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Category Archives: How to

How Words in Your Company Builds Culture

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June 26, 2018

| Jan Wong

Words are powerful. The right words used can motivate, inspire, build and encourage; but also to tear down, hurt and crush.

While that sounds like common sense, the words we use tend to roll out a little too freely and we justify that by calling it a freedom of speech or as a form of expression. And this freedom contributes to the culture you are building in your company, be it a startup or corporate organisation.

Culture is not something where you frame up in your board room nor is it a string of (vague) fancy words to sound cool. It starts and sticks with the smallest detail – like the conversations that happens surrounding work.

A negative complaint, a passing remark, a jab toward your superiors, clients or vendors, sarcastic responses, a common curse word or phrase when faced with an unfavourable situation may all seem very normal in a social context but can very well be contributing factors to productivity, morale and growth both individually and collectively within the company, and here’s why:

#1: Words stick

If you recall a random not-so-nice remark made by someone towards you, or just a simple compliment about your hair, that already shows that words do stick – and they do, no matter whether you like it or not. And for many, these words stay with you consciously or unconsciously for the rest of your career / life; and the negative ones haunt you at your lowest.

#2: Words affect your team

Words said in in jest are the worst! You may not have meant it literally when you said “Yea, the dude has always been lazy and useless to the team.” but this sentence alone can spark off many political sidelining within the team.

#3: Words affect yourself

“Crap! I’m an idiot!”. Say that often enough in every mistake you make and you’ll successfully crush your self worth, esteem and confidence over time.

Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying we should all be constantly positive with rainbows and unicorns in the sky, or that we should always be hyper-sensitive with what people may feel when we speak – that’s self limiting and frankly, will drive you crazy.

Instead, remember that the words we use are a choice. It’s easier said than done but if we remind ourselves of the bigger picture of what we want to achieve in our workplace and as a career, we can redefine and switch the words we choose to say to create a better workplace culture.

Culture starts with people, and that’s you.

Read: How to build company culture

 Entrepreneurship, How to |  business owners, culture, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, life game, mindset, Small business |  Comment

Getting a Job: How to Maintain An Employer-Friendly Social Profile

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May 15, 2014

| Jan Wong

Most of us have Facebook accounts and it is clear that Facebook has been the place for many to post up their lives (sometimes mindlessly) onto the social network giant – which leads to a common problem among job seeking graduates – the need to set their accounts on “private” just to escape from prying eyes.

Of course, your reason may be less complicated than that but this leads to a bigger problem. Believe it or not, many employers today will look you up on social media platforms or via a simple Google search. With your profiles set on private, you are more likely to raise the eyebrow of your employers. And to some, you just lost brownie points even before the interview began.

Here’s a thought: Instead of locking down every trace of social media activity you’re doing, why not lead them unto channels that you want them to see instead?

#1: Get unto LinkedIn and keep your profile updated

This is the most obvious response to the matter and yet many people don’t do it. Having a professional profile not only helps you look ‘ready’, it also helps you to showcase your profile much better than Facebook does. Things to remember when creating a LinkedIn profile:

  • Have a clear (professional) headshot of yourself
  • Make sure your profile is complete
  • Setup your portfolio (if any)
  • Start posting relevant content

My highlight on LinkedIn: While I have never used it to apply for a job before (though it’s an excellent tool to do so!), LinkedIn has been the source of job offers and connection to key industry personas for me. Not only I have been offered positions in different parts of the world, I’ve managed to be in touch with people I never thought possible such as in TripAdvisor, university researchers and more.

#2 Start Blogging

Blogging is a good way to get yourself noticed. It shows what your writing capabilities, your thought processes and it can effectively demonstrate yourself as a thought leader among your peers.

Here are 3 things to consider when you’re blogging:

  • Identify topics that relates to the industry you’re pursuing.
  • Your writing does not need to be groundbreaking or profound, it can be very well be your thoughts or commentary on recent happenings in the industry.
  • Do it as regular as you can. Start with once monthly then slowly move up to weekly, or daily if you wish.

My blogging highlight: My blog has been a great tool for me over the years. It helped me attract a range of job offers, speaking engagements, and great business opportunities that I probably will not receive through other means. In fact, one of my biggest client to date was from my blog and they are still with me even after 2 years.

#3 Tweet!

Twitter is a great tool to build networks and to stay updated with what’s happening around. I personally use it to keep myself on the pulse of the digital marketing and entrepreneurial scene.

  • Keep your tweets public
  • Follow and Retweet thought leaders
  • Share relevant articles

My tweet-rific highlight: I must admit that I’m not most active on Twitter. However, through Twitter I have built some really awesome connections with some of the industry’s top personalities like Mark Schaefer, Jean Parks, Aaron Lee, Leo Widrich and more. The pinnacle of my highlight though, is the fateful ‘meeting’ with the awesome people at Binkd (Adam and Kiera Pedley) where friendship evolved into a business partnership where I now manage the SEA operations of Binkd from Malaysia.

Pro tip:

Find ways to build your net worth digitally which will in turn lead you up the credibility curve. It is never too early (or late) to start!

There are many other ways to make yourself intentionally visible to potential employers and the above is just a tiny peek of what can be done. Like photography? Use Instagram to show off your work instead of posting constant selfies. Like making music? Stop watching and admiring famous YouTube celebrities and work towards being one yourself. Like designing? Showcase your work on Behance, Devianart or even try your hand at Threadless.

What are you doing now to be visible to your potential employers? Are you facing any challenges?

 How to, Student Tips |  facebook, social media, students |  Comment

How to: Be Successful in Business? Back to Basics

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May 8, 2011

| Jan Wong

Startup Weekend MalaysiaRecently I have been invited to the Startup Weekend Malaysia to experience the program and mingle around with people with great ideas. If you’re wondering, the Startup Weekend is a global initiative to assist aspiring (serious) entrepreneurs in making their first step to realize their business ideas. Each participant is given the opportunity to pitch their ideas to the room in 1-minute and the top 10 ideas (based on votes) will be selected and that’s where the real work begins – from forming teams, brainstorming, market research to prototype development.

The beauty of this program? Everyone leaves with a developed business idea. Cool, huh?

As I was listening to the individual pitches, observing and talking to these entrepreneurs, it made me once again realize the secret ingredient for success – whether it is in business, social media campaigns or even in life – and they really are the basics, nothing fancy or extraordinary.

One of the plenary sessions at the Startup Weekend Malaysia

Here are the 7 basic attributes to be successful:

#1: Dream

Every participant that came to the program had a dream – an idea, a business plan waiting to be fulfilled. They’ve probably been sleeping on it ever since it popped into their heads and they are just waiting for the opportunity to get it started.

What About You?: Do you have a dream? Do not be afraid to dream. Ideas only stop coming because you allowed it to. A rule – don’t set boundaries to your dream. Dream big!

Further reading: It’s time to dream!

#2: Passion

Even though the participants were only given 1-minute to pitch, their passion and enthusiasm is unmistakable. They are eager to see their business idea come to live and they obviously do not care if the rest thinks it is a silly / inviable idea. It’s theirs and they are proud that they own it.

What About You?: Do you have an idea but am afraid of what others might think? Stop yourself from thinking that way and let your passion take over. Sometimes, a silly idea turns great through passion – simply because you never stopped believing.

#3: Action

Passion is put to test when the participants are required to form teams to actually work on their ideas. This is where the participants had to really do something about it – to make the idea work, beyond just talking and sharing.

What About You?: Maybe it is time for you to take action and put that passion of yours to good use. Sitting on it won’t do any good. Action makes things happen.

Further reading: Passion without Action is dead!

#4: Determination

Let’s take a step back – even before the participants had to form teams, they had to gather votes from everyone present as only 10 ideas with the highest votes will be given the opportunity to form teams to drive the idea further. I particularly remember this participant, Aaron, that came up to me saying “Sir, will you give me an opportunity to share my idea with you?”. His idea wasn’t extraordinary but his passion and determination (and preliminary idea research) won my vote.

What About You?: How determined are you to make your idea a reality? Remember, it is always easier to give up but being successful in most cases, is like running a marathon. It’s a long journey but the reward is great.

#5: Team Work

It is interesting to see how the teams were formed at the Startup Weekend. Almost every team were looking for a developer, marketer and finance person simply because they understood that they cannot do it alone.

What About You?: No man is an island. You’ll definitely need a team to make up for your weaknesses. Get your team together and you’ll find that that’s the best decision you’ve ever made! It also helps you focus on what you need to do – managing and keeping the vision intact.

#6: Focus

From time to time again the participants were reminded to build a MVP – Most Viable Product, forgoing fancy features and functions and focusing on the must-haves, the actual benefits that the consumer wants.

What About You?: It is easy to get caught up with the cool features and add-ons of your plans but if you do not have anything to begin with, your ideas are nothing to begin with. Focus on getting the core benefits right THEN the add-ons. Remember, build a MVP!

Further reading: The 2 Secret Ingredients for a Successful Product

#7: Anticipation

People say that when Apple is building the very first iPhone, they already have the iPhone 4 and the iPad in mind, just waiting for the right time to roll them out. Build with the future in mind! Anticipate opportunities for expansion and problems that may occur.

What About You?: It is all about preparation. A scalable product will definitely have a larger potential and you may just capture the attention of investors are venture capitalists. Always be on your toes – you’ll never know when you’ll need to sprint forward ;)

Do you remember the time when you were just starting out? What drove / motivated you? I would love to hear your experience :)

 

 Entrepreneurship, How to, Personal |  business owners, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, goal setting, innovation, life game, mindset |  3 Comments

How to: Manage Your Time on Social Media?

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March 29, 2011

| Jan Wong

How to: Manage Your Time on Social Media?

Let’s face it – as many benefits we can draw from social media, social media can also be very distracting. Never mind the plenitude of Facebook games – just spending time on researching, content creation and engaging (i.e. replying) across social media networks can cost one the entire day!

“How much time should I spend on social media? Am I spending too much time on social media?”

Do you ask those questions?

Many do. Small and big companies, groups and individuals alike – you’re not alone. Truth be told, there is never enough time on social media as there are always time for something on it. The trick is to know how much or how little is enough for your business – yes, time management even for social media.

Understanding the Components of Social Media

Social media in general consists of 3 important aspects that both businesses and individuals cannot overlook:

1. Listening

Perhaps one of the most powerful attribute of social media networks as it enabled businesses to find out what the consumer is talking about, their complains and suggestions – something unachievable back then.

I personally prefer to do this at the start of the day. It can comprise of looking at what your competitors are doing, looking up what your fans and followers are talking about, catching up with the latest news in the industry on various sites and etc.

2. Communicating / Engaging

communication and engagement on social media

Ah, the essence of social media networks – being social. What good it is if you’re part of a huge community (e.g. Facebook fan page) that does not communicate? This is where you take genuine interest in your followers and fans by talking NOT pitching to them.

This should take the bulk of your time on social media networks. This includes commenting on blogs, replying to messages and also content sharing. Remember, its not just about sharing your content but to share other quality content that you may find – tweet and retweet them, stumble them, like and share them on Facebook! Not only it grants you exposure, it opens up opportunities for you to expand your network within your industry.

I usually do this on the move with my phone – while waiting for the escalator, waiting for food to be served, at a long queue, waiting for a parking bay (some times this alone takes up to 30 mins!) and etc.

3. Content Creation

Creating content has never been easier with the help of blogging tools such as WordPress, Blogger, Tumblr and more. What’s great about creating your own content is that you’re able to position yourself as an industry expert, granting your brand more credibility compared to your competitors.

If writing isn’t exactly up your sleeves, try creating video clips, screen casts, infographics, podcasts or even post pictures of your work (especially for photographers) on networks such as YouTube, Vimeo, Flickr, Deviant Art and etc. Every content you create can be powerful when positioned using the right medium, even greater when combined with the first 2 aspects above!

What Determines the Amount of Time Spent?

how much time do i need to spend on social mediaNow, now.. I wished there was some kind of a success formula to social media: X hours x Y medium = AwesomeResults but there really isn’t. Having that said, I believe what determines the time spent for your social media network truly depends on your GOALS.

Yes, your GOALS – what do you want to achieve out of social media.

From there, you should be able to identify how much time should you spend on Listening, Communicating and Creating Content. For me, I spend about 2-3 hours daily on my networks on a busy day and here’s how I do it on a daily basis:

50% for Communicating and Engaging
25% for Listening
25% for Creating new Content

What do I achieve out of it? I know that as long I stick to my plan, I’ve covered the important aspects of social media, allowing me to achieve my goals AND YET have plenty of time for me to work on my projects with my clients. You can do that too!

Where Can We Go From Here?

1. Find out how much time are you spending on social media
2. Ask yourself: are what you’re doing in line with your goals?
3. Which of the 3 aspects are most important to you?
4. Establish a plan that you can follow on a daily basis encompassing all 3 aspects
5. Evaluate whether the plan works for you from time to time

Do you have a social media plan? I would love to hear what worked (and what did not) for you!

 How to, Insights, Social Media |  blogs, business owners, entrepreneurship, facebook, social media, twitter, web 2.0 |  10 Comments

Why Local Online Marketing Is Just As Important

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February 16, 2011

| Jan Wong

Are you ready to have a Local Business with a Global Advantage?

With the growth of the Internet, mobile web and social media networks, it is no wonder why businesses today are wanting to be online for maximum brand presence and exposure. Nothing wrong with that, but through the course of talking to various clients, it would seem that most businesses are so engrossed in getting GLOBAL exposure, neglecting the potential LOCALLY.

Now, I understand that businesses (especially small businesses) are in the game to make big sales and going into international waters but if you neglect your local audience, chances are, you may not make it internationally as well.

Why is it so?

#1: You’re in for HUGE Competition

It is important to understand that if you’re going global, you need to be even more aware of your competitors. Of course, you may have identified a niche market here and there but you’ll still have to compete your way up to gain web traffic and fans, not to forget the climb up the SEO rankings.

#2: Logistics

This is really simple but many tend to look over this matter. Is your business capable of shipping globally when sales happen? If so, great! But most of the time the answer I receive is “we will see if we can accommodate the request when it happens – we’ll leave it as that for now”. Do you really want to put all the effort to finally get some results, only to react when it happens?

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not against your business going global, but am suggesting that you may also want to start off being a champion locally, first. Why?

#1: Sandbox

You can first test your operations / system / procedures to see if they are too complicated to follow, or if there are any loop holes BEFORE going global. This may in return save you time, money and effort since the problem is still within local reach. After all, this can be considered as a “beta” phase to your business.

start by being big locally, then expand!#2: Champion of the Pond

When it comes to online marketing, having a niche (the pond) makes it all the easier, what more if it’s localized. For example, “Advertising Firms in Malaysia” would probably be easier than “Advertising Firms” when it comes to online positioning locally. Start off by getting a foothold in your geographic location, then slowly expand when the time is right. By doing so, you’re also…

#3: Gathering of Supporters

This is important if you’re intending of going global in the long run and social media networks makes it all the easier. Blog comments, Facebook wall posts, Tweets and even tips / recommendations on Four Square allows real people to post real feedbacks about your business and CAN influence prospects’ buying decision. I don’t know about you but if it will make a whole lot of difference to me if I see a product / brand that has a huge fan base with feedback as opposed to none, especially if the business is not based locally.

#4: Additional Visibility

Being visible to your local customers can grant you even more visibility, especially when you’re already the champion in the pond and with a strong fan base! Imagine online reviews or even offline write-ups on local media – all these gives you additional exposure AND lands credibility to your business.

Start looking inwards and you’ll be on your way there! I’ll be happy to hear your thoughts on this topic, too!

 Branding, How to, Marketing |  business owners, online, social media |  1 Comment

How to: Create a Winning Strategy!

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January 24, 2011

| Jan Wong

how to create a winning strategy

One common mistake marketing leaders, entrepreneurs and business owners make is to consistently look for winning strategies outside of your own four walls. True, there are times where ‘thinking outside of the box / walls’ comes in handy but often than not, there is a high possibility that you already HAVE that winning touch and you just do not realize it.

The question to ask yourself is really just this: What is your unique selling proposition? By answering this question truthfully, chances are, that is the key to outperform your competitors – simply by leveraging on the resources, skills, knowledge, tools, systems and talents you ALREADY have!

#1: Identify your strengths first before strategizing

Look inwards – put on paper what you do best. What makes you stand out – Is it customer service? Or a unique product? What talents or resources do you have at hand – Web designers? Programmers? Sales teams?

Once you have these down, work on a strategy that leverage on your strengths. Use them wisely and you may have already won half the battle!

#2: Look at your competitors’ strengths

Look outwards – see what your competitors do best. It is crucial that you acknowledge their strengths and identify how are they different from you so that you can have a strategy that stands out in the industry, and that they cannot copy (at least not that easy).

#3: Make provision for GROWTH

Many people strategize for the now. You need to have a strategy for the tomorrow. Have a strategy that lasts and is able to adapt to changes – simply because things change – especially when it comes to technology. You may have the world’s most advanced software to manage a storefront but your competitors may have an improved version the year after. It happens.

Here’s to greater victories in 2011!

 Entrepreneurship, How to |  business owners, entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship, goal setting, life game, mindset |  5 Comments

How to: Change Your Habit before 2011

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December 27, 2010

| Jan Wong

goodbye 2010!

It’s the last Monday of 2010! How are you feeling today?

I’m sure tons have happened in your life throughout the entire year and you may have come across habits that you wanted to get rid of but failed to do so. Whether it is spending too much time playing Facebook games, struggling to spend some time daily to invest in yourself or even to read a single book, 2011 is definitely a good year to get those behind you!

Habits

If you’re a driver, you should be able to relate to this occurrence at one point or another. Many times I’ve noted in amazement that even when I’m distracted (on the phone / listening to the radio / etc), I’ve always arrived at my destination while driving on a frequented route without realizing it.

It’s interesting to see how the brain takes complete control of where you are going without any conscious effort, provided it’s a regular route and interestingly, if you can truly understand the how this works, you will end up having the answer to creating a new habit for 2011.

The reason why it happens is because your mind follows instructions, without any conscious effort, that have been repeated over and over to it. This phenomenon can be summed up in one word – Habit. It’s the power of a habit that is at work here.

How Does Knowing This Help?

We know that repetition does the trick to form habits. The first step is to always acknowledge the habit. Identify it’s patterns and then try to break the routine. Taking the same example, imagine if I would to have placed a piece of paper in front of my dashboard daily with the writings: “Use Road B”, chances are, I’ll be able to make a conscious effort to take Road B instead of the usual A and in time to come, Road B will become the new habit.

Having that said, it applies to every other habits in life. All you need to do is to break that habit by changing it’s course. You need to constantly ‘remind’ yourself of that course you wish to take. Use something to remind you – a desktop wallpaper, a wristband, anything that you can look at it and remember your course.

Are you missing 2010 already? 2011 is going to be a new year, a new course, and new victories!

 Entrepreneurship, How to |  business owners, entrepreneurs, life game, mindset |  1 Comment

How to: Integrate Social Media in Business Using Blogs (Part 3)

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December 22, 2010

| Jan Wong

So you now have a blog up and running and you’re working on your posts consistently, great! The common question I face during meetups with clients is: “Is that enough?”.

Is it?

It depends. It depends on how far you want to take your company / brand. If you’re comfortable having that limited number of readers or if you have no problem with a slow and steady organic growth of readership, then yes, it is enough.

However in most cases, companies and businesses would want to see results fast. They want to build a huge readership base within the shortest amount of time possible. Some make it, some don’t. Why? It takes a little more than just commitment and consistency to make it happen.

Here are 3 tips on how businesses can build readership:

#1: Guest Posting

guest posting for extended exposureThis is pretty straight forward. Just like how your business is looking for opportunities to be featured on newspaper / magazine columns, you can write guest posts on other people’s blogs! All you need to do is to be on a lookout for opportunities to guest post – contact the site / blog owner to see if you can do so.

Remember to offer something in return such as an offer for them to write a guest post on your site, or to do a special feature about them or by linking them up. After all, it is a mutual benefit. Look for sites / blogs that relates to your industry so that your brand image is consistent. You may also want to wait till you have  a healthy amount of posts on your site before approaching others as they too, will want to know of your expertise :)

#2: Commenting

contribute through comments. do not spam!Just like guest posting, commenting on other writer’s posts can bring about great exposure to your business. How so? When you leave constructive comments and / or share ideas, you’re actually engaging with the author and fellow peers. This means that you will be recognized and when that happens, chances are, they too will drop by and visit your site as you leave your link.

Now be careful to not go on a commenting spree and leave links all over the blogosphere as that is equivalent to spam and that will work in reverse for you. Instead, look for sites that you can contribute ideas and learn from and get started on a healthy discussion – that will work much better as you position yourself in the industry on blogs.

#3: Submit / Syndicate Your Posts

building your network on social media

One good way of getting more readers is to leave as many trails of your post as possible on the web. It can be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Stumble Upon, Reddit, Digg and the list never ends! Fortunately with the abundance of tools out there, you can get your posts in multiple places in one go such as Google’s Feedburner or if you’re using the Chrome browser, the Shareaholic extension makes things really simple, too!

Suggested read: I found this timely article here that suggests some of today’s growing tools you can submit your posts to to grow your readership network.

Is there more?

There sure is but the above 3 should be able to get things going pretty well for a start especially if you’re new to the blogging scene. Focus on growing your networks through engagement and do not worry about other techniques for now, you’ll definitely get there soon enough!

Do you have tips to share? I would love to hear what works / doesn’t work for you, too! :)

 Branding, How to, Insights, Marketing, Social Media |  blogs, business owners, entrepreneurs, online, social media, web 2.0 |  5 Comments

How to: Integrate Social Media in Business Using Blogs (Part 2)

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December 15, 2010

| Jan Wong

Now that you’ve understood why blogs are vital to your business instead of having a traditional website, you may have in mind to make full use of them to sell your products and services, perhaps even going to the extend of writing 1-page sales pitches that may have worked for you in the past.

Unfortunately, sales pitches does not work on blogs – especially when you’re just getting started.

Why Don’t Sales Pitches Work?

Blogging, or rather, social media is not about sales. It’s about customer engagement, it’s about relating and listening to your target audience and to have a human presence. Customers today do not want to be sold to – they want to be heard. Writing a full fledge sales pitch will only drive people away than to convert them.

Err.. But Isn’t It All About Making Sales?

That may be true for your business but on social media, I personally believe that sales is secondary. Yes, you would ultimately want to convert customers and make sales but upright sales pitches would do more harm than good. There are, after all, various ways and techniques of conversions on social media.

leading the pack with your blog

How to Make Sales With My Blog? Here are 3 Steps to Get You Started!

#1: Give and you shall receive

“What? I thought we’re talking about making sales!?”

Yes, we are – the long term yet effective way and blogs are just the right medium to do it. Provide value to your readers consistently to establish your own presence first. Write about what you do best, industry updates and share your experiences with past clients.

During this stage, you’re actually creating a platform for your business to reach out in the future – take time in doing this as it is your biggest asset!

#2: Create exposure

“Oh come on, get on with the sales already!”

Blogs can give your business an exposure beyond traditional means. With the amount of blog syndication tools out there and with search engine optimization (SEO), the amount of exposure is massive. Now, all you need to do is to create opportunities (or window opportunities) for sales to happen.

Some use exclusive offers, contests, VIP passes, weekend giveaways and more to gain more exposure AND create an opportunity for your audience to get to know you better through your products. In other words, you’re creating leads for sales!

#3: Promotion

“Are we there yet?”

There are various ways of promoting your products / services through your blog and one of the common ways of doing so is by producing an e-book. An e-book allows you to pack more of your expertise to your audience, benefiting them and at the same time, creates an opportunity for you to upsell your products. It can be a seminar, workshop, demo sessions, trials and more.

So, What About Sales?

As you can see, social media is an excellent tool to drive sales and increase conversions, especially with blogs. If you’re STILL looking to make plain sales out of thin air for your business, then perhaps you may want to consider other alternatives :)

 Branding, How to, Marketing, Social Media |  bloggers, blogs, business owners, entrepreneurs, online, social media, web 2.0 |  1 Comment

How to: Integrate Social Media in Business Using Blogs (Part 1)

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December 8, 2010

| Jan Wong

If I had to pick which social media tool is the most beneficial for businesses, I would say BLOGS will come first. Nevermind whether it is Blogger, WordPress or the likes – blogs, in general is perhaps one of the most important social media tool for businesses today.

Why Should Your Business Blog

Your business may have an active Facebook or Twitter page going but like it or not, Facebook and Twitter are great engagement tools and not necessarily the best tool in disseminating information and content, especially chunky ones to your customers.

3 Reasons on Why Your Business Should Blog:

1. It is your HOME BASE

Traditional websites are slowly moving into a blog environment because businesses see the value in providing consistent updates and additional value to their customers instead of having a well designed, static information website.

Having a blog (or in this case, the centre of content) can act as the primary place of information for your business where you can share what’s happening behind the scenes, updates on upcoming plans, interesting news and even insights in the industry your business is in – basically content that adds value to your prospects and customers.

Are you driving your customers home?

Combine this with your engagement tools such as Facebook and Twitter, now your fans and followers will be able to find out and benefit more from you. This can easily be done by including a link to your blog on tweets and status updates.

Find out more about having a home base here!

2. Expert in the field

Now you may think that you can also establish a home base with a traditional website. True, but one thing blogs triumphs is that through your sharing of content, you are able to change the perception of your prospects and customers towards your business.

How so? A traditional website focuses on designs to create an impression. A blog focuses on content to create an impression. Which lasts longer? Blogs. The more valuable content you put out, the more your target audience will be able to know you and that builds a relationship that your competitor may not have with them.

Everyone is an expert - all you need to do is shareIf you are in business, chances are, you have tons of knowledge and experience in you. If you’re able to share them, that alone will make you an expert in the field – especially in the eyes of your customers. Customers value valuable content and transparency as it also influences buying decisions.

For consumers that are new to your business, a blog will be able to reflect your knowledge and experience in a particular field and in some cases, how active your business is by looking at when was your last update.

3. Low Cost

Guess what, you may already have been blogging and you just do not know about it. You may have been ‘blogging’ on advertorials, press releases, media write ups, newspaper columns, magazine columns and etc to position yourself in the market.

If you’ve been there, you should know that chances like that do not come by very often and sometimes it may cost you. If you’ve haven’t been there, you should also know that such opportunities may not be easy to find and that it will also cost you.

By having a blog, you have these opportunities every single day, at no cost! The only evident cost is your time. Your time to put together your thoughts, research, pen it down and to publish it online. Other than that, it’s literally free!

So, Why Blog?

Given the benefits, why NOT blog? I strongly believe that every industry will be able to benefit from having their very own blog. After all, wherever there is knowledge to something, there is definitely something to share from it, and blogs are the place to share them.

Have blogging been beneficial to you or your business? Do share them by commenting below! :)

 Branding, How to, Insights, Marketing, Social Media |  bloggers, blogs, business owners, entrepreneurs, online, social media, web 2.0 |  3 Comments

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