Each and every year people around the world mark the first day of the New Year with resolutions. They resolve to do a wide variety of things, and while few resolutions are actually kept, the tradition is a hallmark of the holiday each year.
Experts suggest that people should make lifestyle changes rather than resolutions. I am a bit more pragmatic. Tackle a task you know that you can succeed at. Do not bite off more than you can chew, and you will be one of the few who manages to keep their resolutions. Here are a few suggested resolutions for webmasters and small business owners:
Webmasters Resolutions:
1. Prune Those RSS Feeds
Large feeds are slow to load, its time to prune those RSS feeds and remove the old contents. Dated feed items can be archived as an HTML web page, but should be removed from the actual feed, to ensure that it loads quickly.
2. Update Copyright Notices
Make an effort to update the copyright notice on your website. A current date will reassure customers that your online storefront is active.
3. Update Meta Tags
Each and every web page on a website should contain a unique title and description. Update and optimize meta tags to avoid excessive use of keywords. Meta tags should be accurate and concise without redundancy and recurring words.
4. House Cleaning
Update old links and remove any links that are no longer valid. HTML is a markup language and without constant maintenance it is easy to have a page with an unclosed tag. While some web browsers make allowances for poorly formed HTML, it is important to realize that not all do. Therefore, it is crucial that you take a look at the HTML behind the web page and make sure that it is properly formed.
5. Try Something New
Pick a technology, be it podcasting, RSS, or social bookmarking. Resolve to try or resolve to learn something new. Businesses stagnate without innovation. Be creative and willing to experiment a little.
Small Business Resolutions:
1. Have a Plan
Small businesses often rely on just a handful of individuals and few small businesses have contingency plans if key individuals are unavailable for any length of time. Cross train employees and document procedures so that your business will survive regardless of the circumstances.
2. Prepare a Budget for 2007 and Stick to It.
Determine where and how you intend to spend your business' hard earned cash in the coming year. Too many small businesses fail to follow a business plan. Build a budget and stick to it.
3. Define Yourself
As a small business it is important to know your strengths and weaknesses. Identify your strengths and reinforce those strengths in your communication with your customers or potential customers. Be aware of any weaknesses or deficiencies in your small business, and do not over commit. Use this knowledge to stay competitive with other businesses.
4. Use Metrics
It is difficult to know what works and what does not if you are not tracking metrics. Measure the results of advertising campaigns, track website visitors and use metrics to determine what works for your business.
5. Communicate
Communicate with your customers more. Few small businesses understand the value of communication, or realize what they can learn from past, current and potential customers. Communicate and you might learn important information about your business. The unique perspective an outsider can provide about how they are using or product, or what interested them about your business is invaluable.
Resolutions are easier made than kept. In 2007, consider paring down your list and focusing on resolutions that are attainable and will help your bottom line.
Innovation and uniqueness are the true hallmark of a business. While most people will assume that the innovation and uniqueness need to be launched on a grand scale, the fact of the matter is that many time, small scale subtle innovations can go a long way in terms of leaving a positive impression on people who may be potential clients or customers to a business. In fact, subtleties can prove more successful than overblown attention grabbers as people general do not like being hit over the head with promotional items.
Photo stamps are such a subtlety that can great help a business by adding a small touch that will not go unnoticed by people who receive a letter in which a photo stamps are prominently displayed. For those unfamiliar with what photo stamps are, they are simply a novel spin on the traditional stamp printing device. Instead of the postage printing spitting out a generic stamp where red ink displays the dollar amount of the postage, a photo stamp device will display any photograph on selects on the stamp. So, instead of having to go out and ask people to sign petitions as was done in order to get the Universal Monsters stamps and the Elvis Stamp, a person can simply print out a stamp that displays whatever image they would wish to have printed.
Such touches do not go unnoticed by the public when they receive a letter in the mail that is carrying a unique photo that they had never seen before nor expected to appear on a stamp. It is an eye catching trick that will separate the mail they receive from a company that employs such a concept as opposed to remembering those companies that utilize traditional, generic stamps.
This has a far greater impact than one would imagine as it speaks volumes about a company. It shows that the company is novel and hip and willing to take chances. It looks like the company is proactive as opposed to other companies that would not care enough to add little subtle personalized touches. A photo stamp machine will a business or company to stand out from the crowd and that is highly important for any small business to do.
When a business sets itself apart from the crowd, it will do better business than all those who are lumped into the generic crowd so it is wise to not overlook any possibilities that can lead to higher, better exposure. A photo postage stamp machine can be acquired quite easily and would be a tremendous addition to any business.
Both Sharon Housley & Craig Thornburrow are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Sharon Housley has sinced written about articles on various topics from Anger Control, Writing and Music. About the Author:Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll software for creating,. Sharon Housley's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.
Craig Thornburrow has sinced written about articles on various topics from Debts Loans, Debt Consolidation and Affiliate Programs. Craig Thornburrow is an acknowledged expert in his field. You can get more free advice on photo stamps and at. Craig Thornburrow's top article generates over 135000 views. to your Favourites.