Well, obviously the National Main Streets Conference 2009 is over. I am writing from the comfort of the deck swing at my family's farm in rural Mississippi. The last time I wrote, we were enjoying the free Wi-Fi of our Club Quarters accommodations. The conference hotel (where we spent long waking hours during the bulk of the conference) was the Palmer House Hilton – a historic hotel, beautifully renovated. Frankly, it was absolutely stunning.

But the Palmer House and my family's rural Mississippi location have something in common. Neither have high-speed Internet. This made the conference not so tech-friendly. I assumed that we'd have access to wireless internet – or at least cell phone service so I could do a little blogging, Twittering and the like from my blackberry throughout the conference. I was wrong. Se la vie, I will learn from the experience and press on with my notes which will provide you with reading material on this blog for days and weeks to come.

Small business tip #1: Don't make promises to blog readers that you can't keep. I made assumptions about Internet accessibility – and I was wrong. I didn't do my homework as thoroughly as I should have before making promises. It's a simple thing – and probably easily forgiven. However, it is a good note for business overall – don't assume anything. Do your homework. Under promise – and over deliver.

The bottom line of business and non-profit managing in today's world can be summed up in one demanding word: CONNECTED.

In order to do your job best, you must be able to leave the office. Your job, after all, isn't to RUN the business or non-profit, it's to make it better overall, more profitable, productive, successful. Times such as conference attendance, vacation days, continuing education seminars or workshops, and market/buying trips are just a few of the reasons why extended absences from your business or office might be required. Yet, gone are the days of turning on the "out of office" auto responder on e-mail account and changing our voice mail and disappearing for a week. We are required to stay connected – or risk losing business in an already soft economy.

Here is my checklist for successfully managing those "out of office" excursions:

• Plan ahead (this was covered partially in my previous post). Plan ahead for success while away – and for your business to succeed without you. This means that you should have a team meeting in advance of your departure explaining where you are going and why. Your team should be empowered to make emergency decisions on your behalf (such as returns, fixes, etc.) to a certain budget. They should be empowered to take messages and explain when you will return messages. Callers, customers, etc. should be educated about your absence in a way that serves as a marketing message and builds intrigue and curiosity with customers (in a good way), rather than just leaving them hanging. Basically, you want to empower your team and setup systems that will minimize contact with you while you are away.
• Have a Blackberry/iPhone/etc. and know how to use it. In today's world, the quickest way to take care of issues is to return a text message or send a short e-mail reply. For those communications that break through the gatekeepers back home, direct as much as possible (use your voice mail as a directive) to your e-mail and text message in boxes. Often, a ten minute phone call can be answered just as easily with a 5 second text message. The time you free up working in this capacity between sessions at a conference or by checking it twice a day while on vacation, is worth the extra $50 a month for an unlimited data and text plan.
• Prior to making hotel reservations, check their policies, fees and availability on high-speed, WIRELESS, Internet. Some hotels are still requiring you to plug into the wall for high-speed Internet (reference a recent trip to Boston where the Sheraton on the Back Bay – a very nice area – still had wired high speed on most floors of the hotel). Many nicer hotels charge $12-$18 per day for Internet access. Not only that, in many hotels, the wireless access and bandwidth is limited even when you pay. Don't just take the hotel's word for it (they will not admit their bandwidth is limited or that their reception is spotty). Do a Google search and check travel web sites to get the real scoop so you know what to expect upon arrival.
• Check ahead of time for local free wi-fi locations. Pack your laptop along with printed directions, phone numbers and hours of operation for 2-3 easy to access wi-fi venues. This is often far easier to manage than hotel Internet connections.
• Own and know how to access a back-up e-mail account through a free web-based service. We use GMail. This will allow you to access your e-mail from a hotel business center or other Internet connected computer even if your own technology fails you.
• Pack your laptop, phone charger, and a USB flash drive to ensure that no matter what tech challenges may come while you are traveling – you can access and transfer files and make connections as needed.
• Check your travel schedule and plan ahead of time for one hour per day to return phone calls, answer more weighty e-mails, etc.

Have other travel tips to share? Feel free to comment…

The most important factor is to make sure that when you are away from the office or your small business that you turn it into an opportunity – and not a threat. Think strategically and take action ahead of time to ensure that you are able to be productive and able to do what you are away to do – all while maintaining customer loyalty and a consistent customer experience back at the office. (In other words, maximize your return on investment where you are going – and at your office at the same time.)

A critical question came through on the National Main Street listserv today. I don't respond very often – when I do, it's a topic I feel passionately about. When the responses started rolling in to refer GoDaddy and Yahoo SiteBuilder as viable alternatives that will actually GROW a business… I am saddened that we don't cling in the bad times to the truths about business that we know in the good times… So, here's the questions – and my response follows.

QUESTION:

I’m writing an article for our newsletter and wondered if there are any cheap/free website services out there for small businesses that you would recommend?  Amazingly enough, only about half my merchants even have a presence on the web, and some of those are very amateurish. Any advice?

MY ANSWER:

Your community of businesses is not the exception – they are the rule. Please see this article posted last week by the Center for Media Research regarding poor online presence by small business:

http://adjix.com/ybb2

An excerpt that strikes me:

“Webvisible found that online search and e-mail newsletters are the only forms of traditional media that are growing among consumers who wish to locate local products or services. Compared with two years ago, respondents report they use search engines and email newsletters more, while they use newspapers, magazines, direct mail and radio less.”

The unfortunate truth is that those who do have a web site have a dated web site that they may not be able to edit for one of two reasons (in my experience).

• Their web guy doesn’t keep up with them or has disappeared
• Or they are frustrated by using a free/low cost tool like GoDaddy.com (not to pick on anyone in particular) that is a tool only – without any education or ongoing support or marketing advice.

Web sites are no longer optional for small business owners. As you can see from just this single article (there are more out there to reinforce this if you Google for the info), online spending is growing – and provides an avenue for growth for our downtown businesses. Not to mention the customer loyalty/retention, marketing outreach and other benefits a good web site provides.

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS143830+02-Jan-2009+PRN20090102

Let me repeat myself: A GOOD Web Site.  The problem with many “do-it-yourself” web site products is that they don’t educate the builder – and so the business owner – not an expert at web useability or search engine optimization – does what looks good to them (not necessarily what may look good to the customer) – or what frustrates them the least – in their web building – and their business suffers for it. What would you think of your best downtown business if you walked in tomorrow and found it in complete disarray with mismatched signage, poor lighting, and unorganized displays and more? This, in essence, is what happens with most do-it-yourself tools that come without education, coaching or ongoing human expert support. It doesn’t matter how cheap it is if the money washes down the drain. The purpose of a web site in today’s economy is to be the centerpiece – not an afterthought – of a small business marketing plan that includes both online and offline marketing tools.

Please encourage your business owners to make sure they understand the implications if they choose a big-box web hosting solution. This is not to say every big box experience is bad…but well, around Main Street circles, I think we can be honest and admit the track record. It’s no different with web hosting and mass marketers of web site products.

JonI completely agree with, if the budget is unavailable to embark on a valuable web site development journey – then tools like Blogger, WordPress and Typepad provide a solid, respected alternative in the short term.

For higher end functionality, search engine optimization and strategically designed web sites, Fox Web co. offers a solution that starts at less than $1000. (Fox is our sister company who specializes in small business, having the heart of a teacher and works almost exclusively with Main Street businesses – sorry for the shameless self promotion.) Another option that is popular right now is retrofitting existing web sites to allow business owners to make updates themselves for much less regardless of the hosting company.

Hope this helps offer a different perspective into this very important conversation for the future economic stability of our downtowns.

Google's Gmail just added SMS chat. Seriously. – Read all about it at webmonkey.

Want to clip something from the web to share? Andy has used Skitch (a MAC only product) for a while now – and it's been quite an asset in communication among the team here. But now I learn of a new product that will actually work on my PC – it's called Snipd. Read all about it at TechCrunch.

Zazzle, my previously favorite location for customized stamps – you know the U.S. Postal Stamps with my logo or kid's faces – has announced a new "custom" division – digital embroidery. That's right. Read all about it at TechCrunch.

And last but not least…the best news of the week for me is that AT&T has announced that it will offer FREE (yes, that's FREE) Wi-Fi service to BOTH all Blackberry users (still me for the time being) and iPhone users. This means most Starbucks locations are free. And it means I can cut off this silly 3G Internet card that is hooked to my computer and connect using my Blackberry connection instead. Three cheers!

Here are articles covering the topic:

CrunchGear – on the Blackberry and free Wi-Fi
CrunchGear – on the iPhone freebies

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After my presentation at the National Main Street Conference this past spring in Philadelphia, PA, we got a delightful phone call from a gal named Amy Meadows inviting us out for drinks. She wanted to partner up with us – and wow did we agree! Amy is a dynamite personality with experience that means business.

Amy did the windows for the iconic and historic Marshall Field’s Department Store in Chicago – yep, THAT Marshall Fields – for the better part of her career. And now, she’s helping small business owners JUST LIKE OUR CLIENTS – have fabulous windows, displays and curb appeal. She is an artist with a heart for small business and downtown success – and we were instantly a match made in heaven (and I don’t think that was the Pinot Grigio talking).

Since that time, Amy has become a cherished friend and colleague, and she even let us design her web site. Phase one is complete, and, not to brag, but Amy sent us the sweetest note that I just have to share with you.

"Hats off to Halo Business Advisors and
Fox Web Co for my gorgeous website! This marked my first journey into the
world of web marketing and brand exposure. While there are many perfectly
fine "local" web site developers, I felt strongly that I
needed to partner with an independent firm in order to be more than just a
template. In addition, I felt that this could become more complicated than most
as this site needed to not only promote but create my new business.

"Working with the team was a terrific
experience . . .frequent discussions regarding the look, content and flow of
the site, timely reviews and approvals and valuable feedback as the site
was built–what was possible vs. what was reasonable, how it looked vs. how it
worked, etc.

"As a consultant, I challenge
business owners and others to closely examine the impressions that they create
by way of appearance, signage, displays and marketing, including
websites. I stress the importance of looking beyond off-the-rack signage,
propping and more. Given  that this was both my mission and my
message, I couldn’t very well go with just any old website design, now could I?

"Many thanks again and I look forward
to our future collaborations!"

Be sure to check out Amy’s new web site (and check back often because Phase Two expansion is already in the wings) – but more than that, consider the value of her services to your business or business community. Team HALO’s "Look that Sells" presentation is the perfect compliment to Amy’s hands on teaching approach. And not only do windows matter, windows SELL. And that’s an idea we can all support.

Thanks, Amy!

Randy Lynn at Maris, West & Baker let me know about a fantastic new project that his shop has been working on called the Mississippi Wiki (www.mississippiwiki.com). He described it as follows:

It’s a free online encylopedia/directory of Mississippi
people, places, and things. Like Wikipedia, anyone can create or edit an
article. But unlike Wikipedia, we don’t have a notability standard to prevent
small businesses or local people of "lesser fame" from having their
own articles. (On Wikipedia, articles that don’t meet the notability standard
are removed within days or weeks of posting.)

I recommend you check it out, and make a page for you, your business and a link in the appropriate directories. This could be a fantastic way to network and tell a few more people about your Mississippi business. If you’re in other states, I encourage you to look around for similar sites in your home state – and take advantage of them!

Well, I am typically careful not to blatantly mock other businesses, especially in my own or a related field of work; however, last week, when the Mississippi Tourism Association announced that they had granted their account work to "Leading Edges" – an advertising agency in Merdian (from what I can find out), I wondered who they were. I had never heard of them, so I thought I’d check them out.

Now, understand, my first impression was one of pleasure – the MTA had granted the contract to a Mississippi firm. And frankly, the name "Leading Edges" led me to think maybe the MTA had also considered some web savvy and next Generation of marketing as a key to their future success in the marketing game.

However, when I went to Google to check out the firm, I came up dry. Only after reading through a few press releases did I find out the firm was located in Meridian, Miss., and even using some advanced search, I didn’t find their web site until I located a URL inside a press release and typed it in directly. Funny that this firm that can’t appear under their own name on a Google search was commended as follows in a press release:

Wanda Collier-Wilson is the Executive Director of the Jackson
Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and serves as president of the MTA.
Collier-Wilson stated, “The Mississippi Tourism Association is excited
to announce its selection of Leading Edges Advertising as its agency of
record. This full-service, Mississippi-based agency offers the benefits
of innovative creative designs and leading edge technical expertise.”

This should be a lesson to us all – apparently there is something to a name. But be careful that you buy more than a name in marketing services – buy a service from someone who really knows what they’re doing to help you reach the most powerful buying marketing in America today – the wired, connected and Internet super savvy Generation Y. Coming up on a Google search would be a good start for both your service provider – and your business or organization.

In recent months, I have moved beyond urging each and every small business and organization to have at least a GREAT looking one page web site with their own domain name. Now, I am frankly a bit shocked when a business or organization does NOT have a web site.

I’ll admit, I get annoyed when a restaurant that I’d like to visit doesn’t have a menu and wine list posted online. I get annoyed when I can’t check out the inside of a retail shop or download a shopping guide to a new downtown I’m visiting. It’s annoying. And I’m not even a member of the all too important Generation Y market segment. We’re all online – why aren’t you?

I thought I’d drive the point home by listing some of the search terms that recently drove folks to our HALO web sites. The search terms pulled up our web sites because I wrote about these businesses at some point in the recent past – and this was the only information the searcher could find online about these businesses. These are just a small, small sample of real search terms as they were typed by the searcher on Google or Yahoo last week. This is what your customer is typing in about you, too. Can they find you?

"Tresca Restaurant Hillsboro"

"McComb, Mississippi"

"Purses Sold at Josephine’s"

"Monogram Magic Jackson, MS"

"Tresca, Hillsboro, Oregon"

"Oddlee Unik"

"Southern Belle t-shirts in flowood brandon"

"Oddlee Unik t-shirts"

Isn’t it time that your small business had a web site? Honestly, for the money, it’s the cheapest and most effective form of marketing you can do. Nothing should keep you from getting this project done – immediately.