Supporting Businesses
posted in Bricks and Mortar Business |In the past, each corporation had its own universe where the marketing team generated ads, the writing team kicked out copy, the sales team made follow-up calls, the research team conducted demographic surveys, the accountants plugged the numbers, the human resources department processed payroll and the chief executive board called the shots. Yet, as time went on, these jobs began to consolidate and employees found themselves wearing multiple hats. Somewhere along the line, some of these jobs would suffer. Today, more and more supporting businesses are popping up to lend their expertise to big businesses struggling with the recession. These startups are able to put the time and effort into the finer points — like assessing the effectiveness of an email campaign, drafting a well-written press release, advising companies how to incorporate or creating an off-the-wall social networking/viral video hit sensation. As it turns out, the slump in the economy hasn’t been a bad thing to everyone.
Today, copywriters are forming their own supporting businesses to offer their services to larger corporations. Finding the right “voice” for the company isn’t always easy. Sure, you could have your secretary write up a newsletter for you, but her degree is in Business Administration, not English, Journalism or Copywriting. These writers can maintain your company blog, bringing timely research and a vivacious tone to your enterprise. They can also publish top news with a press release, promote your article on a third party site with a link back to your homepage, or rewrite some of your site’s stale content. Adding more internal pages with valuable information for visitors is one thing that has been proven to attract web traffic.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is another area where supporting businesses thrive. Every homepage internet design should have searchable keywords, image tags and web copy that attracts visitors to the site. Professional SEO experts use a variety of analytic programs that let them know what industry-related terms people are looking up, what the most competitive search terms are and what words are best incorporated into a business’s homepage. By effectively designing your homepage with these factors in mind, your site will become a magnet for web traffic, thus increasing sales. Of course, some webpages have fundamental problems that send prospective clients fleeing. An SEO expert can let you know how many people are visiting, what pages they’re looking at, how long they’re browsing, which pages are sending clients elsewhere and where these dissatisfied visitors are going next. This research can be invaluable to a business.
Sometimes you may find you need supporting businesses to do your dirty work. The debt collecting business is one that seems recession-proof. Even though you end up paying the firm 10 to 60% of the outstanding debt, it’s better than getting nothing. Before you hire debt settlement or collecting help, be sure to contact the Better Business Bureau or the International Association of Professional Debt Arbitrators to make sure they’re legitimate. Similarly, banks have been calling in mortgage and foreclosure rescue companies to save nearly 1.7 million homes from foreclosure in 2006-2007. Before hiring a foreclosure assistance company, be sure to check with the Federal Trade Commission to be sure the company isn’t stewing in legal trouble.
Beth Kaminski is the co-author of Curing Your Anxiety And Panic Attacks which detailed end panic attacks as well as tips on the various anxiety disorder medication available at anxietydisordercure.com.
