Will there ever be pop superstars the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, The Beatles, and Elvis again? I remember as a kid in Zimbabwe, halfway across the world, worshiping Michael Jackson and his music. I knew at the time that my infatuation was shared by other fans all over the globe. His albums sold millions of copies globally. Thriller had an estimated record sale of over 110 million, a world record that hasn’t been matched by any other artist since. My friends and I all mimicked the moonwalk and emulated his every move – his music and dancing inspired us and others around the world. In a way, we felt united with every other person on the planet.

Our clients often ask us if they should add a blog to their company website. Often times, they’ve heard from a friend that blogs can improve search engine rankings or that somehow a blog will increase revenue from the site. In short, they are right – A blog can help with visibility in the search engines and it can boost sales on the site.   However, maintaining a quality blog does require continuous effort.

So, the question isn’t “should I have a company blog?” but rather, “do I have the time/resources to continually write and maintain a company blog and is it worth my time?” To answer to this question, we encourage you to consider some of the advantages and disadvantages of a company blog:

Advantages of a Company Blog

• Communicate news and promotions
• Announce product/service updates
• Discuss customer satisfaction and receive feedback

Quick Quiz: The phrase “Your domain name is about to expire” flashes across your inbox.  Do you A) Ignore it for the time being or B) Act immediately to remedy the issue?  The correct answer of course is B. Perhaps a better question might be, “Do you know when your domain will expire? Are you prepared?”

Domain name expiration and loss is an increasingly prevalent, costly, and potentially detrimental problem facing online businesses. It is now more likely than ever that your precious URL will be snatched away when it expires.  This is especially true if it is unique, catchy, or particularly market worthy.  In addition to businesses that want to use your domain name for themselves, other companies exist with the sole purpose of purchasing expired domains and selling them back at inflated prices, to you or the highest bidder!

By now, we are all tired of hearing it – stock market woes, the government bailing out banks, car manufacturers, airlines, and limited lending capabilities.  Understand that for most of us there will be no handouts, what is the small to midsize business to do? The answer, for the most part, may sound counter-intuitive.

In 2001, the majority of my clients were in the marine industry; boat manufacturers and the like.  Most of their products would be considered luxury items, or at best discretionary income items.  When the market suffered after 9/11, most of my clients were facing a hard truth.  Luxury items were falling by the wayside and sales and profits were falling dramatically.  People were scared with their money, and were “waiting to see what the market would do.”  My boss, and mentor at the time, met individually with most of our clients, and repeated the same mantra over and over:  “This is the time to gain market share, to establish a position of strength.”  After getting many raised eyebrows and few chuckles, he would go on to explain.  There is no easier time to gain market share than when everyone is contracting their marketing efforts.  The market will balance out again, people will spend again, and those that have made the effort to stay in front of the marketplace will stand to gain the most growth.

Whenever I see my Father typing an email to somebody or struggling to watch a video on his computer, I wonder how he has gotten along until now. I’m sure others of my generation have felt similarly about their parents. We have at our fingertips a multitude of communication vehicles that are largely foreign to the previous generation. And watching the previous generation try to use them can be somewhat painful to watch.

Watching him ‘hunt and peck’ for the letters on the keyboard, carefully composing his email with correct grammar, spelling, and all the formality you might expect in an actual paper letter, I can’t help but wonder how different his life and work must have been. I mean, just the idea that that someone can go through life and a career without learning to type completely mystifies me.