Blogs 
-
Avoid The Top 10 Social Media Mistakes Companies Make
A lot has changed the five or so years that Out-Smarts has been focused on social media marketing. For a start, most people now know what Facebook is, many are even using it for more than “being social.” Studies show that 60% of all Canadians are using social media and 44% of small to medium sized business decision makers use social media, but are businesses using it the right way to build their online presence strategically? In many cases, they’re not. Here are the top 10 mistakes that companies make when using social media.1. Not taking social media seriously
There’s over 800 million people using Facebook, and over 200 million Twitter users – not to mention, a similar number of folks on LinkedIn, and yet many businesses still dismiss social media as a flash in the pan. Your business has the potential to take advantage of this massive online hub; ignoring it is a huge folly. …
[ Read More ] • [ No Comments ] • [ Filed under Outsmarting Social Media ] • [ 1/26/12 ] -
How Google Analytics helps Entrepreneurs
Corrie Scott of Out-Smarts Marketing weighs in on how Entrepreneurs (like you!) can use Google Analytics to track how your website is doing. You can use it to keep track of how many people are visiting your website, what they’re looking at and how long they’re staying. You can even see what they’re clicking on.
-
Overcoming Business Guilt as a Work-at-Home Mom
Abbey Fatica, a mompreneur with three pre-school children (including a newborn!) explores the idea of Mommy Guilt vs Entrepreneur Guilt, and how she works her business around her family’s schedule.
-
Do Work-at-Home Moms really get Maternity Leave?
Going on maternity leave as a sole business owner is hard, but if you run your business out of your home it is possible. It’ll take planning! Abbey Fatica, who is now pregnant with her third child, reveals the strategies she’s put in place to allow herself to take some down-time when she needs to.
-
QR Codes Are Every Where But Do They Work?
QR codes burst onto the scene about a year ago and now they’re everywhere, from business cards to restaurant menus. But do they work? Are people (ie, customers) actually using them and, if so, are they having a positive branding experience? Mhairi Petrovic of Out-Smarts investigates.
-
Social Media: What is Formspring?
What is “Formspring.me” and why are people flocking to it? Prianka, an intern with OutSmarts, explains what it is and why you, as a small business owner, should know about it.
-
Discover Your Ideal Clients and Charge More
Instead of trying to attract a greater volume of clients, what if you could attract fewer clients who each represent greater value to your business? Karen Dodd explains how you can be more attractive to your ideal clients by figuring out what you want to achieve with your business, and in what way you can best help your clients achieve their goals.
-
Crowdsourcing – Tapping into the Business Collective
One of the biggest challenges small businesses face is finding the time and resources to do it all. As entrepreneurs we all wear different hats, juggle ever expanding responsibilities and this can be a huge challenge. Mhairi Petrovic explains how you can use Crowdsourcing to give some of those tasks to other people.
-
Vision + Consistency = Tonnes of Clients!
Karen Dodd shares her story of the first business she ever owned, some advice she didn’t take, and a marketing assignment that will help you become the sales and marketing dynamo you were meant to be. Find out how to follow Karen’s formula that Vision plus Consistency equals Clients, and lots of them!
-
When Boomerangers Return to Empty Nest
This year, my kids came back for a stopover. Some friends said I was asking for trouble…but I was thinking of my retirement. When I get old, my kids will have to reciprocate and let me come stay with them. You may call that emotional blackmail, but I call it financial planning. With the current economy, I’m on the Freedom 55 plan; I’ll retire when my kids are 55.
-
Advertising Your Business on Social Networks
Do you want to advertise your business online but don’t know where to start? Should you just dive in and splatter your “buy my stuff” message all over the internet? Mhairi Petrovic speaks on the what and how of using social media networks like LinkedIn, twitter and Facebook to promote your business and how to figure out if it’s working.
-
Overwhelmed? Focus On the Right Things
Entrepreneurs have so many ideas and things to do that they risk becoming overworked, unfocussed, and stressed. Karen Dodd gives four strategies to help you stay on track for greater success AND she provides a wonderful assignment you can do (yes, homework!) to help you really put these strategies into action!
-
7 Useful and Fun Websites You Haven’t Heard Of
Mhairi Petrovic gives a list of seven websites you may find useful, including one that helps you figure out who (or what) is tracking your website, and another that lets you swap ideas. From the useful to the fun, it’s all here.
-
Passive Revenue: Repurposing for Profit (Part 2)
If you own a laptop, you have everything you need to run an info-product empire. But, you must know how to create a product that people actually want to buy! Karen Dodd, who is quite successful at selling info products, reveals eight things you need to know to succeed, whether you want to sell an ebook, a home study course, videos, or anything else you create.
-
Couch to 5K: Getting Started on Getting Fit
Follow ML Broxton’s journey to go from Couch Potato to Jogging Dynamo in her bid to exercise regularly, get healthier, and reach her goal of running in a 5K marathon this September. Find out more about the “Couch to 5K” plan she’s following and read her experiences in this follow-up post to “One Mompreneur’s Journey Back to Heatlh.” You can even join in (virtually) with your own plan.
