Australian Government Helps Small Businesses Adopt and Use Cloud Services

The Department of Communications has launched this week a series of guides aimed at encouraging small businesses to take advantage of the cloud revolution.

A news release posted on the official website of Malcolm Turnbull, Minister of Communications, announced that the guides were designed to help "small businesses adopt and use cloud computing services with confidence." These new and free tools for small businesses are accessible in four titles, namely:

• Cloud Computing Myths
• Questions to ask your Cloud Provider
• Small Business Privacy Factsheet
• Legal tips for Small Business Using Cloud Services.

"Cloud computing is already proving to be revolutionary for small businesses, as it significantly lowers cost barriers to ICT adoption. KPMG estimates the increased adoption of cloud services in Australian firms could boost the Australian economy by $3.32 billion a year," says Turnbull.

Prior to the documents' release, the department issued a report which revealed that only 16 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises are using cloud computing. Lack of knowledge was noted as one of the reasons why many small businesses are still refusing to adopt cloud technology.

Cloud computing services allow users to store and access a wide range of data and programs over the Internet without the need to install a software. Among the benefits of cloud computing technology includes increased streamlined IT processes, increased collaboration, improved disaster recovery, and better document control.

6 Smart Moves Start-up Companies Can Learn from Successful Businesses

No one puts up a business without aiming to expand in the future. But getting there requires more than just having a great product and an abundance of luck. Sad to say, many start ups fail because they do not employ the key ingredients that will help them stay in business. You do not have to be one of them if only you will take the time to learn the habits of successful entrepreneurs.

So get your pen and paper now to start taking notes.

Successful businesses set goals

They know what they want. They jot down their mission, short- and long-term goals, and make concrete plans on how to achieve them.  Goal setting allows them to focus on things that really need their attention. It helps them organise their time and wisely utilise available resources.

Successful businesses build a winning team

They do not take control of everything. They review their goals and identify the skills set needed to accomplish each objective. They attract talented workers and motivate them to get the company reach its destination.

Successful businesses always look for opportunities

Successful businesses can spot opportunities everywhere. These opportunities do not always have to be original or ground breaking. If it's something they think will meet the needs of the end-users they will learn more about it, research the competition, study their options, even test the market.

Successful businesses adapt to changes

They constantly monitor the lifestyle and purchasing habits of their customers. They adjust their selling strategy to match the changes in their customers' buying preferences. Similarly, they keep track of their competition and technology in order to keep their business visible to where their customers are going.

Successful businesses focus on how to help customers

Businesses that remain in operation despite the increasing competition in their industry have their eyes on providing quality products or services. Their primary goal is not to become wealthy but to offer more value for money.

Successful businesses seek and value customer feedback

They consider their customers an important partner. Hence, they make it a point to know what their customers want and create innovative solutions to address their problems. 

3 Ways to Make Your Customers Feel Special on a Shoestring Budget

The customers are your company's greatest asset. Treat them rudely and they will spread the news through social media faster than the speed of light. That's why creating a harmonious relationship with them has become crucial more than ever.

Offering discount prices and giving away tons of freebies from time to time are perhaps among the most popular strategies in keeping customers happy. But if your business is just starting these marketing tactics may hurt (rather than help) your cash flow.

In reality, caring for your customers is not as expensive as you would expect.  In fact some approaches require very minimal budget, if not totally free.

Take time to answer your customers' questions

Responding to inquiries posted on your company blog and/or Facebook fan page is the easiest way to make your customers feel good. You do not have to do it yourself, you can delegate the task to a staff member or hire a social media specialist. The key is to show your customers that they are an important partner of your business.

Share tips and valuable materials

Your customers are always looking for guides on how to do things properly and make their lives easier. Use your expertise to create how-to articles or a downloadable white paper that solve your customers' problems or answer a pressing concern in detailed. Share the information in your business website. The useful your content the higher its chances to go viral.

Sharing links of an interesting content you found on Twitter is good. But doing it all the time is not healthy for your business. Your customers would rather go to the original source than view your social media profile or visit your blog.

Respond quickly

Your customers are not going to send an email or call just to say "Hi." It is either they want to convey feedback that would improve your service or they have an urgent question. A quick response on your end will not only show professionalism but also help build customer loyalty. 

How to Start a Business Blog That Your Customers Will Visit

Blogging has become one of the most popular online activities in the recent years. Proof to that is the existence of more than 152 million blogs on the Internet.

According to Technorati's State of the Blogosphere 2011 report, 21% of the blogosphere are comprised of corporate bloggers and entrepreneurs. Majority of them use blog to share expertise, gain professional recognition, and attract new clients.

If you are planning to start a blog for your business, here are a few things to keep in mind to make sure that your blog gets the attention of its rightful audience.

Identify your blog's goals

One of the first things you should be asking yourself is: what is your blog for? Evaluate the things you want to accomplish with your blog before you start thinking about the topics you intend to cover. Some of the reasons your blog exist may include:

•          to promote your main company website
•          to keep your customers engaged
•          to create a community
•          to make money through ads
•          to talk about the benefits of your products, etc.

Choose a blog software

Wordpress and Blogger are the two most widely used blogging platforms by businesses. They're both simple to use and offer numerous blogging features, plus sign up is free. You don't need to be adept in programming language to use either of them. Their respective drag-and-drop editor allows users to add blog features quickly and easily.

Decide how you want your business blog to look like and then look for a blogging platform that provides the features you need.

Other  blog publishing platforms to consider include:

• Medium
• Svbtle
• Jux
• Typepad
• Posthaven
• Squarespace
• Silvrback
• Roon
• Postagon
• Ghost

Create useful content

This is usually the most challenging part because it can eat up so much of your time. The key here is to know beforehand who your target audience are and find out what they look for when visiting a blog. Given the enormous amount of blog posts being published every day it's not enough to just have well-organised, unique and relevant content. Your content must likewise be entertaining, easy to read, and sometimes controversial.

Keep your blog interactive

A pure text blog is boring...so use images and videos to add some  spunk to your posts. Occasionally, run a survey or poll in your blog to engage your customers. People like participating in fun activities once in a while, especially if you're giving away freebies.

Commit to regularly updating your blog

Your customers are most likely to forget about your blog if you only post once or twice a month. Ideally, you should post 1 to 2 new content every week to maintain your following. Creating an editorial calendar is very helpful in scheduling posts at specific days of the week. If content writing isn't something you can do on a regular basis, share or delegate the responsibility to another person in your company.  

Do you Really Need a Responsive Website?

You recently decided to get a website for your business. As you begin looking for a web design service you keep on running across the words "responsive design." Though until now you are still confused about the concept of a responsive web design you can't help wonder why everyone seems to be putting a big deal on it.

As the name implies, a responsive website is one that adjusts to the device you are using, such as desktop, tablet, or smartphone. Imagine pulling up a website on your smartphone which forces you to zoom in and out or move the screen left and right just to properly read the text. That is not a responsive website. And even if you don't admit, it is annoying to go through that experience. That is exactly what your customers will feel if they browse your website through a smartphone or tablet only to find out it is not responsive.

Many small businesses think it is enough to have a regular website as long as it is clean and fuss-free. If you think the same way, chances are, you will have some missed opportunities.

A 2013 survey of more than 15,000 online shoppers in 15 countries found that 41% of the participants have used their tablets to buy something, compared with 28% in 2012. Nearly 45% purchased products through smartphones, compared with 30% in 2012.

Having a responsive website enhances your customers' experience. They do not need to shrink a page to easily read the text and view the images. And because your website maintains its original structure, from desktop to mobile devices, your content will look great no matter the size of the screen. Even Google loves the "many great aspects" of responsive websites.

If your business hugely relies on your website all the more you need to make it responsive, or you will lose your customers to your competitors.

13 Incredible Reasons to Start a Blog for Your Business

Creating a business blog does not exactly sound very appealing to business owners.  Very few would actually have the patience to sit down and put together a content that makes sense. But blogging for business has tons of amazing benefits. Here are the top reasons why you should start a blog for your business:

1. It positions you as an expert in your industry.

2. It encourages customer feedback.

3. It helps you attract new customers. A 2012 Hubspot report found that 57% of businesses with a blog acquired a customer with their blog. Populating your blog with relevant content increases your chances of winning new customers by up to 30%.

4. It helps drive traffic to your company's main website.

5. It showcases your brand's unique voice and personality.

6. It promotes your professional work or products and services.

7. It builds strong customer relationships and confidence.

8. It creates a community of like-minded individuals.

9. It can bring your business to the attention of influencers in your niche.

10. It turns people into smart consumers. 

11. It provides you a venue to target specific keywords that are inadequately represented in your company website.

12. It is a cost-effective marketing tool.

13. It is good for SEO purposes.

If writing is not one of your strongest skills you can hire a professional copywriter to produce engaging posts for your blog. Outsourcing a blogging task means having a reliable person to plan and create fresh, interesting, and relevant content for your business blog while you focus your attention to the core aspects of your business.

Why You Shouldn't Overlook Your Website Design

When you attend a business meeting or a formal event, you do not show up with a sloppy attire. You take an effort in choosing a suitable wardrobe to make yourself look presentable and be taken seriously. After all, people will usually pay attention to your visual appearance before they become interested in what you have to say. The same is true when it comes to business websites. Visitors are more likely to stick around if a website has a stunning design.

To many small businesses, however, a good website design sounds more of a luxury than a necessity. They would rather use majority of their marketing budget for quality content than for improving the design of their website. We can't blame them because search engines find and rank websites based largely on keywords, relevant links, page optimization, and social media engagement.

But as former IBM legend Thomas Watson Jr. puts it "good design is good business," and here are the reasons why you should heed to that advice:

Your website design reflects your company's personality

When people run across your website they can quickly associate your business with powerful descriptions. That's because your website design alone is already communicating even before your visitors read the content.

A good design could mean professional, trendsetter, relevant, innovative, valuable, and productive. A poorly designed website could be labelled as ambiguous, outdated, boring, or disorganised.

Your website design shows customers you care

A good design is user-friendly and easy to understand. The colours are not screaming for attention. The typefaces are legible. The graphics do not overpower the pages. The buttons are well-organised. Your customers can go from one page to another and go back to a previous page with ease. They can quickly find what they are looking for without spending too much time. In short, the design gives an impression that you are serious in giving your customers excellent service.  

Your website design makes your business look big

A good website design makes even a start up or small business look like a major player. It shows your confidence to compete with the bigger names in your industry...even if you only have less than 10 employees. Investing on a good website design tells your customers and competitors that your business is reputable and should be treated as such.

Your website design influences trust

In the study Trust and Mistrust of Online Health Sites, researchers found that 94% of the participants reject or mistrust a website quickly because of its design. Some of the specific aspects cited were boring web design; corporate look and feel; complex, busy layout; and small print. What does that tell you? Simple, quality content is not enough to make a website successful and effective. It must be must be accompanied by a good design to attract visitors.