Australian Design Unit » Managing your business

Which social network is right for your small business?

madeleineh — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:10:12 +0000

“The paradox for SMEs is that the best results from social networking occur after a considerable time investment – something that is in very short supply in smaller business. ” (Read on)

Craig Reardon SmartCompany

Lock down the point of supply

madeleineh — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:01:33 +0000

“To drive growth in any business you need to find some point of difference which can give you a head start on the competition. You need a competitive advantage which is sufficiently important to your target market that you get the business rather than your competitors.. The conventional answer is usually strong intellectual property position but not every business can create this advantage. However, a little more creative thinking might suggest that you try to gain control over an item of supply which is essential to the end-user solution. You then own the entire supply chain.” Read on

Tom McKaskill SmartCompany

How to crack the US retail mass market

madeleineh — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:20:28 +0000

“Almost every Australian company dreams of one day exporting its consumer products, inventions and ideas to the US retail mass market. How could you not dream about it? I do. The US retail mass market can take you from little league to major league, outstripping your sales in Australia many times… if you can crack it! But how do you crack it? Unfortunately, it seems that the majority of CEOs or Sales Managers from Australia think it’s easy. It’s not.” Read on

Chad Hetherington Australian Anthill

How to fight back when you’re trashed on the web

madeleineh — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:00:30 +0000

“The burgeoning social media landscape has brought with it frightening new possibilities for brand-trashing on a global scale – people using Twitter or blogs to spread derogatory remarks about your company; a disgruntled employee posting an “insiders” video on YouTube. You have no idea how it all started, and even less of an idea about how to stop it. So what are the rules for handling crises in the age of social media? How can companies resurrect their reputations in the face of malicious postings? What do you do if someone posts a negative comment in Twitter? Here are some steps to consider.” Read on

Graham White The Punch

Building your reputation online

madeleineh — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 05:56:37 +0000

“Paragraph upon paragraph of text, large picture files, heavy-handed Flash animations, generic stock-photo images and static content. These are some of the common mistakes businesses make when establishing an online presence. The web is known for fast-paced change, so it’s absolutely crucial that your business website meets a customer’s expectations.” Read on

Julia Talevski The Sydney Morning Herald, Executive Style