Are you familiar with Google Alerts?  It’s a similar concept, except it’s for Pinterest, the image-based social site.

PinAlerts is a simple service.  To sign up, go to PinAlerts.com and register. During registration you’ll enter the URL of a blog or site you want to track. Add as many URLs as you like.  You can also go back and change how often you get email alerts.  Then when something from that site gets pinned, you will get an email.

The product was co-founded by Paul Wilson and Janet Thaeler (a contributor here at Small Business Trends).  It was designed with small businesses in mind, and grew out of a tool Thaeler wanted for her own research.  One day she  checked Pinterest to see if someone had pinned any images from her blog. She discovered that someone had pinned her profile picture from her blog and said how much they liked the blog.  Naturally, she was flattered, she says.

But it wasn’t until she saw one of her consulting clients getting pinned, that the lightbulb truly went off.  ”People may not leave a comment on your blog but they will write a glowing review on a pin. With PinAlerts you don’t have to keep going back to Pinterest to monitor comments and reviews.”

The advantage of PinAlerts is that you don’t miss anything.  For instance, I can check manually to see what’s being pinned from Small Business Trends at the following URL:  http://www.Pinterest.com/source/smallbiztrends.com. (Check your own site just by replacing “smallbiztrends.com” with your own domain.)  But you may not remember to do that, and, says Thaeler, “it’s not a full list of everything from your site that’s been pinned.”

Here are five ways to use PinAlerts:

1. Identify your target market on Pinterest and get insights into what they like. When someone pins something it’s usually a compliment. According to Thaeler, “The demographic on Pinterest are the Dot Moms – who are more inclined to share. They are typically higher income and educated.” By getting alerts of what is being shared, you get insights into who finds your content interesting.

2. Figure out how to get more Pinterest traffic by seeing what images are popular.  You can see what’s being pinned and either improve on it or otherwise promote those images (being sure that it has a Pin It button to encourage even more shares). What is being pinned might surprise you – you may not have many pinnable images on your home page or blog posts. PinAlerts will give you insights on how you could improve.

3. Authors can promote their books on Pinterest.  If you’re an author be sure to promote your book on Pinterest.  Says Thaeler, “Almost everyone has a board that centers around what they have read or want to read. Hold a contest to encourage pins and use PinAlerts to track them and choose a winner.”

4. Use PinAlerts to conduct market research.  You can research not only your site but others in your market or with a similar audience. When you see the same image or type of image coming up again and again, you know it’s a winner.   Use that  as inspiration for images you create or display on your own site.

5. Get attention from influencers in your niche.  Get alerts of what’s being pinned on the influencer’s site.   Thaeler researched Guy Kawasaki’s site in just such a way to see what was being pinned from his site.  You will start to get a feel for what they like. Then create a pin image you believe would appeal to them and alert them. You can get far more traction if they pin your image than if you do.

The basic PinAlerts service is free.  The founders would like to add premium features, as well as accept advertisements in the emails.  For now, they are focusing on increasing their user base. The founders say they are not aware of any similar services - PinAlerts is a first of its kind.

The service just recently launched and already there are nearly 1,000 users of it.

From Small Business Trends

PinAlerts: Discover When One of Your Images Gets Pinned on Pinterest

Whoever it is or whatever it is — nominations are now open for the 2012 Small Business Influencer Awards.  We encourage you to get your nominations in by July 15, 2012.

Last year, the Small Business Influencer Awards saw 520 nominations.  One hundred champions were honored, and a cpacity crowd of over 225 people attend the Awards Gala ceremony in New York City (see 2011 photos and recap).

This year is already shaping up to be bigger and better than ever.  Once again we have BlackBerry as our title sponsor.  Infusionsoft has also joined us again as a category sponsor.  Thank you both for your support!

Organization Partners this year include PRNewswire and Vistage. Thank you!

Here’s a bit of the Who, What, When and Where on the event:

Who can be nominated?

Those based in the United State or Canada, and who fall in one of the following 6 categories:

• Leaders (executives, academics, government officials, or key employees who are part of companies or other organizations serving the small business market)
• Corporations (companies that provide products and services to the small business market, and non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and advocacy and support organizations)
• Journalists (individual journalists, reporters, editors, broadcasters, bloggers, podcasters, freelance writers)
• News Outlets (media companies, newspapers, magazines, broadcasting companies)
• Experts (mavens, authors, speakers, consultants, advocates, professionals such as lawyers or CPAs)
• Apps (software as a service  or SaaS applications, mobile device apps, and apps for tablets).

All nominations will be subject to editorial review to make sure that the nominees meet the minimum criteria as having a large positive impact on small business.  Read the full rules.

Can I nominate myself?

Absolutely, positively, yes!  You are encouraged to nominate yourself, your business or another individual or business or app.

What does it cost to nominate?

Zero!  It is free to make a nomination.

How are the top 100 chosen?

Once the nomination period ends on July 15, 2012, voting will commence.  This is where the community gets to participate in choosing the winners.  Votes can be cast once daily through August 5, 2012.  The community vote will represent 40% and then the judges will cast their votes, which represent 60% of the vote.

Who’s behind this?

The 2012 Small Business Influencers initiative is a joint initiative of Small Biz Technology (Ramon Ray, CEO) and Small Business Trends (Anita Campbell, CEO). The goal is to honor those who tirelessly support small businesses with their products, services, advice, guidance and encouragement — and give them the recognition they deserve.

We’d also like to thank our media partners who have agreed to help spread the word:  SmallBizLady, Egg Marketing and Communications, BizSugar, Basic Blog Tips, Biz Launch, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, DIY Marketers, The Founding Moms, MyVenturePad, BDPA New York, SCORE,  EntrepreneurWeek, ChamberofCommerce.com, Your Virtual Assistant, ResearchAccess, Hawkeye Management, LivePlan, Ask the Business Lawyer, Technology for Business’ Sake, Adrian’s Network, ShoutOut Enterprises, and NNEP.  Thank you!

Go nominate!

From Small Business Trends

Nominations Are Open for the Small Business Influencer Awards!

Engagement Marketing: How Small Business Wins in a Socially Connected World 

I love the premise of this book because it is utterly realistic for small businesses.  Engagement marketing, according to the book, is the art of “getting new customers through your existing customers, while driving more repeat sales at the same time.”    It’s about serving your existing customers well, and deepening your relationship with them by engaging on social media and online.

The outgrowth is a stronger customer bond and more satisfied customers.  That leads to natural word-of-mouth — and more repeat business and sales to new customers who learned about you through existing customers.  And in fact, referrals and word of mouth are how many small businesses get new business today.

The second thing I like is the marketing blueprint that the book lays out. Chapter 1 starts with the “engagement marketing cycle” — a framework for growing sales with the help of social media.  Think of it as a 3-step process:

• Step 1 is that you provide a great experience to existing customers — the book calls it a WOW! experience.  As the book points out, customers unfortunately have come to expect mediocre service and the bar is low.  Small businesses, being nimbler and able to make changes more quickly than larger companies, are in a better position to make changes to create exceptional service.
• Step 2 is to entice customers to stay in touch. This is about persuading customers to opt in and stay in touch — whether through email marketing or via social media such as Twitter, Facebook or Google+.  When customers want to stay in touch, you are able to keep that great experience alive and stay top of mind.
• Step 3 is to engage people.  Engaging people means sharing content on your blog or social media channels that inspires followers.  It’s about interacting with followers on those channels through encouraging them to participate.  It means holding events or doing surveys — activities that actively involve them.

“Developing this cycle until it’s a well-oiled machine,” says the book, is what will lead to more sales by increasing repeat sales and referrals.

Everything in this book is practical, including a chapter on overcoming common obstacles. Obstacle #3, for example, will resonate with many business owners: “I don’t like imposing on people.”  But as the author explains, one way to overcome that is to focus on creating great “enticement offers” such as a coupon or free report to persuade people to sign up for your email list or follow your Facebook account.  Then you’re not imposing – you’re giving people something they want.

There’s even a Quick Start Guide and a Glossary to help you get up to speed quickly on the sometimes baffling terms (like “hashtag’” or “plus one”) in social media.

Most of the book concentrates on pointing out techniques to help you learn how to engage people through social media, email marketing, blogs, events and other activities.  And that’s the third thing I like about Engagement Marketing.   Intead of talking in generalities, the book explains what types of content  to share on social networks, the types of activities to perform to engage with people on social media — and similar useful lessons.  It can help you put in place the building blocks of a social media strategy and action plan.  It answers the “why” and also the “how.”

The book is filled with examples, including screenshots and images.  Examples are ones that most small businesses could attempt on a small budget or with a small team (or even no team).  The book avoids one of my pet peeves: using big-budget corporate marketing campaigns as case studies.  While I appreciate that Ford may be doing brilliant things in social media, a Ford marketing campaign will be so outside my company’s budget that we couldn’t hope to emulate it.  Small business examples like the ones in Engagement Marketing are more useful.

About the Author

If you or your company are one of the hundreds of thousands of small businesses using Constant Contact, then the author’s name is likely familiar.  Gail Goodman (@Gail_Goodman on Twitter)  is the CEO of Constant Contact (an occasional advertiser on this site).  Goodman architected her company’s expansion from an email marketing provider, to one that now includes tools for social media marketing, surveys, event marketing and mobile marketing. She brings vision and subject matter expertise to this book.

Who Should Read Engagement Marketing

This book is ideal for a small business or non-profit with anywhere from 0 to 100 employees, and even larger.

I highly recommend reading Engagement Marketing if you:

• are scratching your head trying to figure out why your organization should get involved in social media, or
• are already convinced of the value of social media, but you just want someone to explain how to integrate it with the rest of your marketing and develop an achievable strategy, or
• want someone to demystify social media and show you and your team how to jump in and get started.

From Small Business Trends

Why You Should Read Engagement Marketing

We’re going to cover some of your favorite topics – from email marketing, to local listings, to online reviews, to optimizing your website, to social media, and more.

A big shout out goes to our sponsor, Yahoo! Small Business, for making it possible.  This Twitter chat came about almost by accident.  I recently had a chance to preview an intriguing new Marketing Dashboard from Yahoo!   Stephanie and I were on the same demo.  One thing led to another, and we suggested a Twitter chat.

Those of you who are regular readers know I am a HUGE fan of business dashboards – I write frequently about them.  I learned the value of dashboards when I was in the corporate world, where dashboards tend to be highly customized.  Most of us don’t have the resources to build customized dashboards for our own businesses, connecting with all of our business systems.

That’s why it’s great to see the growing trend of ready-to-go dashboards for small businesses. Today you can find dashboards for tracking sales, finances, or – now, with the new Yahoo! Marketing Dashboard – for online marketing.  Managing your online presence and making sense of all the data you have is more important than ever, as the infographic below shows.

Twitter Chat Details – Mark Your Calendars!

When:  Wednesday, May 23, 2012, at 3:00 pm Eastern time Where:  On Twitter!  Follow the event hashtag #YDashboard to participate

Who:  Stephanie Chander (@Bizauthor) and I (@smallbiztrends) are co-hosting.

Sponsor:  Yahoo! Small Business (@YSmallBusiness)

Bonus:  We’ll be holding random drawings for two $100 AMEX gift cards.  But  you have to be there!

If you’re new to Twitter chats, check out Lisa Barone’s “How to Participate in a Twitter Chat.”

Click to see larger infographic

From Small Business Trends

How to Pump Up the Volume on Your Online Marketing – Twitter Chat

The topic was branding:  Is your brand helping or hurting your small business?  Let’s take a look at some of the responses and comments on this topic.  The Twitter handle of the person who said them, follows:

1.       What exactly is a “brand”? Is it a name, a logo – or more?  – @FedExOffice

A brand is the overall perception the publicgets when they think of your business.  - @Smallbiztrends

A brand has many parts: name, logo, tagline,reputation, experience customers have had … and more. @Smallbiztrends

Even your business cards, packaging and signagehelp the public recognize your brand. @Smallbiztrends

It’s a combination of all. It’s the whole picture that pops in to a client’s mind when they hear a company name  -@a_biro

To me, a “brand” is symbol of your business story. Logo, name, everything should refer & infer the story  -@3keyscoach

When branding works well it immediately tells your story   - @CASUDI

A Brand is the thoughts, feelings, and psychological relationship between a business and a customer  -@paintermommy

Sum of who you are, what you do & stand for visually and viscerally. -@DeborahShane

A brand is what people say about you when you’re not around  - @philsimon

2. Can your brand hold your business back? If so, how?  – @FedExOffice

Yes, brand can evoke perceptions of poorquality or unprofessionalism. – @Smallbiztrends

For example, an inappropriate look (e.g., acartoonish font for a serious business) may undermine confidence. – @Smallbiztrends

Inconsistent design details are also aproblem (e.g., multiple styles in marketing materials). – @Smallbiztrends

I’ve seen logos & websites of such poor quality I couldn’t trust them. Hence, no sale. – @robert_brady

Some businesses outgrow their branding or shift biz focus – old branding might be blocking new customers  - @CathyWebSavvyPR

Small biz can learn a lot from big biz – both face similar challenges in establishing a brand – dif steps but useful lesson   - @ZimanaAnalytics

Wrong image can alienate potential buyers – I feel this way abt “edgy” clothing lines – some local – @janejoeyxo

3: How do you assess if your brand is helping or hurting?  – @FedExOffice

Start with your biz name and logo. What do others think of when they seethem? Is name easy to spell, say?- @Smallbiztrends

Do people say they don’t know what you do? If so, consider re-naming,re-designing your logo, or adding a tagline. – @Smallbiztrends

Website analytics, how ppl look @ my biz card, types of questions/comments they make tells me if my biz is connecting   - @3keyscoach

When U hear ~ I didn’t know you do that!   - @CASUDI

A professional logo is simplistically memorable, practically appropriate, and conveys an intended meaning.  - @TommyGuns

4. What if your name and logo do not need overhauled? What other brand elementsshould you look at? – @FedExOffice

Look at how you present your business. Areyou putting best foot forward in brochures, website, business cards, signs? – @Smallbiztrends

You have 5 to 10 seconds to make a goodimpression – as a person or as a biz. – @Smallbiztrends

Too often I see small businesses sabotagetheir own brands, and that’s a shame. – @Smallbiztrends

What about a “headline statement” such as what http://t.co/tPWyzIxR has  -@DIYMarketers

Simple one… Font type!  -  @lvansteen

Maybe if your logo and name don’t need to change your marketing plan does…  – @Apex_Biz

Customer service, without positive customer interactions your logo is nothing but a reminder of a bad experience. – @TommyGuns

5:  What are some ways small businesses sabotage their own brands? – @FedExOffice

Faded signs and tattered trade show bannerswill undermine your brand, suggesting lack of pride. – @Smallbiztrends

Poor quality printed items (fuzzy graphics,cheap paper, bleeding ink) make even the best brands look bad.- @Smallbiztrends

By not marketing properly  -@carnivalfanatic

Setting up auto-responders on social networks that don’t engage customers can be a bad thing – really bad….  - @BasicBlogTips

I’ll never forget early on I handed a potential client my biz card made w/ generic logo, her card had same logo  - @CathyWebSavvyPR

They forget why they started their business in the first place.  - @KStaib

Bad customer support smashes your brand. To have successful brand, control every aspect of doing business  -  @lvansteen

The right #smallbiz signage equation: simple + clean = best. Read more to see if your signs stack up: http://t.co/fjVyl66G  – @FedExOffice

6:  Is consistency an important element of brand? Why or why not? – @FedExOffice

Consistency is crucial. People notice if abusiness card has a new logo and the brochure has the old. – @Smallbiztrends

Also, it is easier to build brand recognitionwhen you use similar graphics throughout multiple channels. – @Smallbiztrends

Yes very important, it creates comfort for customers and trust   - @marilola33

Promotes consumer confidence in your business  -@GeekDad248

7:  Complete this sentence: “A professional looking logo …” – @FedExOffice

A professional looking logo helps you cut through the marketing clutter and create a memorable association for your customers  -@GeekDad248

8:  Can you present a quality brand on a small business budget?  - @FedExOffice

Yes! For marketing materials, weigh “value.” Cheap cost = good. Cheap look = bad. – @Smallbiztrends

You can get a pro look using a DIY tool, provided it’s a good tool. Find a good “partner” to execute, too. – @Smallbiztrends

Example: a brochure based on a Word templatecan look professional if printed in color on quality stock. -  @Smallbiztrends

A personal touch and attention to your customer’s needs can go a long way and might not cost much  - @Ileane

Choose wisely where you spend your branding dollars. Keep your customer’s response in mind @ all times  - @CathyWebSavvyPR

A smile is the best thing a business can offer me, costs nothing but makes my day   - @TommyGuns

9:  What is the biggest mistake to avoid when presenting your brand?  – @FedExOffice

Mistake: presenting your brand in anyway that you would feel compelled to apologize about. – @Smallbiztrends

You can hardly focus on sales if the next breath has you apologizing for yourwebsite or outdated business cards! – @Smallbiztrends

Too cluttered. Too many words  - @janejoeyxo

Overspending on marketing, making outlandish claims, using negative pressure tactics to gain business – @itmaiden

10:  What are your two best tips for presenting a small business brand professionally?  – @FedExOffice

Tip 1: spring for a professionally designedlogo. You will have it for years. Get the best you can afford. – @Smallbiztrends

Tip 2: quality materials count! People are tactile. We feel a business card’sweight, or a mailer’s gloss. – @Smallbiztrends

Acknowledge the value of the relationship with your customer, say thank you and don’t be afraid to ask for testimonials   - @Ileane

Make sure your branding showcases what you/yr product can do best for yr customers, and is memorable   - @CathyWebSavvyPR

Attending marketing events helped me a lot – ones sponsored by prof org  -@janejoeyxo

2 tips to present a smallbiz brand professionally: (1) set clear expectations; (2) Underpromise, but overdeliver.   - @crowdSPRING

This Twitter chat was part of the FedEx Office® Our Office Is Your Office Tweet Chat Series

Note:  to make the recap easier to read, tweets above have been edited to remove redundant information, such as hashtags and answer numbers, and fix obvious misspellings.  Tweets may be slightly out of order, for better readability. The above represents only a small portion of the tweets — it is intended to cover key highlights for reader convenience.  Go here for a transcript of the chat.  

Disclosure: FedEx Office compensated me to participate as a small business expert during the FedEx Office Our Office Is Your Office Tweet Chat program. The ideas in this blog post are mine and not ideas or advice from FedEx Office.

From Small Business Trends

Is Your Brand Helping Or Hurting Your Small Business? Chat Recap

Judgment Marketplace aims to solve that problem for you.

JudgmentMarketplace.com is a website for selling and buying judgments. Small business owners, corporations and consumers who have won a court judgment against another party can list the judgment for sale. Collection agencies and law firms that specialize in skip tracing debtors and collecting on judgments, can negotiate to buy your judgment or, just like on eBay, can “buy it now.”

The software platform provides a centralized place to list judgments for sale, and for buyers to find them. A wide range of judgments can be bought and sold: car accidents, employment or discrimination cases, commercial transactions, contractor claims, foreclosures.

Judgment Marketplace was started by Shawn Porat, who also serves as CEO. He learned the collection business helping his father, owner of a trucking company, collect hundreds of judgments the company was owed. Before age 23 he had started Recovery Of Judgment, a New York-based firm that specializes in executing judgments. Porat says he started Judgment Marketplace because he saw there was a demand for buying and selling judgments, but no organized market.

The site serves those who have a judgment and want to turn it into cash. But it also is a source of business development for collection agencies and law firms that collect judgments. The marketplace also serves investors who buy large portfolios of judgments.

Let’s take a closer look at the site and see how it works.

Buying a Judgment

The first step is to register for free. Once you’ve done that, you can search and browse judgments that others have listed – by State, by cheapest judgments, by largest judgments, or “best deal”. “Best deal” ranks judgments based on asking price as a percentage of the judgment’s amount.

As of this writing, you can buy a judgment in the face amount of $16.5 Million ($17.5 Million if you include interest) for a cool $12 Million.

Out of your price range (heh)? No worries. As little as $25 buys you a judgment of roughly $1,100 with interest.

Once you identify a judgment you are interested in, you initiate a Letter of Interest. That starts a dialogue with the seller to negotiate on the price or complete the “buy it now” transaction.

Upon striking a deal, Judgment Marketplace recommends that you use Escrow.com to exchange the sales price and the assignment of judgment, but that’s up to whatever you negotiate. Then after the transaction is complete, you are encouraged to come back to the site and leave feedback about the seller.

Selling a Judgment

When you sell a judgment you sell it at a discount off of face value. The nature of collecting judgments is that they’re uncertain. Risk is involved. So by selling at a discount, the seller gets the certainly of an immediate payment (compared to possibly collecting zero). The buyer potentially gets some upside that makes it worth the risk. If the buyer collects the full amount he has made a profit to balance his risk.

It costs nothing to list a judgment for sale although you can buy featured listings. A processing fee of 5% is assessed on each sale.

The site also offers a collection network offering traditional collection services. Collectors must pay to be part of the collection network.

Why Use Judgment Marketplace

Obviously, small business people would only need the site if they had a judgment going uncollected. For them the site may be invaluable. Many small businesses aren’t familiar with how to collect a judgment or even find a collection agency, especially if the debtor is out of state.  Collecting at a distance has added challenges.  So an online marketplace is a convenient and easy option.

For smaller collection agencies and collection law firms, the marketplace could be a source of new business opportunities if you need more judgments to chase after.

We haven’t used this marketplace.  We saw a demo at the New York Business XPO recently, and later registered for a free account.  So we can’t say how well it performs.  But it appears a promising platform for a niche purpose.  If you  are frustrated because you haven’t been able to collect a judgment, check out Judgment Marketplace.

From Small Business Trends

Judgment Marketplace: Turning Uncollected Judgments Into Cash

The study, conducted with Experience Inc., compiled information from 225 companies about their hiring practices.

You might assume that experience would rank at the top of employer wish lists.  But for entry-level positions that students and recent grads apply for, employers say they place a high degree of importance on so-called ‘soft skills.’  Effective communication, a positive attitude and teamwork skills ranked as important or very important to employers.

Even more interesting: 29% said entrepreneurship experience is either important or very important in the hiring process.

Dan Schawbel, Managing Director of Millennial Branding LLC, says he’s not surprised at all that employers are looking at entrepreneurship experience when hiring for entry-level positions:

“Companies need innovators in order to stay relevant. Employers, especially the ones I’ve spoken to, value entrepreneurship experience over internship experience because you learn a lot more about business. A lot of internships are unpaid and you do clerical work … whereas entrepreneurs get their hands in sales, marketing, product development, etc. Student entrepreneurs are seen as leaders, innovators and have a good sense of personal accountability.”

Consider what it means to be a young entrepreneur.  Whether it’s a lemonade stand, paper route, lawn care services, house painting, bake sales — all teach hard business skills like marketing, sales, pricing, managing a P&L, accounting, production and customer service.

But perhaps the most important things entrepreneurs learn are the skills that employers value so highly according to the study (see excerpt of accompanying infographic above):

• Communication skills -  Communication is a must if you want to sell your products or services.  Successful entrepreneurs quickly figure out what words and body language help close sales, and what doesn’t work.
• Positive attitude - You have to have a positive, can-do attitude in order to get a new venture off the ground.  People who constantly look at all the downsides and can never see the upside, will talk themselves out of starting a business.
• Adaptable to change - Running a business requires frequent adjustment.  You start your lemonade stand and it rains all week.  So you grab your pitcher and go door to door, because you know people won’t be walking along the sidewalk. Entrepreneurs simply adjust.
• Teamwork - Being an entrepreneur requires working with others to get things done.
• Goals oriented - Entrepreneurship is all about setting goals. “I’m going to get my lemonade stand started this week. I’m going to make X in sales this month.” Entrepreneurs intuitively work toward a series of goals.

So what’s the conclusion?  If you’re in hiring mode, you might just ask the next job candidate whether he or she “ran a lemonade stand.”  It could signify that the candidate has the kind of skills you value in the workplace.

From Small Business Trends

Ask That Job Candidate if He or She Ran a Lemonade Stand

The product is an online subscription service called BusinessIQ Express.  It’s an all-in-one dashboard to help you quickly evaluate companies that are customers and prospective customers.  You also get alerts if the risk of repayment changes.  And in the event you are not getting paid, the tool helps you collect.

According to Adam Fingersh, senior vice president of Experian’s Business Information Services, it helps you “look for indications of financial stress in your customers.”  So you can get paid … promptly.

BusinessIQ Express is an interesting tool because small businesses can find intelligence on companies they may need to extend credit or payment terms to — without actually pulling a credit report.  A lot of information is centralized in one place.  I can see it benefiting an accounts receivable department to stay on top of  changes, too.  If you keep close tabs on your Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) number, and monitor it for cash flow purposes and as a sign of the overall fiscal health of your company, you especially will appreciate a tool like this.

Another thing I liked about it was the help it gives for collecting past due payments:  skip tracing, writing collection letters and finding a collection agency.  And with everything available in a single convenient dashboard, you also get a streamlined process to follow and recordkeeping support.

Let’s take a deeper look into its 3 parts: Evaluate, Monitor and Collect.

Evaluate

When you log on, one of the first things you do is enter in the names of companies that are customers or that you are considering as customers.  If the company is in the system, it will pull up information including basics such as the company address and even a small map.

This section gives you a risk rating for each company (high, mid or low) and a credit limit recommendation (a dollar amount).  Here’s a partial view — notice the High risk rating in this sample customer:

BusinessIQ shows whether there are any bankruptcies, judgments or liens against the company — as well as a collection history.   What you see is not an official credit report — but you do have the ability to order a credit report for an additional fee on a company.

And because many small businesses are only as solid as the owner behind them, you can also get some basic information about the owner.  You can request permission from the owner directly in the tool to pull a credit report on the owner.

Monitor

The monitoring function allows you to keep tabs on the repayment risk with existing customers and get alerts in the event the customer becomes a higher risk, such as filing a bankruptcy.  All alerts you get will remain in your dashboard so they are in one place for later reference:

Collect

This part of the tool helps you collect outstanding payments if necessary.  For instance, it helps you find alternative addresses for the customer, in case you have the wrong address for sending invoices.

There are also collection letter templates — from friendly to “severely-worded.”  You customize the template, then print and mail them on your end.  The letter also appears under the Collect tab so that you have a record of it.

You’ll also find links to collection agencies, should you need to go that far.  All collection agencies are “reporting agencies” meaning that the collection will be reported on the collection target’s credit record.

The tool also includes a Coach’s Corner to give you tips on how to use BusinessIQ Express better.  And there is a library of educational articles.  For $99 per month (currently $750 if you pay annually in advance), you can evaluate and monitor up to 100 companies.  There’s also the ability to register for free and get free alerts and to see part of the product’s functionality.

Experian is a global company known for its credit reporting and business data, with annual revenues exceeding $4 Billion and 15,000 employees. The BusinessIQ Express tool is designed to be used by small businesses in just about any industry, if they have financial or customers relationships with other businesses.

From Small Business Trends

Experian Launches Tool to Help Small Businesses Collect

“Is my brand helping or hurting my small business?”

If this question only has you asking more questions, without answers, then you will certainly want to join us for this chat as I will be discussing common branding mistakes and providing tips to fix them.

$100 Gift Card as Giveaway

As part of the chat, Small Business Trends will be doing a giveaway of a $100 gift card. The gift card will be good for services at a FedEx Office store near you. To be entered into the giveaway here’s what you need to do. Just tweet out the following, filling in the blank with what a statement about the value of a professional logo.  At the end of the chat we’ll randomly choose from among the best responses received:

Q:  A professional looking logo …

Example answers:  

- A professional looking logo gives customers confidence in your company’s professionalism.  #FedExOffice

- A professional looking logo says your company cares what customers think.  #FedExOffice

Your answer needs to be no longer than 140 characters, and must include the hashtag:  #FedExOffice

This Twitter chat is part of the FedEx Office® ”FedEx Office Our Office Is Your Office Tweet Chat Series.”  The discussion will be moderated on the @FedExOffice Twitter handle and the chat will take place under the #FedExOffice hashtag.

Submit your questions in advance of the Twitter chat to the @FedExOffice Twitter handle, either via direct message or in a tweet, using the #FedExOffice hashtag.  And we will be there to answer them!

Be sure to join us:

TOPIC: Is Your Brand Helping Or Hurting Your Small Business?

DATE: Tuesday, May 15, 2012

TIME: 1:00 pm ET (New York time)

WHERE: Twitter.com, of course! Simply follow the hashtag #FedExOffice.

Be sure to follow me, @smallbiztrends as well and if you’re new to Twitter chats, check out Lisa Barone’s “How to Participate in a Twitter Chat.”

Disclosure: FedEx Office compensated me to participate as a small business expert during the FedEx Office Our Office Is Your Office Tweet Chat program and write this post. FedEx Office also provided the $100 gift card. The ideas in this blog post are mine and not ideas or advice from FedEx Office.

From Small Business Trends

Twitter Chat: Is Your Brand Helping Or Hurting Your Business?

The topic was “Mobile Devices: Secure and Protect … Now!” We learned some surprising statistics and were pointed to valuable resources during this chat.  Among them:

• The Honey Stick project report, showing the consequences when mobile phones are lost
• Statistics about mobility, including the average loss per mobile security incident for SMBs:  $126,000
• Steps to keep your SMB mobile safe
• Checklist to protect your mobile device

During the chat I was joined by two subject matter experts from Symantec, which sponsored the chat.

SYMANTEC SPEAKERS:

Kevin Haley
Director, Symantec Security Response
Twitter: @kphaley

Andrew Singer
Director, Symantec Product Marketing
Twitter: @SymantecEMM

Here are the questions I posed, and selected discussion around each question.

Q1: Every year we hear “it’s the year of mobile.” How many SMBs actually use mobile devices in business? #SMBchat

95 percent of mobile workers now have smartphones, up from 85 percent in 2010 (2011 iPass Report) – @KPHaley

Not only are people using mobile for work, but it’s all mixed up with their personal stuff #SMBchat - @KPHaley

I use my mobile every day for business (internet mktg). - @robert_brady

At our organization all of upper management and those that travel often use Blackberry (about 50 total) – @Ileane

With smartphone penetration rates growing small business do not escape the trend. — @fjfonseca

Q2: What are the top uses of mobile devices by small businesses? #SMBchat

Symantec research shows email as top use for SMBs and 54% use line-of-business applications on mobile devices — @SymantecEMM

A line of business application for example is a financial reporting tool or a real estate listings application. @SymantecEMM

Don’t forget technologies like Square that empower the SB’s owner to use mobile. — @fjfonseca

Many #smallbusiness owners have asked us to create an app to use their devices to scan inventory ^Matt – @inFlowInventory

Q3: What is the biggest security issue when it comes to small-business mobile usage? #SMBchat

96% of lost phones had the data accessed in our study. Even those returned. — @KPHaley

Lost or stolen, once out of the user’s hands a phone must be considered breached. http://t.co/dmnewP7w  – @KPHaley

315 new mobile vulnerabilities found in 2011. 90% increase. Opportunity for bad guys is there. — @KPHaley

My guess is the “human factor,” leaving the mobile phone, no keyboard / PIN lock.  – @Lyceum

Lost phones are actually the biggest risk for SMBs: http://bit.ly/IjpInI — @KPHaley

Device loss, data leakage, unauthorized access to corporate resources and malware infection are all big security issues. —  @KPHaley

Here is a list I put together for protecting your phone.  http://t.co/hpjPTfai  –  @KPHaley

Take a look at this Symantec blogpost on wardriving. Mobile devices, PCs are vulnerable attack http://t.co/Tb5c19P1 — @SymantecEMM

Connect to encryption enabled wifi networks or only use applications that transmit via HTTPS  – RT @SymantecEMM @TJMcCue

If you are really dealing with sensitive data, use a VPN. Ask your geek friend to set it up. — @fjfonseca

Remote wipe or encryption, pick the one that works for you. Protect the data on your mobile device. — @KPHaley

Phishing is also harder to detect on smart phones because of the smaller screens.– @KPHaley

Q4: Which presents the bigger security risk to a company:  a mobile device or a PC? Why? #SMBchat

Mobile devices are easier to lose and when discovered, curiosity can lead to violation of personal privacy: http://bit.ly/IjpInI — @SymantecEMM

Malware for mobile devices is less common than malware targeting PCs, however we’re seeing more Trojanized apps —  @SymantecEMM

Both. Need to be secure and protected – @txtnlrn

Don’t use the same password for different accounts, services. #StaySafe  – @TJMcCue RT @fjfonseca

Locally stored data isn’t as dangerous as opening portal to data in cloud. Must be just as careful w mobile as PC  – @Walter Paley

#Smbchat tonight is a course in security – follow on Twitter and save your biz from hackers — @RamonRay

Q5: In terms of mobile risk, what are the main consequences (losses)? #SMBchat

Losses stem from direct financial expenses, loss of data, and damage to brand or loss of customer trust http://bit.ly/K3LhyP — @KPHaley

This one blows my mind: SMBs averaged $126,000 of loss in the past year due to mobile computing issues http://bit.ly/K3LhyP  – @KPHaley

18% of all targeted attacks are directed at businesses with < 250 employees. http://t.co/ldE4bzLr  – @SymantecEMM

Q6: Which is more likely: having your mobile device hacked into or losing it and someone accessing private info?#SMBchat

I would guess losing it and someone accessing private info. So many people lose their phones. — @LisaSchulteis

Both are risks. Only 50% of smartphone finders contacted the owner in our smartphone experiment http://bit.ly/IjpInI — @SymantecEMM

This stat is important, 18% of all targeted attacks are directed at businesses with 250 or fewer employees. http://bit.ly/ITfzSq — @SymantecEMM

Not everyone can hack a phone. Everyone has the skills to steal one. — @KPHaley

People are basically good. Just insanely curious. Don’t get down on humanity because of http://t.co/dmnewP7w  –  @KPHaley

I have heard stories about how the police have found the criminals by GPS location and “find my phone” app. — @Lyceum

Find my phone is a good example. If you lose your phone you know you can secure your data. — @SymantecEMM @Lyceum

Because regular users keep thinking “it only happens to the others” until it happens to them. – @fjfonseca @Mayura

We have the tech now to secure mobile data, so let’s leverage these tools to the max! #CoIT  >>> I agree there  –  @AdrienneSmith40  RT @Nukona_Walt

Q7: What can small businesses do today to reduce risk in mobile computing? #SMBchat

And this will sound familiar: Keep security software up-to-date; encrypt data going to and from the device. — @KPHaley

Save yourself a lot of grief: Only use app marketplaces hosted by well-known and legitimate vendors http://bit.ly/IqJmSB  – @KPHaley

Good start: Enforce policies for acceptable use, screen lock, passwords, and application downloads for all users.  –  @KPHaley

Protect mobile devices with Android Lock passwords and use Apps that can wipe a phone/tablet clean if lost or stolen — @VernessaTaylor RT @jbrath

Pick a vendor that manages the updates for you. Not your job to remember to update. — @KPHaley

For some current statistics on the State of Mobility, download:  http://bit.ly/IIDeHh

Note:  to make the recap easier to read, tweets above have been edited to remove redundant information, such as hashtags and answer numbers.  Obvious misspellings and broken links also were fixed.  Tweets may be slightly out of order, for better readability. The above represents only a small portion of the tweets — it is intended to cover key highlights for reader convenience, not serve as a full transcript of the chat.

From Small Business Trends

How to Secure and Protect Mobile Devices