How To Get The Most Out Of Comcast Business Class News For Free

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1 WELCOME Comcast Business Class News will give you information on new Comcast Business Class products and services, including tips on how to work smart and get the most out of your service. You ll also receive updates on Microsoft capabilities, advice, techniques, and insights into industry trends, ideas and tools for home offices, and special offers from our partnerships. Volume 5, November 2009 the Big Boys Comcast customer, Second Wind, shares tips on how small companies can use Comcast services to better compete with large competitors... from Experts View free video webcasts featuring marketing and finance experts focused on helping small businesses... with a Website Having a website can help increase sales, even if you re not selling products online. Quick tips for getting started... We ve updated our Accessibility Policy with more services for special needs customers... We d Like to Hear from You We ve developed this newsletter for you and want to be certain it meets your needs. And if there are subjects you d like us to address in a future issue, just let us know. Share your feedback with us. us at Editor_at_Newsletter@cable.comcast.com. Sign up today and start receiving Comcast Business Class News for FREE! Get free expert advice, tips, and tools to help your business. Sign up here for the Comcast Business Class News. us at Editor_at_Newsletter@cable.comcast.com Comcast Corporation Page 1

2 Comcast Services Help Customer The Big Boys As publisher of Second Wind Media in Connecticut, Mitchell Young has a bird s eye view of the local business landscape. The company publishes newspapers, magazines and websites that focus on New Haven and other local communities, giving Mitch the opportunity to follow developments in the region. We tapped into that knowledge, as well as his experience with Comcast Business Class, to talk about how small companies can use Comcast services to better compete with large competitors. Here s his advice: Connect with Your FAST: The speed at which you connect to your customers and the market is critical to making you more competitive. Having a professional website can help nearly any small business connect more effectively and quickly with customers. For example, with Comcast Business Class Internet we have the power and speed to support video, the next wave in publishing content. Our readers/ viewers are now looking for more than just text and images, and we re pleased we can now deliver exciting new products like a video magazine on the web. Or if you re a retailer you now have the tools to create a professional website for online sales. Not only will this expand your customer base all over the country and the world but it is also a great way to advertise locally. Be More Productive: Mitch goes on to add, working smarter with existing resources will also make you more competitive. In our business we live and die by deadlines. We used to kill ourselves finalizing a story for a deadline only to have to wait hours for the publication files to upload to our printer. With our Comcast high-speed Internet we ve cut at least a half-day out of our production cycle and our staff is now free to focus on the next issue sooner. We ve also found it much easier to work with outside freelancers for a cost-effective way to increase productivity. If you want to expand but can t hire another full-time employee, or if you need specific expertise for a certain project, now you can let outside consultants access your computer system and work from home or wherever they are. Our employees and freelance staff do this every day and they don t miss a beat. It s easy to be virtual Comcast Corporation Page 2

3 In today s competitive business environment, smaller companies need to be able to compete with the large companies. We need to be fast but we don t have big company budgets. We ve found Comcast Business Class Services help us level the playing field with affordable speed. With that power at your disposal you re free to think creatively about how you can use the tools you have to expand your business and work smart. Do you have tips you want to share with other Comcast Business Class customers? us at Editor_at_newsletter@cable.comcast.com and we may feature your business in an upcoming issue Comcast Corporation Page 3

4 Offer Tips for Small Businesses Comcast and the world s leading source of financial news, Bloomberg Television, are partnering to bring you a series of video, enabled by Cisco s technology. Webcast #1: Implementing Big Marketing Ideas on a Small Business Budget! If you missed this Webcast on October 7 you can still view the recording. Go to to watch. Jane Applegate, founder and CEO of Small Business Television (SBTV ) and renowned author of 201 Great Ideas for Your Small Business, will address the best ways to maximize your company s marketing dollars. Bloomberg Television anchor and business reporter, Monica Bertran, hosts the session. Webcast #2: Accessing Capital in a Cash-Constrained Environment A recording is also available of our November 17 webcast. Go to to watch. Professor William Dunkelberg, Chief Economist for the National Federation of Independent Businesses and Professor of Economics at Temple University will focus on creative ways to access the capital you need despite a challenging financial climate Comcast Corporation Page 4

5 Enhance Your Bottom Line with a Web Site Even if you re not selling products online, having a Web site will impact a potential customer s decision to do business with you. It s a fact web sites influence purchase decisions, including an estimated $471 billion in in-store sales 1. Consumers now research online before they decide which law firm to use, which gas grill to buy or even which doctor to entrust their medical care to. Yet, only 41% of small business owners have a web site. 2 Many small business owners put off developing a web site because they think it s too complicated, time-consuming and expensive. But, with everyone using search engines and social media, if you don t have a site, you re not fully in business. Based on our experience working with Business Class customers, here are our top ten tips for building your own website: 1. Shoot for six or eight main categories of information and give each one its own tab or button. More than this will overwhelm users. 2. Use the same navigational structure on every page. Consistency is important. 3. Create a clear hierarchy on each page head, sub head, etc. so your information is easy to find. 4. Be careful about getting too fancy with flash graphics or using too many graphics. This will slow your site down and distract viewers. Simpler is better. 5. Standardize on fonts that most computers have and don t use too many of them. 6. Don t use too many colors and be sure they are readable. There is nothing more frustrating than blue text on a black background. 7. Leave enough white space. There are no awards given for using all the space on a page. Keep it clean looking. 8. Don t make your pages too long viewers hate scrolling down and down and down. Break it up into a few easy-to-navigate pages Comcast Corporation Page 5

6 9. Be sure to include the basics phone numbers, contact information, address and directions. 10. Take some time to test the site. Get people who haven t been involved in the development to go through it and give you honest feedback. Adjust as needed. Visit for more tips and to download our free whitepaper, Building a Web Site Will Enhance Your Bottom Line Warrillow & Co, Comcast Corporation Page 6

7 Updated Accessibility Policy for Special Comcast Business Class Voice is committed to providing accessible services to our customers with special needs. We have recently updated our Accessibility Policy to include: 711 abbreviated dialing for users Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) in compliance with all applicable federal regulations. Support for teletypewriters ( TTY ) and telecommunications devices ( TDD ) for customers with a hearing or speaking disability. A Special Customer Care Group that answers TTYs and TDDs for customers and provides additional assistance. Free Directory Assistance calls and no operator surcharges upon request for customers with disability certification. Braille and Large Print bills to customers upon request. For more information on our accessibility policy and how to take advantage of it go to verb=preview&sprt_ct=sprt_resource&fname=raw+document&sprt_usage=false&sprt_ rate=false&sprt_cid=fcbbe4c0-92bc-4973-b651-8ea2def36eb Comcast Corporation Page 7