HeatherStone commented on the following stories on BizSugar
Entrepreneurial Networking: How To Learn To Love It
"Hi Benjy, If you’re an entrepreneur, then networking is absolutely a part of the game, and learning to love it won’t take long when you see how much it can do for your business. Thanks so much for writing this great post and for sharing it with the BizSugar community!"3 Reasons a Free Offer is Vital to Your Online Marketing Success
"Hi Allison, I'm a big believer in giving away some free stuff. The key is to remember what you give away must develop a demand on the part of your customers for the paid products and services you provide. This is often the trickiest part of the strategy."Just Who Is Using Google+?
"Andy, I really think the success with Google+ depends on what you're doing with it. For B2B, for example, or information driven businesses aimed at bloggers, social media experts, and entrepreneurs, I've seen Google+ drive much more traffic to blogs than Facebook and, of course, social sharing on Google+ gives content dramatic visibility in search. I don't think Google+ is the popular platform Facebook is and perhaps it never will be. But, like LinkedIn, I believe it has a critical role to play."Customer Service: The Only Thing That Makes Your Business Different-The Small Business Playbook
"Gary, The first sentence in this post says it all: "Every business, first and foremost, is in the customer service business." If every entrepreneur considered this point, much of the marketing and branding we work so hard on would take care of itself. There are probably exceptions to the rule, but it's really critical to consider how huge a part customer service plays in defining how customers see you. "Business Growth for Women Entrepreneurs: What’s Holding You Back?
"Hi Annemarie, Some really great advice here. One of the problems I had in a previous business (haha, that should give you a hint that it didn't work out) was having an unfocused vision. We were pushing on too many fronts, and only some of them were our core services. It's really great to figure out what you want out of a business, out of your career, but it's a good idea to do that before you're actually conducting business. Lessons learned are that we needed much more time in the planning stages. I agree with not trying to use the latest and greatest tools without taking the time to master a few and learn to leverage them. That's just another example of an unfocused effort. I can't wait to read some of your other posts, and I hope you'll submit more to BizSugar!"10 Free Tools for Your Online Marketing Toolbox
"Hi Stephanie, Great post with some useful apps. I've used some of these before, but others I would like to try out. A really useful app I came across recently is Jing, which is a screenshot and screencast software application. With it you can record up to 5 minutes of onscreen video--really useful for making instructional videos. I'd love to see more posts from you on BizSugar on ways to make our businesses more productive. Welcome to Bizsugar :)"Samsung: Passing the Buck to Customers?
"Hi there, I totally agree that Google's handling of the verdict struck just the right chord. I think Samsung was trying to make Apple look like a bully, trying to make the public think that their higher prices would be Apple's fault. They may have been banking on the public mood going against Apple right now. And there is quite a lot of public opinion going against Apple on this ruling too. Yes, it could have been handled better, but I and many others won't hold it against Samsung, because even if they raise prices, their prices won't gouge the way Apples do. And, they're not an elitist brand, building walls against innovation. Even though Samsung's PR was lacking, I think public opinion is still on their side. Just look at the discussions going on via social media. You'll see that Apple's made themselves look like the enemy of open source and innovation, because when they attack one Android phone, they attack them all. Just my opinion :D Thanks for the great post!"Subscribe
Let's Go Dancing With Google
"Joyce, thanks so much for the overview on how Google uses links to determine a Website's rank on the Web. It probably should be added that these links should be 'natural' (that is, not the result of link exchanges or any other bad SEO practice.) Sites should be linking to your site because of the great resources you provide."