Tribal Blogs

Intuit Bank of America Phishing Scam

Filed under Scams by Jennifer Brown on January 27, 2012 at 4:11 pm {no comments}

The Intuit and Bank of America phishing scam is a little disturbing because at first glance it looks pretty authentic. I received this email scam from what looked like a real email address. Of course I don’t have an account with Bank of America but for a brief moment I wondered if my taxes were somehow routed that way as we did our taxes using Intuit software. It was enough to make me hesitate.

This email from Bank of America who use their free online tax services is a scam and if you click on it you might get your computer infected with malware or worse access you online accounts.

As with any questionable email please contact the company (if you do business with them) using contact information you already possess. Don’t call or click on the numbers in the email.

Dunkin’ Donuts Phishing Email Scam (tribalblogs.com)
Southwest Airlines Phishing Scam (tribalblogs.com)
Better Business Bureau Phishing Scam: What to do if You Receive Fake BBB Email (tribalblogs.com)
Scam Alert, Phishing Scam, Malware ACH Debit Transfer (tribalblogs.com)

Creative and Inexpensive Ways to Promote Your Graphic Design Business

Filed under Blog Strategy, Marketing, Small Business Blogging, Tips and Tricks by Guest Post on January 27, 2012 at 9:55 am {no comments}

Remember how you told your parents you wanted to be an artist when you grew up and they calmly tried to explain to you how some jobs will keep you well fed, with a roof overhead, and others will leave you, well, a starving artist? Luckily, you were born into an era of unparalleled technological expansion. The demand for digital artistry has opened a whole new world for creative types with an eye for layout and design and the technical wherewithal to bring their artistic sensibilities to the online arena. Of course, it’s not enough to be good at what you do; there are plenty of competitors out there ready to snake your prospective clients. You also need to promote your business in order to ensure that the right people find you and choose you over the competition. So here are just a few tips that will have you up to your eyeballs in work.

Branding

A good place to start is with branding. You’re probably having visions of massive ad campaigns that have no discernible or quantifiable effect. This is a common misconception surrounding the term because many people feel that “branding” is only something large corporations do, probably in order to convince an unsuspecting public that it’s okay to take over foreign markets (driving local business out), engage in unfair trade practices, and pollute to their heart’s content in countries that don’t have strict environmental regulations. Okay, so maybe you haven’t thought about it that much. But let’s be clear on one thing: branding helps everyone.

You need to at least formulate an idea of what your business stands for, or your ideals (try writing a mission statement), how you want your customers to perceive you, and how you can go about ensuring that clients have the best possible experience so that they become your brand ambassadors. It costs you nothing to consider the benefits of branding and it stands to improve your business dramatically.

Networking

However, there are more direct means of self-promotion. One easy step to start with is becoming a joiner. Networking is an essential part of promotion and it is often free (or at least inexpensive). Call your local Chamber of Commerce to find out what you need to do to join up, as well as the potential benefits of doing so. Then look for industry forums to join online. Some have job boards that you can post your services on or use to look for work. You may even get some overflow from colleagues you connect with, so it’s well worth the effort.

Ad Sharing

But what about advertising? Isn’t that how most businesses promote themselves? The answer is yes, but it can be pretty expensive. Here, too, the internet offers solutions. If you have a business website (and you’d better) you can try ad sharing. It’s generally free and all you have to do is host member ads on your own site while they host your ads on their sites. It’s pretty straightforward. But you can also use social networking accounts (Facebook and Twitter) to bring advertising efforts to friends and followers, reach out to related blogs to seek reviews and offer discounted services for their members, or even try “appvertising” (running ads in select apps). The point is, the opportunities for promoting your business online are practically limitless; and there are so many ways to get your name out there for less (or even for free). You simply have to be proactive and display the same creativity that landed you in graphics design in the first place.

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Evan Fischer is a contributing writer for The Web Shoppe –Website Design Fargo, handling all of your website design, marketing, and content management needs.

Graphic Designer Salary (celebritynetworth.com)
How can web design packages benefit small businesses? (marketing.yell.com)
Marketing Trends for 2012 (graycatmarketing.wordpress.com)
8 Creative Ways to Customize Your Facebook Business Page (hubspot.com)

Creative and Inexpensive Ways to Promote Your Graphic Design Business

Microblogging Success: How to Create a Tumblr for Your Business

Filed under Blog Strategy, Guest Posts, Small Business Blogging by Rachel Hyun Kim on January 26, 2012 at 11:33 am {no comments}

Photo Credit: wpmu.org

When looking for a content management system for your business, there are an endless variety of options available. With options such as WordPress and Drupal, businesses may easily overlook the microblogging platform, Tumblr. However, Tumblr has the potential to rapidly spread, allowing the business to amass followers along the way. Creating a successful Tumblr is a challenging task; but if done correctly, the business can expand their influence, fans, and followers.

The Benefits of Tumblr and Microblogging

When deciding whether Tumblr is right for you, consider the style and theme of your business. Tumblr is a microblogging platform, making it more suited for short-form content, such as videos and photos. Similar to a broadcast, content is sent directly to users in the form of a feed, allowing them to quickly move from post to post. Creative agencies, magazines and photographers are typical Tumblr users, though other businesses have been known to use Tumblr in unique ways. If your business style is amenable to this style of blogging, then Tumblr may prove to be extremely helpful.

Another reason why businesses should consider utilizing Tumblr is the audience: generally, Tumblr is most popular with teenage, college and young adult users, with 50% of Tumblr users under the age of 25. If your target audience fits within this demographic, then you may want to consider utilizing Tumblr for social media efforts.

5 Tips for Creating a Successful Tumblr

In order to create a successful Tumblr, consider the following tips:

1. Reblogging

Reblogging is a characteristic feature of Tumblr, which allows a user to quickly repost others’ content. When the user reblogs content, the original owner’s Tumblr takes note of this activity it the notes section of the post. In addition, the reblogged content also features a link to the source. One of the main advantages of this feature is that your Tumblr link is spread to other sites, possibly leading followers back to your blog.

2. Use Tags

One of the best ways to increase exposure of your posts is to use tags. Tags are short keywords that are assigned to content, which in turn can be searched by visitors. When used effectively, tags can be a great way to expose and draw attention to content on your Tumblr.

3. Create Unique Content

Given the nature of Tumblr, many of the most popular posts consist of photos, videos, and short texts. In general, use short, quick posts that clearly convey the message and gain success on Tumblr.

4. Posting Frequency

The tendency of Tumblr to favor quick, short content allows blogs to take advantage of a higher posting frequency. Though most blogs post a few posts on average each day, certain popular blogs post from ten to fifteen times a day.

5. Interact with Followers

As time passes and your Tumblr grows with quality content, it is likely that it will attract followers along the way. In order to maintain this base, it is important to interact with followers. There are a number of ways that Tumblr facilitates interaction, such as a comment and message system. If your Tumblr adds an “Ask Me Anything” option, your followers can ask you questions. In addition, reblogging and liking follower’s content can also demonstrate your willingness to interact with followers.

Depending on your business, it may be challenging to envision a balance between Tumblr and your business content. However, Tumblr can provide real value and branding potential to your business. Therefore, it is recommended that the business consider Tumblr as a part of their social media strategy.

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Rachel Hyun Kim is a writer on topics ranging from GPS fleet tracking software to payroll services. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including VoIP phone systems for small business owners and entrepreneurs at Resource Nation.

Why Tumblr is Good for Brands (progressivemediaconcepts.com)
Why Your Brand Should Consider Tumblr for Social Media Marketing (venpop.com)
Build Your List On Tumblr (aweber.com)

Microblogging Success: How to Create a Tumblr for Your Business

Saturday Night Slumber Party Moves To Friday and Hosted by June O’Hara of The Neurosis Files

Filed under Events by Jennifer Brown on January 26, 2012 at 10:16 am {no comments}

The Tribal Blogs Saturday Night Slumber Party is back and this week we will be mixing it up by having it on Friday. That’s right, the slumber party will be tomorrow night (January 27th, 2012) from 7pm to 9pm (EST) or whenever everyone is laughed out. This week the slumber party is being hosted by none other than June O’Hara of The Neurosis Files so you want to be sure to be there.

June is one funny chick and like many of our other slumber party attendees, she has a book in the making.

The slumber party is a great place to meet other bloggers and writers to learn some tricks, do a little networking and just hear some funny stories. There’ve been some rumors that Kathy from the Junk Drawer will be sporting her clown costume so you won’t want to miss that.

Mark your calendars for tomorrow night at 7pm EST, 6pm CST and 4pm for you guys on the left coast. Dress cozy, bring some wine or your favorite beverage and have a night in with some funny bloggers!