With all of this being said, a website that is poorly put together is, in most cases, just as bad as not having a website at all. Some business owners believe that running a good website for the business is essentially useless, or that “no one is going to look at it.” This false generalization overlooks the fact that more and more customers from all demographics are using the internet to locate the products and services they desire and need. If your business’ website is “invisible” to the common public who is searching for what you sell, or if the content or presentation on your website is lacking, you are losing out on this large potential customer base who is looking to spend money on what you have to offer.

Here are four tips you can implement to ensure that your small business’ website is up to par and ready to generate revenue:

1. Start with Keyword Research

Unlike writing an essay, where your focus should be on diversifying your language and avoiding repetition, the content on a website should focus on a targeted group of keywords that best describe the product you sell. There are many online tools available to conduct keyword research that will help you estimate how popular a given keyword is locally and nationally, and come up with similar keyword you may want to target. You should incorporate these keywords in a deliberate fashion into the body of your website, but don’t go overboard. Search engines need to be able to categorize your website based on the keywords you provide, but there is a such thing as too much. A good rule of thumb is to keep the content of your site as easy to read and engaging as possible for humans, not for search engines.

2. Don’t “yell” at people to buy your product. Let them come to their own conclusions

Most internet users in 2012 are savvy enough to realize that any website domain ending in “.com” is probably trying to sell them something. They are also good enough at navigating the internet to quickly close any pop-up ads, press “mute” on ads that make noise, and to naturally close pages that are laden with flashy, animated advertisements that take away from the actual content of the website. Furthermore, trying to “trick” customers by incorporating inconspicuous advertisements into your website that trick them into clicking but then take them away from the actual content they were viewing is a good way of basically encouraging those users not to return to your site. The smartest strategy is to focus on writing fantastic content that convinces the user they need your product. If you don’t already have a content writer at your business, have one of your best sales people help you come up with written content. You should be as detailed, honest, and descriptive as possible.

3. Emphasize your credibility

Many potential customers who land on your site for the first time are going to be skeptical about your credibility. There are millions of websites online that are trying to sell them something – and many of these sites are scams. This is why it is crucial to emphasize your business’ credibility throughout your website. Either through real testimonials whose providers offer their real names and locations; through badges that show the organizations with which your business is affiliated; or through any other types of awards you have won that make your business appear more trustworthy. Customers will be much more likely to give you money (especially through an online payment) if they trust that many other clients have done so and have been satisfied with the results.

4. Focus on the most visible websites that point to your website

If a client is looking for information about your business or your product, your website is most likely not the only place they are going to look. Search engines work to provide your customers with a variety of resources with which to receive a glimpse of what your business does from various perspectives and not only your own. This is why it is extremely important to “Google” or perform any search on your business so you can see what the client sees. Even if your business’ website is spectacular and highly profitable, you could be plagued by a poor review that is blatantly obvious to potential customers on your search results page. Websites such as Google Places, Yelp, Menupages, the Better Business Bureau, and other rating sites have sat comfortably on the first or second page of Google search results for most business or restaurant searches for years now. If your business has an outstanding complaint on one of these websites that has not been addressed for a while, there may be a large set of customers who are reluctant to buy from you until these reviews improve.

1. Insufficient Research

One simple mistake many businesses make is always relying on products and services that the business owner already knows about as the products and services the business to be used by the business. This could range from the bank the business relies on for financing to the internet provider or even hosting company that the business uses to host a website. Just because certain services are the best marketed, most visible, and seemingly most popular does not mean that they will be the best or cheapest option for your business. Even if the biggest banks are the most well suited to the business owner on a personal financial basis, these same banks might be notoriously unreliable when it comes to small business lending. This is why it is imperative to make comparisons before purchasing any service or item for the business – even if it feels safer or easier to simply purchase the product you already know about, this could cost you a lot more than your business can afford to spend.

2. Not Reaching New Customers

Small business owners are entrepreneurial people – they enjoy making new friends and cultivating relationships with dozens of other individuals who work in various industries. In fact, some small business owners are so social that they are able to start a business and generate revenue exclusively off people they already know. This can prove to be a major problem for the business for a number of reasons. Firstly, if your friends and connections are the only people buying your product, you will have no way of receiving an objective review of whatever it is that you are selling. In other words, it is likely the case that your friends will give you a biased review since they like you, whereas new customers have nothing to lose by telling you the truth. Furthermore, relying on people you know to buy your product can only last so long. If and when your existing friends and clients become saturated or satisfied with your product, you will lose the majority of your customer base. It is crucial to leverage your existing connections by creating incentives for them to spread the word about your business – and it is even more important to start doing this the day your business opens.

3. Not Knowing When to Take Out Additional Financing

Many misinformed business owners believe that taking out bank loans or unsecured business funding is not ideal because it will take a devastating toll on the business when it’s time to repay the money that was loaned. However, what these business owners don’t realize is that, even if they aren’t in a position where they owe money to a financial lender, they might not be generating the amount of revenue that they could potentially reach if they had a larger financial pool to work with. It is not always the case that applying for small business funding is a last resort to the business. Many businesses would not have achieved their level of growth and prosperity without the initial loan or cash advance they used to fund the business.

4. Always Choosing the Cheapest Option

There are many cases when it is not wise to skimp on business finance. For instance, if you choose to purchase used machines, cars, or electronic devices for your business, you might simply be setting yourself up to spend more money and waste time fixing these broken items further down the road. Furthermore, you want to demonstrate to your customers that you use the latest products and technologies – it will reflect better on your business and show that you put effort into keeping up with the trends.

5. Not Seeking Outside Help

Even if you have to pay for it, one of the smartest things you can do for your business is to talk to someone (preferably a small business professional) about the details of your business to see how you could be generating more revenue and better marketing your product. Too many business owners rely on their own networks for this advice and are unable to see the larger picture about areas where their business could be improved. Consider contacting a representative at your local SCORE location or seeking out other professional services offered within your community. It may shed light upon details of your business that you never before considered.

Has your business made any of these mistakes? Or, on the contrary, have any of these factors helped your business? Share your stories with us.

Here at Entrust, we pride ourselves on our ability to work on a case-by-case basis with many different business types, to be able to provide creative funding solutions for businesses who need additional working capital – even if they have been rejected by other Merchant Cash Advance Companies.

Here are some of the High-Risk business types that we work with on a daily basis to meet their financing needs:

• Beauty & Nutritional Businesses (and in some cases, online businesses providing these products)
• Construction Businesses
• Electronics Businesses
• Fitness Centers, Health Clubs, and Personal Trainers
• Furniture Stores
• Gas Stations
• Glass Tinting Businesses
• Grocery Stores
• Lawn Service Stores
• Rims and Wheels Shops
• Schools, Learning, and Tutoring Centers
• Travel and Tour Agencies
• Other online / e-commerce businesses

For these businesses, being denied cash advance business funding can feel like adding insult to injury, as many of these businesses are immediately denied other forms of traditional business funding because of the industry in which they operate. Entrust Cash Advance understands that these businesses will never be able to succeed if they are repeatedly denied the very funding they need to pull themsleves out of the tough spot that many were left in after the 2008 economic crash. For this reason, we work with High Risk merchants on a case by case basis to come up with a funding agreement that both of us can agree on.

Learn more about our merchant cash advance funding program or see how much your business qualifies for today.

Here are three trips every optimistic business owner should consider in 2012 before starting a business:

1. Understand What Secured Loans and Collateral Mean For You

If you were one of the few business owners lucky enough to receive a loan from a major bank, you might have overlooked or not thought hard about the fact that these loans are collateralized and secured. What does this mean for you? It means that in the case that you default and are unable to pay back your loan, the bank can seize your home (or whatever else you used as collateral). Even if the banks claim that they will release your home after a year, in many cases, this is not the case: the banks will seize your home unless you are able to provide alternative collateral. What many business owners fail to realize is that there are unsecured loans they can apply for where the lender, and not the business, is at risk if the business fails. This type of financing is ideal for many new businesses who are struggling in this recession.

2. Consider the Worst Case Scenario Before You Start

Face it: there is the likelihood, no matter how small you believe it to be, that your business will fail. You need to be in a position to be able to accept responsibility if this occurs, and it will be anything but easy. Your investor might sue you or otherwise find a way to try to get his money back. You might have to liquidate your investments or savings to afford the cost of losing the business. If you are in a position where these types of consequences could be permanently damaging to your life, it might not be the best time or place to start a small business.

3. The More Elaborate Market Research You Conduct, The Better

Don’t only rely on your own personal observations or those of your close friends and family when it comes to market research of the people who will be exposed to your business. Even if you think you have a solid handle on customer behavior in your community and the types of potential clients your business will reach, extensive market research could provide results that you never expected. Knowing this information before you build your business could be a lifesaver. You might find that there is a better location for your business, a more specific product to sell, or a different demographic that you should be targeting. Be sure your business plan includes this elaborate market research before you engage in any financial transactions.

This predicament is a serious, recurring problem that has continuously stunted the growth of the U.S. economy since the onset of the Great Recession in 2008. These businesses are unable to hire new employees, market their product to their fullest capacity, or purchase the newest supplies and inventory available to them because they don’t have that extra financial boost that will take their business to the next level.

According to Chris Free, the CEO of MFG.com, who was interviewed in the CNN article:

“Any prudent business owner knows that cash is king. When funding is tight, you go into preservation mode, you restrict appetite for expansion and this hurts the economy,” said Free. “We all feel it.”

A Solution

The article fails to point out that there is a small business financing method that has become increasingly popular for the very reason of lack of access to business working capital. Merchant cash advance funding specifically addresses small businesses, such as the manufacturing businesses mentioned in this article, who are facing limitations because banks are denying them additional financing to grow. Although many believe cash advances to be a form of small business funding that is best suited to businesses that are hurting or desperate for capital, this is not the case. Cash advances are specifically designed for businesses who are processing at least $4k a month in credit cards (or $10k a month if the business is cash only) – so it is not the case that 100% of businesses qualify. But with the numbers mentioned in the CNN article, it is clear that many of these manufacturing businesses who need additional working capital would easily qualify for a merchant cash advance which could help their businesses to hire the additional staff, pay for new supplies, and market their product. In short, a cash advance would help these businesses grow even though the banks played no part in the funding process.

If you run a small business, we’d be more than happy to interview you for our Small Business Interview Series. In exchange, you get free press and a high quality back-link back to your business’ website, which will help you gain exposure and boost your rankings on Search Engines!

The process is simple!

1. We will interview your business either through a short online questionnaire or over the phone.
2. You tell us about your business and give us answers to the questions we asked.
3. We will feature you on the Entrust Cash Advance Blog, including a link back to your website!

Email Us With the Subject “Small Business Interview Series” to Sign Up!

]]> http://entrustcashadvance.com/small-business-interview-series-application/feed 1 http://entrustcashadvance.com/a-small-business-lesson-to-learn-from-chobani-yogurt-company http://entrustcashadvance.com/a-small-business-lesson-to-learn-from-chobani-yogurt-company#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 15:53:10 +0000 Lily http://entrustcashadvance.com/?p=68886 Continue reading →]]> The popular Greek yogurt company, Chobani, has taken home this year’s “Entrepreneurial Success of the Year” award given out by the Small Business Administration. Chobani represents a small business triumph: although the company started as only 5 employees, it has since grown to over 1,200 – and it’s still expanding! Since its inception in 2005, Chobani has since become the top selling yogurt company in the U.S. What lessons can we learn from their tremendous success story?

1. Consumers’ Preferences are Changing

The most important lesson to be learned by Chobani’s success is that consumers are beginning to show a strong preference for healthy, all natural, organic products.



Courtesy of www.chobani.com

Due to a raised awareness about the skyrocketing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other health issues caused by poor eating habits, many consumers are beginning to make healthier decisions that reflect in the purchases they make. Chobani perfectly timed the release of their product to tap into this lucrative market as it gained traction.

2. Learn how to Anticipate Future Trends

One wise move Chobani executed upon releasing their product was to anticipate a growth in demand for healthy products, and to release their Greek yogurt product accordingly. Upon entering into the market, very few American customers even knew what Greek yogurt was. But as more and more began to focus on purchasing healthy products, Greek yogurt grew in popularity. Chobani was one of a few companies even offering the product at the time, leading to its inevitable success.

3. Smart Marketing Can Turn Customers Onto Products They Never Knew About

Chobani’s decision to create a product that is entirely all-natural gave them leverage to market their product in a way that truly set them apart from competitors. Because Greek yogurt is inherently high in protein, calcium, potassium, and many healthy probiotics, they could use this information to appeal to a customer base that might have never even known about Greek yogurt’s health benefits. They were able to capitalize on the unique aspects of their product to appeal to customers who, in many cases, were new to identifying healthy, nutritious food products.

4. Time Your Loans Correctly

Chobani would not have seen its rate of success and growth were it not for its perfectly timed use of an SBA-backed small business loan and the way in which they chose to spend their funds. According to the Washington Post, the founder of Chobani “purchased an old Kraft Foods plant in New Berlin, N.Y., using an SBA 504 loan secured through KeyBank and the Empire State Certified Development Corporation” in 2005. He then spent 2 years crafting and perfecting his product. This strategy of using the financing in a strategically calculated fashion shows that owner Hamdi Ulukaya had a well-crafted plan for the trajectory of his business. It is always important to write a good business plan that focuses on how to spend your business financing over time.

]]> http://entrustcashadvance.com/a-small-business-lesson-to-learn-from-chobani-yogurt-company/feed 0 http://entrustcashadvance.com/may-day-protesters-turn-destructive-a-response-from-entrust http://entrustcashadvance.com/may-day-protesters-turn-destructive-a-response-from-entrust#comments Wed, 02 May 2012 16:38:44 +0000 Entrust http://entrustcashadvance.com/?p=68872 Continue reading →]]> Yesterday was “May Day,” or International Workers Day, which is an international holiday set up to celebrate the labor movement. Occupy Wall Street protesters took the opportunity to use May Day as a way to advocate on behalf of laborers by protesting income inequality and unjust corporate practices. While we at Entrust believe that the protesters’ hearts are in the right place and we do believe that there needs to be a major restructuring of the way that Wall Street operates, we disagree with many of the methods the protesters used to get there message across this past week.

In Seattle and San Francisco, May Day Protesters took to the streets and literally destroyed the storefronts of many small businesses throughout their city. San Francsico’s Mission District took a major hit, as protestors deliberately caused damage to their local businesses. According to SF Gate,

The vandals damaged restaurants, bakeries and clothing stores, along with at least 17 cars on Valencia and Guerrero streets. An expensive Aston Martin had its windshield shattered, but the protesters damaged everyday cars as well.

A similar situation occurred in Seattle, where a group of protesters who called themselves the “Black Bloc,” destroyed cars and businesses with crowbars, hammers, sticks, rocks, and other dangerous object in an apparent attempt to get their message across. The chaos resulted in violence and, ultimately, 8 arrests by the police.

The obvious question here is: how can you advocate on behalf of workers and “the little guy” and simultaneously destroy the small businesses in your city? What did the Mom and Pop shop do to deserve to have its window smashed in? Those businesses feel the effects of the bad economy every day – they are on your side. Plus, now they will have to seek out additional financing for their business to pay for the damage. To add to this, many of these businesses currently find it impossible to get business loans from big banks for the very same reasons that the protesters are raising hell in the first place.

So our request is simple: by all means, take to the streets and raise awareness when injustice occurs. But do us a favor and spare the small businesses – they are hurting too, and the last thing they need is unexpected costs to pay for with money that they probably don’t have.

Thanks,
Entrust Merchant Solutions


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