Our Monmouth Blog

Social bookmarking is a way for a person to find, track, and follow websites that they enjoy. Relevancy of sites is determined by the web community. If you haven’t used one before I suggest it is worth your time to get familiar with one. Think about the way you use Google today. Most people use Google search to find a site based on information you provide (search terms) and if you like the site then bookmark it in your browser. With a social bookmarking site the idea is very similar. You now have the ability to easily create your own personal website portal (portal: a website that functions as a starting point with links to other sites and content) that you can share with the web community.

There are many social bookmarking websites that are very popular today. Sites like Technorati, del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, BUMPzee are just a few of the popular choices. Many of these sites have plugins that you can use with Firefox, a popular alternative browser. Plugins make the job of marking and organizing your favorites much easier. All of these sites are based on the same premise but have different features and strengths.

Technorati: is an Internet search engine for blogs. Visitors index websites by “tagging” them and find desired information by category and searches which include the latest news, popular books and music. Once you tag a site all recent postings on are aggregated and displayed on your home page.

del.icio.us: web service for storing, sharing, and discovering web bookmarks. One of the nice features of “delicious” is the ability to use your bookmarks on any computer anywhere. The delicious home page has a hotlist and a “popular” list which can be a great resource. You can also share you bookmark list (if you opt to) with the community as well as look at other members bookmarks as another way to explore.

StumbleUpon: is a plugin that allows its users to discover and rate webpages, photos, videos, and news articles. A new site recommendation is displayed when the user clicks the Stumble button on the browser’s toolbar. What a great way to discover new websites. StumbleUpon uses a recommendation system that selects which new web page to display based on the user’s preferences and ratings, ratings by friends, and by the ratings of users with similar interests. You rate sites by a simple thumbs up or thumbs down selection.

BUMPzee: BUMPzee is a niche blog aggregator with a active community. The site is organized into bite-sized communities which pulls the latest relevant blog entries. I recommend this site if you plan on setting up a blog of your own in the future.

There are many other sites and tools out there. What other sites do you use?

Regards,

Howard

It amazes me how my email inbox has grown over the years on any given day I can have over 300 emails. Mind you this is a combination of personal and business but it is still a large amount of material to sift through to figure out what is important, what can wait, and what is garbage/spam. Since effective communication is such an important factor in running a business I thought it is important discuss email etiquette.

For businesses like my own I use email as the primary form of contact with my prospects and clients. This makes my email communication that much more important. My email must represent me and my business in a professional, prompt, and courteous manor. When I am writing email I always first consider who my audience is. This is important so that I can choose the appropriate tone and language for my email.

From time to time we tend to forget that email was not intended to replace verbal communication. Sometimes you just need to pick-up the phone to talk to your client or customer. Email is also not intended to be used for “instant messaging” there are many other tools that can be used for that purpose.

Emailreplies.com put together a great list and details of 32 most important email etiquette tips. I took their list and boiled it down a bit further to what I think are the most important things to consider when emailing:

1. Be concise and to the point

2. Answer all questions, and pre-empt further questions

3. Use proper spelling, grammar & punctuation (spell check)

4. Make it personal

5. Answer swiftly

6. Do not overuse the high priority option

7. Do not write in CAPITALS

8. Don’t leave out the message thread

9. Read the email before you send it

10. Do not overuse Reply to All

11. Take care with abbreviations and emoticons

12. Do not forward chain letters

13. Do not use email to discuss confidential information

14. Use a meaningful subject

15. Don’t send or forward emails containing libelous, defamatory, offensive, racist or obscene remarks

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, comment, and tips.

Regards,

Howard

The Battle of Monmouth took place on June 28th, 1778. This weekend marked the 229th Anniversary Commemoration sponsored by the Friends of Monmouth Battlefield. The Commemoration is two full days of activities and events capped off with a fabulous reenactment of the battle. The event was expertly moderated keeping the audience engaged. It really was a perfect day to be in beautiful Monmouth Battlefield State Park. If you missed it this year I suggest you mark it on the calendar for next year. Bring the kids, they will love it.

This is a great event about the rich history of our community and country.

Here are a few pictures:

A big part of marketing your business is expanding your network. A very simple and easy way to do this is to join your local Chamber of Commerce. All chambers have regularly scheduled meetings and events where you can meet other business owners in the community. It is not only a easy way to talk to people about your business but a great opportunity to get referrals as well.

Almost all the Chambers’ of Commerce have a website with a directory, this is another way for people to help find you. Beside gaining another valuable link to your website many members use their local Chamber of Commerce as a directory to find other businesses with the same affiliation. Consumers may also be happy to know that you have affiliations with the local NJ and Township business community.

Generally, the Chamber of Commerce has political connections that can benefit your business. At the very least it is another way to keep in touch with political issues that can potentially effect to your business. The chamber will receive legislative alerts which it will pass on to its members. Most local politicians are very interested in addressing the chamber and need to be sensitive to issues effecting local businesses.

Each chambers’ benefits may vary from chapter to chapter. Most chambers will allow you to do a sponsored seminar and rent out meeting space at a discount to members. Other benefits such a business counseling, access to member lists, advertising opportunities in publications.

In my experience I have found the membership to be well worth the membership fee. I am currently a member of the Western Monmouth Chamber of Commerce. It is is not only an opportunity to do business but also make some friends and contribute to your community. Make the most of it!

Use the following link for a list of local Chambers of Commerce in Monmouth County.

Do you belong to a Chamber of Commerce?

This is a great story about a renovation adventure of a Freehold Boro, NJ Victorian home that was built in 1872:

freeholdbutterflyhouse.name

Regards,

Howard

What is client experience? Very simply it is how a customer or user feels about the product or service they just used. Client experience opinions can be made at any point in a relationship and are extremely hard to change once formed. Businesses can be rewarded with referrals and positive word of mouth exposure if they deliver a consistent positive client experience and can be punished severely if client experience is poor.

There a several components to client experience: service, environment, expectations, and satisfaction. All of these components are equally important and must be thought of from a client’s perspective. As a business owner you must have a clear plan to deliver exceptional service at every touch point. Delivering consistent excellent service is no simple task and requires focus from the business owner and its employees.

Customer service is the first thing people tend to think about when discussing client experience. It takes patience and commitment to deliver a high level of customer service on a consistent basis. Ever y contact point with the customer needs to exceptional. It does not matter if the contact is in person, on the telephone, or via email. Business email etiquette is to respond to all client request and inquiries within 24 hours. Clients will pass judgment on how you and your staff handle these interactions. People expect prompt, professional, and courteous service anything less will obviously lead to a poor client experience.

Environment is something that can be easily overlooked. Ever walk into a restaurant that looked dirty? Did you turn around and leave? A stores appearance, decor and music can help provide a positive client experience. If your store front is a website does it have unnecessary music or intrusive flash? Are your color tones and images pleasant and inviting? Does your website convey an image of expertise and professionalism. These are just a few basic things to consider.

Expectations are important to manage in all facets of business but it is most important with your paying customers. Communication is paramount in managing expectations. If a client is expecting red widgets and you send him white widgets you missed the mark. Even if those are the best white widgets in the industry your client was expecting red and expectations were not met. Businesses that do not meet client expectations on a regular basis will suffer with poor reputations. Poor reputations and bad track records are bad for business.

As a business owner I always had great pride when I had satisfied clients. This means that I full delivered on my commitment to my client. As the saying goes ‘the proof is in the pudding’. If I provide attentive customer service in a pleasant environment but my blue widget melts after one use. This might be ok except it had been sold as an indestructible widget I might have an issue depending on how the problem gets resolved.

This is not intended to be a detailed list but just some factors to consider in client experience. This client experience list can be applied to any type of business.

I your experience what are some other factors that influence client experience?

When was the last time you did basic website maintenance to your website? Basic website maintenance should be on your calendar to complete quarterly. There are four basic tests that eliminate the majority of client experience issues and bugs that sneak they way into your site over time. I recommend executing a complete visual review, browser test, link check, and html validation.

A complete visual review will catch several types of issues. I recommend that your complete this test using Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE). For most websites IE is the predominately used browser so it is important to start there. Every page should be reviewed for layout, imagery, and typography.

Once you have completed the visual review then you should test your website in other browsers. Browsers such as Firefox, Safari, and Opera have gained in popularity and your site should function correctly in all of them. It is important that you are aware of how your site functions and looks in other browsers.

There is a quick and easy tool that you can use to check links automatically on your website. Its a great tool that saves a lot of manual work. W3C link checker is simple to use and extremely effective. All you have to do is enter the URL of you site and watch it work. When the results are returned you have a complete report of what needs attention.

The last part of your manual website maintenance should be a markup validation review from W3C. Any issues should be addressed. Valid code will ensure your site is healthy as well as help your search engine results by certifying that your website can be properly crawled.

If you follow this routine regularly you will have confidence that users of your site have the experience you expect. Web errors will lead to loss of subscription and user dissatisfaction. Following these steps regularly will ensure that your site functions like a well oiled machine.

Tell us your web maintenance tips.

Regards,

Howard

In only a few short years another tool of the Internet has come of age, the blog. The blog which is short for web-log started first appeared in 1999 and is now a huge industry embedded in popular culture. According to Technorati there are over 86 million blogs. Estimates are that over 120,000 blogs and 1.6 million blog posts are created each day.

Is blogging good for businesses? Absolutely! Blogging has consistently been a top Internet marketing tool for several years now and has a very strong following with a steady flow of industry enhancements. This is all very attractive it you are looking to enhance your current Internet Marketing plans. It is easier than ever to do and sites like Blogger allow you to get started for free.

Blog provide you with a media format to reach a target audience in an informal way. Blogs are also a great way to create fluid discussions on topics that are important to you and your readers. It is another way to establish yourself as a subject matter expert in your business field. Best of all they keep you thinking and are fun to do.

Tell us your blogging success stories.

Best,

Howard

Your electronic store window. How does it look?

According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project Tracking February-April 2006 survey, 73% of American adults use the Internet. At the time of the survey this represents approximately 147 million people. 91% of those Internet users used a search engine to find information online. Are you ready to develop business and leads online?

There are four important components to an effective website:

Esthetics: How does your website look? A finished website must have a professional appearance. The branding elements and color scheme should be well coordinated and visually appealing. All individual visual design elements must fit into the overall design and be presented within a visual hierarchy. Clear visual cues and accents identify key content and help the user navigate the site.

Content: What is this website about? The message must be clear and concise. All text should be fine tuned for the web as its own form of media. Brochures and other printed media must be converted into a format that engages users to action on the web.

Usability: Is this website easy to use? All websites should follow the established set of standardized best practices for building websites which enhance accessibility and intuitiveness. For example, does a web link look like a web link? Sounds like an obvious statement, but far too often this web standard is neglected and replaced with over-styled elements. A usable site is one that provides consistency in experience without making the user wonder “how do I do that?”

Marketing: Will they find us? People must find and use your site for it to be effective. The most elegant website that goes unused is worthless to its owner. Marketing a website has a technical and traditional facet. A website must be developed in a specific way in order for search engines to easily index its content and determine what categories and keywords apply to it. This is extremely important because the majority of Internet users use a search engine to find what they are looking for. Traditional marketing is equally important. Advertising your business or website should not be limited to the Internet only. ourmonmouth.com believes that any marketing campaign should use multiple media channels to effectively deliver your business message.

Regards,

Howard

I am very pleased to announce the launch of the ourmonmouthblog. This is a very exciting day for me. Over the past year I have worked night and day on establishing the ourmonmouth site. It is up and running and I now feel comfortable allocating time to working on this blog.

The blog will have a mixed set of topics but will be focused on business in Monmouth County New Jersey. Topics such as marketing, business ideas, news, technology, local issues, and many others will be discussed here. I really look forward to these discussions and getting to know all of you better.