Work.com Small Business Community Blog

Using Search to Measure the Impact of Offline Media for Geo-Targeted Campaigns

Michelle Stern, Director of Client Services at iProspect, a search marketing agency, writes in DMNews about how to use search to measure the impact of offline media for geo-targeted campaigns. Since marketers can exclude geo-targeted areas from a national campaign in Google AdWords, they can now use search to isolate and test the performance of their offline initiatives in these "excluded" markets.

Learn more about how to leverage search to measure the impact of a geo-targeted offline media buy.

search, advertising, marketing

How to Build a Team with Contractor and Freelancers

Small business people and entrepreneurs are relying more and more on flexibility and savings from outsourced help. In The 4-Hour Workweek, Timothy Ferriss teaches us about how to build a business through outsourcing while you learn the tango in Buenos Aires or study Japanese in Tokyo. The Small Biz Trends blog gives us pointers on how to build team spirit and direction with a virtual team.

Learn how to manage people remotely, and do business from a beach in the South China Sea!

David Mullings' Startup Signs YouTube Deal for Caribbean Channel

Remember David Mullings, who gave us his uncommon startup advice? Well, let's give him a big hand - his company, Realvibez Media, a leading online provider of media for consumers of Caribbean music culture, just signed an agreement to create YouTube's first official Caribbean channel.

Check out the Realvibez channel at youtube.com/realvibeztv.

If I were a startup, I would follow David's advice closely. It appears he knows what he's doing! David, how about a new guide to partnering with YouTube? ;-)

drupal, startup, youtube, caribbean

Building a Small Business Website in Drupal

Lots of small and big businesses are discovering the Drupal content management system, which is used to quickly build interactive websites. Drupal is open-source software distributed under the GPL (“General Public License”) and is maintained and developed by a community of thousands of users and developers. Drupal is free to download and use. Examples of companies using Drupal are Warner Brothers Records, The New York Observer, Fast Company, Popular Science, and Forbes. Here's a video that explains Drupal:

If you're an expert on building Drupal sites for small business, share what you know!

drupal, small business, cms

Thanks Work.com Guide Authors for Helping Entrepreneur Mike Salem

Dallas-based entrepreneur Mike Salem was considering launching a web-based business solutions company in mid-2007. Like many new business owners, he sought help online. Searching Yahoo for advice on how to market a new business, he discovered the how-to guides for business on Work.com.

Salem put Work.com on his toolbar of quick links, and in August 2007, Vorex, Inc. was formed. In July 2008, the firm launched one of several planned "advanced online business solutions" - Vorex Survey - an online survey tool with customizable features not offered by other survey solutions - and again Salem turned to Work.com for advice on how to let the world know.

"I use Work.com very often," says Salem. "It offers a wealth of information and we have turned to it all along as a source of information. Just this morning, I learned so much about PR and how to write a press release. I am in the process of writing our press release and distributing based on an expert article. Thank you for the wealth of information and guides you provide to all of us. Honestly, people like you are responsible for the success of many small businesses."

Did you hear that guide authors? Thank you for being part of a community that helps people get their start and succeed in business.

Have a Work.com success story? Did Work.com help you get your business off the ground? Let us know and we may feature you and your business!

Work.com Business Expert of the Week: Joel Libava

Joel Libava, of Cleveland, OH, is president of Franchise Selection Specialists, a franchise consulting and marketing business. He blogs about franchise trends, tips, traps, and truths at The Franchise King blog, hosts a green franchise directory, and has already written 6 Work.com guides on franchises. His latest one is:

Fitness Franchises

We look forward to more guides from you Joel! We're also enjoying the back-and-forth with you on Twitter.

Know how to do business in China?

Eve, your friendly Work.com editor who recently asked for more green business guides, thanks all of you who have let us know how we can make our businesses more green.

Now she's turning her attention to China. With the Olympics coming up soon in Beijing, more and more entrepreneurs want to know how to do business in China. Are you an old China hand? Do you have guanxi? Please share your advice about doing business from Bejiing to Guangzhou, as Shanghai-based business consultant Kenneth Wong and China Director for Accetis International Frank Mulligan already have! Xie xie ni.

Know about doing business in China? Spread the word - write a guide!

china, china business, beijing, entrepreneur, small business

Work.com Has 12,000+ Business How-to Guides

When did that happen? I remember the toasts we made here in the Santa Monica office when Work.com hit 1000 guides. More than 10,000 business how-to guides later, we're practically weaving and swaying around our cubicles! That's a lot of clinking our shot glasses. And our biggest toast goes out to you, our guide authors, who have openly shared your business advice with the Work.com community and beyond.

In honor of this milestone, I'd like to cite some of my favorite all-time guides that show the range of business topics at Work.com:

Resources for Starting a Business
Starting a Pool Hall
Learning Search Engine Optimization
Setting Up a Merchant Account
Creating a Great Business Plan
Twitter for Business

It's great to know that people are getting the information they need to start and run their businesses. As sharkyscorner says on the Starting a Pool Hall guide:

After receiving and following through with all the steps needed in starting my business I was able to hit the ground rolling...

Posted by: sharkyscorner  07/07/2008 12:53 PM

What guide has helped you with your business?

Meet the Work.com Crew - Eve Lopez <3's Green Business

We think it's time you met some of the Work.com staff. First, we're starting with associate editor Eve Lopez, who is a huge fan of green business and has been working really hard to find people who know about how to make businesses more green, and why that's good for business, to add to the growing set of Work.com green business how-to's.

Know about green business? Spread the word - write a guide!

Follow the Story of Two Brothers in Their 20's Trying to Grow a Startup Company

Oh and you can visit David Mullings and get more uncommon startup advice at his Think Globally Act Locally blog, where he and his brother share wise stories and gleaned wisdom from their startup adventures.

Mullings brothers, are you guys on Twitter yet?