Access Profiles, Inc.

If so, you know how important it is to build a positive and trust-worthy brand. 

You understand the need to develop and sustain an image that reflects your core values and helps you build a solid reputation to attract and keep customers.

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Social Media is a fantastic way for businesses, especially small businesses, to build their brand and connect with existing and potential customers. It allows you to reach a wider audience and “spread the word” more often and much farther than more traditional marketing methods.

The key, however, it to be sure to use it to your best advantage. 



Start by recognizing that what you share online is a strong reflection of you and your company. It should always be in-line with your brand and core values. That is why compromising your reputation by being cavalier about what you post is not good business.



While this is relatively easy and clear on a site like LinkedIn, other sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are a little more murky.

To help achieve the separation you need, ask yourself these two questions: 

1. Do I have a dedicated business page? 
2. Do I use my personal page for business?

The Top 3 reasons You should Separate Your Business and Personal Social Sites: 

1. You don’t want to alienate potential clients
2. You want to keep your “Brand” consistent
3. You want to keep “crazy” things off your business pages

Alienating potential clients is never good for business. Anytime you share potentially controversial posts, you run this risk. That is why I avoid strong political and religious posts. You never know when what you say can keep you from landing a customer.  

Your “brand” should always be consistent. This is whether that brand is associated with your small business or it is your own professional persona. Anyone wanting to do business with or hire you, will look you up online. Posts or shares that go against the image you want to portray are detrimental and may even be dangerous to your success.

Keeping “crazy” posts from friends or online connections off my business pages is the number one reason I separate the business from the personal. You have very little control over what others post. And even if you hide them from your page, it may not be before their posts have been seen by someone they may offend. This could potentially lose you business or keep you from getting hired.

Learn more about why guarding both your business and personal online presence makes good business sense ~ and how you can accomplish it ~ in “Why You Need to Keep Your Personal & Business Social Media Separate”!






While separate pages is definitely recommended, I take it a step further. I am also extremely careful of what I like and post on my personal page.

That doesn’t mean I am impersonal and sterile. Even on my business page, I want people to know ME. After all, I am my company.

But my political and social views are my own! I won’t risk alienating or losing existing or potential clients over them. This is even more important in today’s political climate.




I regularly weigh in on issues that effect business and background checks. Things like new laws and regulations are common post subjects. 

I also share my thoughts on discrimination in hiring and women in business ~ both topics that are extremely important to me and are core values in my business. 

But it ends there.










Authored by   

Created by Kimberly Kline, API

Know how Your Small Biz is Different before Marketing It!  “Tweet This”

Take the time now to discover what makes you and what you do unique.  What is it that will make your company stand out from the crowd?  What is your true focus?  This will be your company “brand”. 

It starts with knowing what kind of business you want to run, especially when it comes to recognizing your core values.  Simply put, you need to know your “Why”!

Understanding first what it is that truly drives you and defines your idea of success makes sense.  It was this realization that helped me in my quest to market my own business. 

I found that “running the type of Background Check business where I feel a sense of accomplishment and that speaks to my desire to help others” needed to be the focus on my brand.  

Find out more about the importance of discovering your “Why” in, “I Know Why I Do What I Do!”.


Next you should concentrate on finding your niche.  To do that, it is important to once again take your “why” into consideration. 

For me, I recognized that “my passion was to help small business owners and women in business find their own success. (This helped me) identify my target market. This was my niche, and where I needed to focus my marketing efforts”, excerpt from “How to Find Your Small Business Niche”.  

Niche Marketing is especially important for a small business.  It helps you put your marketing time and money to its best use by focusing on a well-defined audience.



Your Marketing Strategy should include:

The Products or Services You want to Offer
My advice, start small.  Offer only those things you can do well, and be ready to promote these in your marketing efforts.  Spreading yourself too thin at this point is not productive.  Making sure you are showcasing your company’s strengths is!

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Your Ideal Client
It is best to determine your ideal client by utilizing your niche.  Ask yourself what kind of customers fit in that niche.  Then hone your marketing in on them and how best to reach them.

How You Plan on “Selling” What You Do
Start with developing a quick “blurb” that captures what you do and why ~ and be ready to use it whenever possible!  Generate concrete examples of how your products or services will help solve your clients’ problems and include these in your marketing strategy. Also being able to show how using your services is cost-effective goes a long way towards “selling” them to potential clients!  

Created by Kimberly Kline, API

Social Media
All businesses, even small businesses, need to include social media in their marketing efforts.  Creating profiles on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and the myriad of other social sites out there, is a great way to give your company a “face”.  However, don’t make the mistake of thinking you must use them all to be effective.  Picking even one or two to start out with is fine.  
The key is to use the sites you choose to your best advantage.  Be present.  Be consistent.  Be “social”.  But most of all, be careful of what you post.  Remember, what you share online is a reflection of you and your company.  Make sure whatever you share is inline with your core values and your brand.  Compromising your reputation by being cavalier about what you post is not good business.  

Find out more tips on how to best use Social Media to market your Small Business in, “Small Business Tips from ‘People in the Know’!”.


Blogging
For me, blogging has definitely been the best way to market my brand.  It is also an effective way to be seen as a “go to” voice in your field.  Through blogging you can share things like industry news, valuable insights, and even guidelines to help your clients.  It is also a way to let your passion and focus shine through.    

But as with anything social media, content and consistency are key. You will gain nothing by posting articles that are not the best you have to offer.  Start out slow and keep the quality high.  This is definitely where quality over quantity rules!

Discover more about the benefits of Small Business blogging here!

And if you need some one-on-one help to get you started, or to revamp your existing blog, then find out how we can help in, “Are You Afraid of Starting Your Small Business Blog?”.  


Email Marketing
Have you ever considered Email Marketing?  If not, you should!  It is a great way to keep in touch with those you have already forged some kind of connection with, whether it is through your blog, your existing clients, or interested potential clients.

With this type of marketing, your focus should be on sharing relevant news that will inform or even entertain your connections.  It could be about changes in your industry, new products or services you are offering, etc.  The key is to make sure what you share is quality information that is in line with you and your brand.

If you decide to try Email Marketing, you must allow your contacts the opportunity to opt out of receiving your emails.  Otherwise, you risk alienating the very people you want to reach.

Local Business Groups
Joining local business groups will help you create ties to your community.  It also gives you the chance to network with other area companies.  But, most importantly, it gives you the opportunity to forge strong reciprocal relationships with other local businesses.

Building these types of relationships can really help your business grow and succeed.  

Your Existing Relationships
Don’t be shy.  Let your family, friends, and even old co-workers, know that you are starting a business.  Share with them what you do and why.  Enlist their help in spreading the word. 

Cold Calling
This is easier if you are a B2B type of business.  Before calling, do a little research.  Find out the best person to contact for what you are trying to sell. Keep track of when you call, who you speak with, and what they say .  Be prepared ~ you will most likely not get much traction initially.  You may need to contact them multiple times before you get anywhere. This is where your call list will come in handy.  But remember, if anyone requests that you not call again, then don’t.  You want your contact to keep you in mind, but you don’t want to be a pest.

If the company you want to reach is local, you may even consider a drop-in visit.  While definitely not easy, reaching out to potential clients with a phone call or in person, shows your commitment to and belief in your business.


Look at marketing your Small Business as a process.  Mastering each step before moving forward will go a long way towards yielding the results you want.





Authored by   

We believe blogging is the singular most enjoyable and rewarding thing we have done for our Small Business. And here is why…….

To be Seen as an Expert in Your Field ~
You can Share your Skills & Knowledge  
Reach current & potential new customers  

Build Trust in Your Company ~ 
Become the “Go To” person in your Field!
Help Solve Your Clients Problems
Think Quality, not Quantity!  

Build Relationships ~ 
Create a dialog with your readers (comments, feedback)
Show them Who You & Your Company really are (core values) 
Focus on your unique take on your subject. This is a great way to show your personal side!

Reach & Convert Potential Clients ~ Great benefit! 
Getting you and your business “out there”  
Convert those “potential” clients into real ones!

Build Brand Awareness & Promote Your Business ~
Share YourProducts / Services (how they can help your clients)
Share what makes Your Brand Unique 
Share a Current Event, Sale, or Special Promotion

There are many different types of blogs you can write. What works for you will depend upon your business and your audience. But, most likely, you will want to use at a few different kinds to keep your readers interested.

Created by Kimberly Kline

• How to's and tutorials
• Lists: share your favorite apps, sites, etc.
• Reviews: this could be of your own product or comparing other's products
• Infographics
• Interviews
• Blog Series: breaking down a topic into multiple posts is a great way to share long or complicated ideas

There are some questions you need to ask yourself and decisions you need to make before you start your blog.

You Will Need to:
Choose a Platform ~
Blogger & Wordpress most common, but the key is to use whatever is easiest for You!

Know Your Audience ~ 
This is an important step. Knowing this will help keep you focused.

Know Your Core Values ~  
It is crucial that you know what you and your company stand for. This helps you keep a consistent “voice”. 

Find out more about the importance of Core Values in Your Small Business and blog in "I Know Why I Do What I Do"! 

Create Your “Voice” / Niche ~
This will be your Main Focus.  Understanding your "voice" helps you chose blog topics and further your brand! Explore the benefits of creating a niche here! 

Name Your Blog ~ 
Whatever you choose, it is important to keep it consistent with your brand. It should blend easily with all your other social media sites.

Decide How Often You want to Blog ~ 
The most crucial thing is to make this schedule work FOR You & Be Consistent!


If you help others, they will help you. Be sure to share other blogs and leave comments. Most likely, they will reciprocate!  

Find out more about starting your blog in “Have You Ever Considered Starting a Blog?  If Not, You Should!” 


While dry spells can happen to anyone, there are a few “go-to” sources that will keep you inspired.

Where to get blogging inspiration:

• Questions from Clients
• Questions from Readers 
• Questions from YOU to Your Readers (these are often the best!)
• News & Developments in your industry
• Targeted Keyword Phrases

• afraid of the commitment
• stuck for ideas
• interested in having a cache of articles on hand to use when time is tight 
• in need of some help during busy times or vacation
• interested in someone polishing up what you have already written

Authored by  

• Turn Your “Pitch” into a “Promise” ~ When you meet people it is a common practice to answer the question “what do you do?” with the infamous elevator “pitch” which can come across as “salesy” and impersonal. Instead, think in terms of a “promise”. Your “promise” should be positioned to share what you can do FOR someone. It should be less about you and more about how you can help the person you are talking to. This will come across more personal and genuine to the person you are talking to and open the door for further discussion.

• Collect Fewer Business Cards and Have More Meaningful Conversations ~ Many times people measure networking success by the number of business cards they collect at an event. If you can’t match a face to the card then you probably didn’t have a meaningful and memorable conversation. Having a significant conversation with 3-4 people at an event will produce greater results while networking because you are building relationships rather than collecting contacts. Cultivating relationships is key to networking success.  

• Qualify Your Conversations for More Productive Follow-up ~ Most people flop the follow-up in networking because they are meeting a ton of people, have collected a boatload of business cards and frankly don’t have time to follow-up with so many people. You don’t have to follow-up with everyone you meet but you do need to follow-up with the right people. As you are having more meaningful conversations with fewer people, you next need to qualify the conversations you have to prioritize your follow-up. You should assess your conversations based on how much rapport you have and to what extent you can help the person you are talking to, then you can follow-up as needed with a specific action. You may find you don’t have any reason to follow-up with someone, so don’t.

• When Networking or Talking about Your Biz Informally: Make Direct Eye Contact with Members of Your Audience ~ When you want to drive home a point or influence key people, hold the contact for 5 seconds.

• Use Humor, Stories and Personal Experiences to make your talk more interesting and memorable.

• Begin Your Speech with a Quote, Story, Interesting Fact, or a Startling Statistic – not “Hi, my name is Joe and my speech is about…”.  For example ~ (and this is something I used to do): "Did you realize that your home could be a toxic waste site? The average home today contains 62 toxic chemicals. I have a business helping people get rid of those kinds of products and start using safe green products. I recently talked to a woman whose tropical birds died. She told me she cleaned her mini blinds and 5 minutes later came back to discover her birds were dead. I asked her what she used and she said Lysol. I told her Lysol is a pesticide. She didn't realize how dangerous it was." So while looking the person in the eye, I used a startling fact to get her attention, then told what I do (not a title), then shared a quick story that shows I know what I'm talking about and that will create a lasting impression. This is what develops business.

• Keep It Simple ~ People aren’t motivated by what you say; they’re motivated by what they understand. The best way to ensure audience understanding is to break down complex ideas into simple components.

• Find Out as Much as You Can about Your Audience ~ and then customize your presentation.  Your audience will feel cared about. This will generate valuable good will, which is especially crucial when you're delivering hostile or controversial information.

• Plan and Practice a Strong Introduction ~ People make judgments about you based on the first 4 minutes they observe you.

• Avoid Sounding Self-Centered or Self-Serving (unless the topic calls for it) ~ Use 10 “YOUs” for every “I.”

• Practice Your Presentation out Loud ~ The way it comes out when you vocalize it is nothing like the way it sounds in your head. This practice will also help you gauge how long each section will take

• Have a Backup Plan in case Your Technology (ie, PowerPoint) Fails ~ You may have to present from memory and without a single visual tool if you don't.

This week in “Small Business Spotlight”, I would like to highlight Diane Bianchi and her small business, Business Expansion Enterprises!



Business Expansion Enterprises is a locally owned and operated business consultant practice founded by Diane Bianchi.  Diane has been a small business owner with her husband Walt for the past 10 years.  They first partnered in a carpet and upholstery cleaning business and, since closing that in October 2012, have started a new venture.


Diane has first-hand experience on what it’s like to run a small business in the present day economy and, with her husband, has succeeded in continuing to expand the carpet cleaning business using tools she learned from education and from experience.


Over time, Diane has observed the failing economy in the Mon Valley area (an area along the Monongahela River 20 miles South of Pittsburgh) and decided to do something about it.


Diane wanted to share her knowledge and experience with other small business owners in the area.  Her goal is to help them to flourish and prosper, despite any non-optimum economic conditions.


That is how Business Expansion Enterprises was born!  B.E.E. will help you and your company Set and Achieve Business Goals,  Organize Your Business, Manage Finances and Statistics, and Help You Become more Efficient. 


B.E.E. also specializes in Marketing, including internet and Social Media Marketing.  Diane can help you set up your social media accounts and offers the ongoing “day to day” services of posting updates and links to keep your business’ social media presence current.


Diane’s goal is to truly help other small business owners expand and grow their business.  She is committed to helping you fulfill your dreams of creating your own business and has the expertise give you the tools you need.


If you are interested learning more about what Business Expansion Enterprises can offer, Please Contact Diane by phone at 724-613-2899 or by email at .


You can also visit her website for more information!






For more articles in the “Small Business Spotlight” series, be sure to visit Access Profiles - “Week in Review”.  You can also learn more about Small Business Issues at www.accessprofiles.com or the API Blog.  Thanks!

We were amazed by the reticence and confusion about what having a blog can do for a business,  especially a Small Business. We know what blogging has done for ours, and we believe it can help you too......

• Who is Your Audience?

• What Do You Want to Share with Your Audience

This is an important step in your blogging journey. Being focused at this juncture is crucial in creating your “voice” or niche in the market. 

• What Do You Want to Name Your Blog?

• Do Your Readers Have a Way to Contact You Within Your Blog?

• Do You Have a Plan for Dealing with Comments?

• Finally, Are You Willing to Put the Time and Effort into Your Blog?