Phoenix Small Business Resources

The Tim Hawley Insurance Agency in Phoenix AZ  is a small business just like yours, and is proud to be a part of the Maricopa business community. The Tim Hawley Insurance Agency wants to help by gathering as many resources as possible in one spot. And remember, you should get a business insurance quote once a year to make sure you are saving money on your workers comp, liability and commercial auto insurance.

Here are some helpful links:

Doing Business in Phoenix Arizona

Starting a Small Business in Phoenix AZ

United States Small Business Administration

Remember, you can call the Tim Hawley Insurance Agency anytime for help or insurance advice. They are local in Phoenix at (602) 279-3100.

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Web Smarts

A few weeks ago, I decided to add a new phrase  to my Google Alerts.   I added my name “Tim Hawley”.  Any time my name is posted on the net, I know about it.  Well, each time I have posted on my business blog, I see it on my alerts.  So, imagine my surprise when I saw my name in a post on a website that I have never heard of.

 

Apparently, somebody saw a posting I made on a bulletin board and used it on his site to add new  Icontent.  I suppose that his copying of my content is flattering, but he didn’t even change my name or website info.  Pretty lazy if you ask me.  But, this does emphasize my point that the more you post the more your name gets out.  The more your name gets out the better your ranking on the search engines.

 

Think of this process as a spider spinning a web.  It starts out in the center and radiates out touching more and more spots in order to be able to catch as many flies as possible.  Only in our case, the flies are customers.  I was in a district sales meeting last week.  One of the topics was setting up a Facebook account to increase sales.  After the meeting I called the person giving the talk and had him Google me.  He saw that my site is #2 on the Google search engine.  My Facebook is #3.  I am #’s2,3,4,&5 on Yahoo.com.  I am #2 &3 on AOL, but who really uses AOL anyway.

 

It works, people.    Go to www.kenhood.net.  Get his Webcard360.  It links all of your sites on a professional web business card.  Yes, it is another web presence to get trap the flies.

 

If you want to contact me, got to my website www.timhawley.net and click the contact me tab.

Don’t Place A Losing Bet Without Insurance

Insurance coverage is an expense that many small business owners might be tempted to cut back on, or even cut out totally, as they try to cut costs during this deep recession.

Business Owners are placing a losing bet if they follow that road.  Insurance is a prime example of gambling.  You bet the house (the insurance company) that your business is going to suffer a loss.  Each policy term you place your bet.  Each year the insurance company takes your money.  They are betting that you won’t have a loss.  What happens when the odds shift and you miraculously win? – YOU LOSE.

Sure the insurance company will pay out.  That is what they do.  But if you cut back to a “No Frills” policy, what do you really get.   Your building rebuilt, your contents replaced.  What if you don’t have business interruption coverage.  Who is going to make your payroll if the business isn’t open.  Who is going to rebuild the “Goodwill” if your customers go somewhere else because you cut “Extra Expense Coverage”?  That coverage pays for opening at another location until yours is available for business again. 

Cut rate insurance is just that – cut rate.  Mundane disasters that  threaten a business _ fire, theft, power outages, even someone being injured on the premises, will be covered.  But the frills that are cut aren’t really frills at all.  They are necessary.

Loretta Worters, Vice President for communications of the Insurance Information Institute, a New York-based trade group, said insurance may seem like a lower financial priority for some small business owners right now.

Call your local business insurance specialist, Tim Hawley, at 602-279-3100.  Tim has 20 years of experience and will asist you in finding the balance of coverage and cost.

Marketing Your Product/Service using Forums

I am on a mission.  A mission to attract and retain more business to my insurance agency.  I  have been in business 20 yrs.  I know what I am doing.  I have a professional, easy to use web site, and my clients use it.  But,  I need to attract more people to my site.  Not just any people mind you, but people in my community.  People that want and need my product.  People that know I can help them.   People that seek ME out.  Oh, and I don’t want to spend alot of money.  Free would be good.  Is this a dream or a possibility?

I believe it is a possibility, and I think I have found the right path.  The road I choose is less travelled.  The front end work appears to0 be great, but the reward will be so sweet when the fruit of my labor is harvested.  I am talking about using forums as marketing tools.

What do I mean?  Message Boards.  Information Exchange Forums.  Creating a forum wherby people sign up to learn and/or share information with each other.  But, the beauty is the fact that you are the moderator.  You get to allow or decline membership.  You get to have each members E-MAIL.  You are the main contributer and if you can impart some intelligent thoughts about your niche market, you will get people to understand that you really do know what you are doing, and they will seek your counsel and expertise when they need it.

The key to marketing with forums is to become an active participant by answering questions and asking questions and building relationships with the other forum participants.  Also, forums allow what is known as a Signature within which you can put your website URLs. Whenever you put up a post, your signature shows at the bottom as clickable links and people following that post can click through to visit your website.

Setting up a forum is very easy.  I used Proboards.com.  The control panel is very easy to use, so I could customize my forum.  ( It is a new forum, so please bear with me).  I set the controls so that if people want to view my forum, they have to register.  This gets me their e-mail.  It also allows me to find out more about them.  Their demographics.

I realize that I am going to have to do a little more work to keep up with having new content, answering participant requests, and moderating posts, but I am hopeful the effort will be worth it.  The potential upside is great.

I am goint to join each insurance forum I can, and place a  thread showing my forum is in action.  This is a direct form of forum marketing, kind of like spamming, but really not because I am pointing people to another more worthwhile forum.

I have google searched insurance forums, and there aren’t that may forums that are very good, moderated well, if at all, or truly on topic.  So, I know my forum is needed and timely. 

I will be updating this post as events warrant.  I know this is a different method, but I am resolved to see it through.