline, is search the Internet. Approximately 89% of consumers look to websites like Google, Bing and Yahoo before making a buying decision. Search engines are the number one source of traffic, beating social media by 300%. For these reasons businesses work very hard to make friends with the likes of Google.

But, it’s not enough to be ranked on Google, if you want to have any kind of impact you’ll need to be on the first page because, and although as much as 61% of people look for products online, only 25% ever go beyond the first page of results.

Give The People What They Want

There are two main reasons people use the internet: To check their emails and to get information.

Although email marketing and search engine optimization is linked, the former is a huge field of study in its own right. SEO is more concerned with the second reason – giving people the information that they’re looking for.

Most of your customers go on the Internet to search for information on a certain topic, which is related to your product or service. They aren’t looking for your business, they aren’t even necessarily looking for products and services like the one you offer. However, if you can be the one to give them the information they’re looking for you’ve instantly proven yourself knowledgeable and reliable, which can be a doorway to a very profitable long-term relationship.

To answer the original question I posed in this article – yes, it really is that important. A good SEO marketing plan can mean the difference between a massive business success and operating with a vacuum.  

Need help with your SEO marketing plan? Try a few SEO services on Doublelinx.

Job Interview Questions About Co-Workers and Supervisors and Sample Answers

For the most part, the following questions may be asked to determine if you are a team player. Take a few seconds, when asked a difficult question, before you answer. An interviewer is not expecting you to have a ready answer. However, the Boy Scout Motto - Be Prepared - - certainly applies here as well.

Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a co-worker who wasn’t doing his/her fair share of the work. What did you do and what was the outcome?
I worked closely with Ann who, for the most part, always carried her fair share of the work load. During a stressful time, working on a project with a deadline, I realized Ann’s contributions to the project were almost minimal. I made the decision to wait until after the project to speak with her. I’m glad I did, because I learned she’d been going through a very tough time in her personal life and she appreciated my willingness to go the extra mile so the project was completed on time. As a result, our ability to work well together significantly increased.

Give me an example of a time when you took the time to share a co-worker’s or supervisor’s achievements with other?
At my most recent position, one of my co-workers, Dan, did an outstanding job of calming an irate customer, solving the customer’s problem and completing a sale. When our boss asked me how things were going, I told him everything was going fine and that Dan had just completed calming an irate customer and closing a sale. It was a win-win-win- for our boss, Dan and the customer.

Tell me about a time that you didn’t work well with a supervisor. What was the outcome and how would you have changed the outcome?

Early in my career, I had a supervisor (Judy) who was in a fairly good mood on Monday, but it deteriorated each day until by Friday, the supervisor was finding fault with everything I did. I didn’t realize, until I left that position, that I had been a contributor to the decline in her mood. Judy would ask me how my weekend was (on Monday) and during the week she would ask how it was going. I would tell her how much fun I was having (I was single) and how I was looking forward to the weekend plans. After I left, I realized my life was in complete contrast to hers and I reminded her of it almost daily. When she asked the questions, I should have had a quick answer, and then asked her how she was doing!!!!

Have you worked with someone you didn’t like? If so, how did you handle it?
Yes, I’ve worked with someone whom I found difficult to like as a person. However, when I focused on the skills they brought to the job, their ability to solve problems and the two things I did appreciate, slowly my attitude towards them changed. We were never friends, but we did work well together.

Tell me about a time that you helped someone.
Most recently, we had a new hire (Paul) that was really struggling with getting to work on time, and I knew the boss (Harry) was getting irritated. Over lunch one day I explained to Paul how important it was to our boss for everyone to be there at least 10 minutes early. It was personal with the Harry, but you could really get on his bad side when you were frequently late. The new employee was grateful for the advice. At his previous employment, the boss was only concerned about the work getting done on time; he/she did not “watch the clock”.

Tell me about a time that you misjudged a person.
There was a long-time employee (George) at my second company who was very gruff when he spoke to me. At first, I went out of my way to win the George’s approval. Then I realized that was compounding the problem. So I observed how he interacted with other employees and discovered I wasn’t alone. He was gruff to most people. I quit trying to gain his approval and, in the process, discovered he’d learned his behavior from a former boss he’d had whom he admired.

How do you get along with older (younger) co-workers?
Suggested answer if your co-workers are older: There are times when I just know that a new way of doing something makes more sense to me; but, first hand, I learned that my “better way” may not be the best way to get the job done. As a consequence, I respect my older co-workers knowledge and I’ve learned how to make a suggestion at the appropriate time.

Suggested answer if your co-workers are younger: I quickly realized it was not my job to “parent” the younger people with whom I work; it was my job to get to know them and for us to find common ground where we could effectively work together. It took time, but the result was worth the effort. 

For more helpful tips and advice head to www.rubiconpeople.co.uk or call us on 01202 680311

What happened earlier today, May 9, 2013, at exactly 11:34 am, is now included in the Most Memorable Moments Of My Life. Haha. I got the e-mail I was waiting for in the past 5 days!!! This e-mail I am talking about here is one of the fruits of my Summer Soul Search 2013! lol It said that I was qualified as one of the shortlisted applicants for the Copy Editor position at KGS, Ltd.  God, thank you! :)

I badly need this job just to let myself feel that I’m still worthy breathing living.  I need this job to save myself from feeling completely useless.  I was really competitive to get the job.  I took it more seriously than my application for Rarejob Philippines.  I passed the requirements earlier than expected.  I allotted time and focus for the test evaluation.  I did my best.  And I was really REALLY nervous thinking that my work was so mediocre that the evaluators would not even bother to finish reading my revisions. lol This is not an exaggeration. Haha. My nervousness was so great that I had 3 consecutive disturbing nights! lol I had a series of different genres of nightmares.  Most of those nightmares, I remembered in every wake-up: nightmares about getting skin diseases, my schooling, my mother — I even dreamed having spontaneous abortion!  And take note that there was even one night where I had 2 consecutive nightmares!  My heart was pounding hard.  T‘was like in the movie Inception!  It was horrible!!!

Okay, enough with the nightmares, you get the point right? (Well, at least I think you do. lol)  Anyway, like I said earlier, this is one of the fruits of my Summer Soul Search 2013.  These past few weeks I have been refraining from talking to a lot of people.  Right now, I really want to focus on my family and myself.  Summers, for me, are the perfect time to relax, appreciate, and reconsider.  The perfect time to find my center.
 
I am in the verge of taking a leap of faith.  I am currently considering choosing a different path for my life.  My thoughts are confusing.  My mind is out of focus right now.  I want to earn money.  I want to try new things.  I want to explore my other abilities.  I want to know more about my strengths and weaknesses that are outside this box that my father created for me.  I want to make a decision of my own.  I want to take a break from med school.  (I emphasized on the phrase “take a break”, to clear that I do not intend to quit Med School) I just want to pause for a while. 

These different kinds of pressure put onto me are starting to drain my sanity.  Sometimes I feel like I should seek for professional help and consult a psychologist; but whenever I am about to do so, I always feel that I might be affected by the results even more.  I am scared that if I find out that I have a certain mental condition or something, I might be  more depressed due to self-pity and low self-esteem.  Yes, I know, I overthink a lot. I am often afraid to face the reality that I tend to wear this mask of fake happiness for the entire world to see.  Sometimes it’s better to wear a fake smile than to be bugged by people asking the reasons behind your sadness.

All I need right now is guidance.  A good sign from any force in this universe that will make me realize what I should do.  I am running out of time.  June is approaching fast.  I have to make up my mind before this month ends.  I do not want to waste more of our time and money for a decision that I will just give up in the end.  The question is: Should I continue studying Medicine in the upcoming semester or should I pause for a while and figure out if I really want to become a doctor?  I have talked to a few people and have heard different views and opinions.  A lot of factors are being considered here.  Right now, I am still keeping my fingers crossed while waiting to see a shooting star.

If you’re working to promote a company name or client, you know how important social media today really is.

When you are a part of social networks, you will be able to reach millions of people at a time with just a few short internet posts. Social media today also allows you to send important documents like press releases and bios to organizations that can help to move your business forward.

One of the best things you can do to make social media today work for you is to learn all you can about the business or client you’re promoting.

Find out how this business is different from others. Spend time getting to know the inner workings of a company, so that you can see if the activities are up to industry standards. Get an accurate feel for what makes employees motivated about working for the company. When you understand the business, you can market the company by using the right content and send the correct message to clients.

You can also use social media today to your advantage by getting familiar with ‘passionate ambassadors’. Once you know what is different or special about the client you’re promoting, you’ll need to spread the word to potential customers. This is when you can start using all the social networking resources that are available to you.

Create a Facebook account for your client. Send out email invitations for people to become ‘friends’ of your client. Make sure that you post items on the account each day letting current and potential customers know about the products and services that are being offered. You can also start a blog for your client. Make sure that blog followers can comment on the blog and give their feedback.

This is a great way for you to engage in conversations with the people that will spending money buying products from your client.

If you want to know more about social media today, or you need to know more about how to set up the vehicles that will help to move your client’s business forward, you should visit the websites for Myspace and Facebook to look for examples on how to set up your social networking pages. You can also find blog templates on free blog websites like Blogspot and WordPress; this way, you can post an entry every day that will give customers all the details they need to become loyal fans of your client.

Setting up a Twitter account is another great idea; you can enter short entries each day, sometimes several times a day, to keep your business current and in the social spotlight.

These methods will definitely keep customers interested, which will cause your client’s business to thrive.

Android is an operating system for mobile phones based on Linux. Android provides an open platform for developers to create their own applications on mobile devices. Initially, Google Inc. bought Android Inc., newcomers who make software for mobile phones. Android is a mobile phone that uses the Android Operating System (OS). Android OS is a choice for smart phone vendors because it has a lower licensing fee and it is open source. Android would certainly support the various services of Google.
Because of the relatively low cost of the license and open source, many electronics manufacturers create mobile phone android based with cheap price. In terms of applications, these cheap Android mobile phones are no less superior to the well-known branded android phone, as well as in terms of design. In terms of market share, it is clear that these cheap straight talk phones has a large market share. The price offered is so low so can reach middle and lower class people.
This is a business opportunity, especially in developing countries with their income per capita of the population is relatively low. Their need for such a technology is important, but they are constrained by cost. And this cheap straight talk phones is an alternative. There are two projects in running businesses to sell cheap android phones, which are sell groceries, or open a specialty retail store for cheap android phone. For those of you who are interested to do business with a mobile phone and not having too big of capital, selling cheap android phone can be tried. Even with the advancement of Internet technology today, you do not need to have a store; you can build a website and sell these cheap mobile phones online. http://dlvr.it/3LJrcb

Video marketing can be intimidating for even the most hardened entrepreneur.

But for all the potential headaches it may present, the results can be phenomenal. Like in the case of the Dollar Shave Club.

The Dollar Shave Club is a business that delivers good quality affordable razor blades to its customers via the post– nothing spectacular right?

And yet one hour after they posted a particular video, the website crashed. In just 48 hours, they were recruiting family, friends and anyone they could pay to help them package 12,000 orders.

The video in question showed the company’s founder, Michael Dublin, making a few jokes and telling a few people to buy his razors. The video, launched in March 2012, has now been watched over 10 million times and launched the Dollar Shave Club into massive success virtually overnight.

I’m not telling you this for the sake of it. There are certain lessons hidden in the Dollar Shave Club story that can help anyone thinking about launching into video marketing.

Lesson One – “That’s showbiz, baby!”

The Dollar Shave Club video that went viral was, in essence, a comedy skit.

The people who watched and shared the now infamous video weren’t searching for affordable shaving solutions. They weren’t interested in how good the service was. They didn’t crave the convenience of having their shaving equipment sent in the mail.

They simply wanted to be entertained.

In the 21^st century everyone’s an entertainment junkie and that’s something you should always consider when making any form of video marketing you do for your business. Whether it’s a simple message from the executive, a how-to video or an elaborate online commercial – your customers want to be entertained. In fact, they demand it.

Of course, there are many different ways of being entertaining (comedy-skit versus documentary-style) but the point here is that if you want to get more bank for video marketing efforts, always give your customers some ‘pizzazz.’

Lesson Two – It’s a social, social world…

Your customers love to share information about their lives and their experiences that they think their friends will enjoy. Think about any email message you forwarded or any page that you’ve liked on Facebook. What you’re essentially doing there is saying “I think this awesome and I think you’ll enjoy it too.” What’s my Point?

The Dollar Shave Club video spread as fast as it did because of this same principle. When you make videos for your website (thinking of the potential of going viral) you need to keep in mind if the video is giving anything of value to your customer. It could be, like the Dollar Shave Club, entertainment value, or it could be valuable information they didn’t know (like in how-to videos), or it could even be a sense of becoming part of a community (like the Apple versus PC ads).

For most people it’s become virtually second nature to share everything they think is really great. Make your videos great too!

Lesson Three – The Power of video

There are certain things that are just expressed better in the form of video. Pictures, articles, social media simply can’t communicate a brand as succinctly and clearly as video can. When people watched the Dollar Shave Club video they didn’t just see what the product (razors) could do for them, they saw the businesses personality and identity which made it easier to buy into their brand.

When making videos for marketing purposes always remember to consistently represent your brand in how you choose to communicate with your customer and what you choose to say.

Get started today

Dollar Shave Club is an excellent example of the power of video marketing. This one video helped a little company with a weird business model become a household name. Imagine what it could do for your business.

Need help with your Video marketing? I’m sure one of our vendors can help you with that.

Photo credit to 401(K) 2013 at Flickr

A study by the SBA loans clarity on the links between race and the ability of small business owner to obtain small business funding. The study suggests that African American and Hispanic entrepreneurs are less likely to be given loans and rely more heavily on their personal funds when starting a business. As stated in this article in Bloomberg Businessweek, “On average owners and company insiders put up 56 percent of initial capital, with external debt and equity making up the rest. At white-owned businesses, which started with double the capital on average, internal funds made up only 39 percent.”

African American and Hispanic business owners with good credit still balked from applying for funding and loans for fear of being rejected, and the study indicates that even after controlling for credit score they were less likely to have loans approved. Women as well as minorities were less likely to apply for funding according to the study, with female small business owners seeking funding 
being approved at more or less the same percentage as men. 

Tell us about your experience as a small business owner, has race or gender affected your experience?

Applying for small business loans can be a stressful and challenging process. But taking the right steps before approaching a financial institution about a loan can help alleviate a lot of your stress and confusion. 

Researching all of your lender options is a good way to avoid problems because institutions evaluate their borrowers based on “good risks.” Articulate your needs and repayment plans directly to institutions; this is a great way to demonstrate that you understand your business and have clear goals as to what the loan will be for. 

Responding to roadblocks, like the need for additional collateral or negative feedback on your credit score, are essential elements in “doing your homework” when it comes to securing loans and communicating with your lender. 

Find out more tips like this at Yahoo! Small Business Advisor.