Small Business News, Tools and Articles

Get the Word Out!

StartupNation Blog — Get the Word Out! Once you do your research and contact media members with targeted pitches, there are several other things you can do to build buzz about your business. ^

Looming Commercial Real Estate Crisis Threatens Small Businesses

Small Business Trends — Looming Commercial Real Estate Crisis Threatens Small Businesses Recently I blogged about President Obama’s proposal to help community banks lend more money to entrepreneurs. ^

National Retail Federation Innovation Conference Loves Mobile Tech

Mobile Marketing Watch — National Retail Federation Innovation Conference Loves Mobile Tech The first-ever National Retail Federation Innovation & Marketing Conference, taking place in San Francisco this week, is all a-buzz about mobile. ^

Introducing the Email Marketing Enlightenment Discussion Group

StartupNation Blog — In partnership with StartupNation, Infusionsoft will host a dedicated discussion group on the latest email marketing practices, strategies and tips that will help your business or startup use email marketing the right way. ^

Niche Social Networks

Small Business Labs — The 10 include social networks for mustache lovers, vampires (or fans of vampires) and 8 other niche social networks. ^

02 Media: SMS Marketing Still Superior to Mobile Apps

Mobile Marketing Watch — 02 Media: SMS Marketing Still Superior to Mobile Apps Although mobile apps are clearly all the rage, Shaun Gregory, the managing director of O2 Media, says it’s important not to place apps ahead of sound mobile marketing practices when it comes to utilizing the mobile space most efficiently in the promotional process. Gregory advised firms to avoid the temptation of becoming wholly preoccupied with creating [...]

Sales Tip of the Day: SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO

The Selling Sherpa — How do you answer the question, “should I stay or should I go?” I will typically consider three things: Does the subject of the event address a problem my customers are facing? Does the subject of the event address an idea I want to pursue but have not had time to research? Is the speaker or featured presenter someone I want to make a connection with? If the answer to any of these is yes, I’ll go. ^

Black Ops Social Media Marketing

bizSugar / Hot Topics — It pulls me back to my early days in the intelligence community… Okay, maybe not quite the same-I never had to kill quite so many people to accomplish my objectives. ^

2 Ways to Create Influence and Persuade Others for Salespeople

bizSugar / Hot Topics — 2 Ways to Create Influence and Persuade Others for Salespeople Real influence, the real ability to persuade others, is based on the foundational attributes of success. ^

Any Mobile Phone Can Be a Smartphone

Mobile Marketing Watch — Any Mobile Phone Can Be a Smartphone An interesting piece from MakeUseOf.com points to an often overlooked reality than few may have previously considered. ^

Tips on using Google Image Search for your SEO

bizSugar / Hot Topics — Tips on using Google Image Search for your SEO Google Image Search is the version of Google dedicated to images and it is a very effective technique for your search engine marketing strategy and implicitly for your search engine optimisation strategy.19 Vote(s)

5 Benefits of LinkedIn For Bloggers | Online Media Gazette

bizSugar / Hot Topics — Online Media Gazette LinkedIn isn't just a tool for businesses to expand their brand on, but individuals like bloggers can benefit a lot if they spend some time on it. ^

Are You Brave Enough to Work for Social Change?

HBR Editors' Blog — But there was an unofficial, existential thread running through several of the keynote speeches — namely, finding yourself through public service. Philanthropist and businessman Raymond Chambers sat with The Economist's Matthew Bishop in a couple of easy chairs at center stage (inviting, of course, hundreds of their closest entrepreneurial friends) and held an "informal" discussion about the ways Chambers has applied many of the business principles he honed in the world of private equity to cre

Are You Brave Enough to Work for Social Change?

HBR Editors' Blog — But there was an unofficial, existential thread running through several of the keynote speeches — namely, finding yourself through public service. Philanthropist and businessman Raymond Chambers sat with The Economist's Matthew Bishop in a couple of easy chairs at center stage (inviting, of course, hundreds of their closest entrepreneurial friends) and held an "informal" discussion about the ways Chambers has applied many of the business principles he honed in the world of private equity to cre

Starbucks’ video case study: Building Meaningful Customer Engagement

GasPedal — Starbucks’ video case study: Building Meaningful Customer Engagement Come to BlogWell: How Big Brands Use Social Media on April 7 in Cincinnati to hear Dell, Duke Energy, Procter & Gamble, Hilton Worldwide, AT&T, Tyson Foods, Rogers Communications, and General Mills share case studies in corporate social media. You’ll learn how to get started, get past roadblocks, and make your social media program phenomenal [...]

Tablet Computers Now With Touch: Boosting Productivity of Mobile Professionals

Smallbiztechnology.com — It's an ultra-thin, multitouch-enabled convertible tablet that provides an interactive experience for businesses in health care, education, sales and more. What's neat about this tablet PC is that it has touch capabilities, similar to what you'd find on a smart phone (such as the iPhone). ^

The Importance of Small Business and Jobs

The Entrepreneurial Mind — The Importance of Small Business and Jobs The importance small businesses for both job creation and job loss in our economy is highlighted in a new study from the SBA Office of Advocacy.  Through much of the 1990s and and into the 2000s, small businesses accounted for 65% of new jobs created in the economy. ^

Growth and Exit

The Entrepreneurial Mind — Growth and Exit Jason Del Rey has a great interview with Josh James at Inc.com about his growth of Omniture and eventual sale to Adobe.  A very honest reflection -- well worth the read.(Thanks to Belmont alum Bradley Martin for passing this along). Jason Del Rey has a great interview with Josh James at Inc.com about his growth of Omniture and eventual sale to Adobe.  A very honest reflection -- well worth the read.(Thanks to Belmont alum Bradley Martin for passing this a

Win A Free Pro Account At Magntize

Small Business Trends — Win A Free Pro Account At Magntize Can you really get something for nothing these days?  The good news is that, yes, you can.   The great group of guys over at Magntize have offered Small Business Trends readers the opportunity to throw their name into the hat for a chance to win a complimentary pro account at Magntize.  Magntize is a site that helps you to introduce yourself to the world.  As the guys at Magntize say, “Sure we all have blogs and accounts with various social networking sites. ^

Small Business News for March 4, 2010

Small Business Trends — Small Business News for March 4, 2010 There’s plenty to watch in today’s small business news roundup from Small Business Trends. ^

Adenyo to Expand Internationally with New $26.9M

Mobile Marketing Watch — Adenyo to Expand Internationally with New $26.9M Mobile marketing company Adenyo just announced that it has snagged $26.9 million in new funding to accelerate its international growth. ^

Hair Salon Sees 70% Reduction In No-Shows With SMS Reminders

Mobile Marketing Watch — Hair Salon Sees 70% Reduction In No-Shows With SMS Reminders It’s always nice to come across use-cases for SMS beyond the basic confines of marketing, and a perfect example is the increased usage of the medium for appointment reminders. Headrush Hair Salon, an up-scale and high-traffic salon in the U.K, enlisted the help of TextMagic to introduce SMS reminders to cut down on no-shows and reduce [...]

Are You Happy, Or Just Remembering Wrong?

Planning, Startups, Stories — Here’s the TED summary: Using examples from vacations to colonoscopies, Nobel laureate and founder of behavioral economics Daniel Kahneman reveals how our “experiencing selves” and our “remembering selves” perceive happiness differently. ^

Entrepreneurs, Is Your Time More Valuable?

YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog — Entrepreneurs, Is Your Time More Valuable? For an entrepreneur, every minute matters. If you’re not attending to your business, then you’re not growing as fast as you might want or need to. ^

Building Your Referral Engine – Free Webinar with the Referral A-Team

Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing — Building Your Referral Engine – Free Webinar with the Referral A-Team Building Your Referral Engine – Free Webinar with the Referral A-TeamThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Building Your Referral Engine – Free Webinar with the Referral A-TeamThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing As part of the Make a Referral Week 2010 Education Series I am highlighting the power of referrals and word of mouth marketing with a live event featuring the some of the brightest authors, speakers and thought le

Uh-oh! Seven Steps to Deal with an Unhappy Client

Freelance Folder — Seven Steps to Deal with an Unhappy Client It can happen to the best of us: a client is disappointed with the work we turned it. ^

Social Media Marketing - Waste of Time. | Marketing

bizSugar / Hot Topics — Unwilling to take the time to understand how to approach it or to realise it's benefits, it is dismissed as a fad. ^

iPad Release Date Finally Announced

Mobile Marketing Watch — And while the waiting isn’t fully behind us yet, people chomping at the bit to get their hands on the iPad can at least circle a date on their calendars. Apple today announced that the iPad will be released on April 3rd. ^

Introducing FreelanceFolder’s New Premium Sponsor, IAC-EZ

Freelance Folder — Introducing FreelanceFolder’s New Premium Sponsor, IAC-EZ You may have noticed there’s a new banner ad at the top of the site. ^

Mobile Users: Fans of Personalized Location Based Services

Mobile Marketing Watch — Mobile Users: Fans of Personalized Location Based Services Mobile tech gives developers power to offer a lot of “magic” features for the user experience given the data known about a user based on GPS location, time of day, and other info. ^

Use Up What You Have.

The Happiness Project — Everyone’s project will look different, but it’s the rare person who can’t benefit. ^

Do You Really Want To Franchise Your Business?

The Franchise King — The cheap route usually involves spending about $20,000 with an attorney to do the necessary legal things to enable them to sell franchises.  So, armed with their paperwork, they start advertising their franchise concept. ^

NFIB Statement on Job Creation by Small Business

The Entrepreneurial Mind — The survey was conducted through February 28 and reflects 799 small business owner respondents: "In February, small business owners reported a seasonally adjusted decline in average employment per firm of negative 0.13 workers during the prior three months, an improvement from the January reading of negative .52 workers per firm.  Ten percent of the owners increased employment by an average of 5.0 workers per firm, but 19 percent reduced employment an average of 3.2 workers per firm (seasonally

10 Steps To Generating Revenue Online for Your Business

Small Business Trends — 10 Steps To Generating Revenue Online for Your Business How’s the first quarter of 2010 — and the rest of the year — looking for you and your business? Are you primed and ready to make money this year? Have you put a plan in place to promote your business and maximize your success? Here are ten quick, easy-to-implement things you can do that will guarantee your online business will be making you money this year: Write down your personal affirmation for the month and the year. The goal here is

99 Apps Launches $99 iPhone App for Restauranteurs

Mobile Marketing Watch — 99 Apps Launches $99 iPhone App for Restauranteurs When it comes to launching mobile marketing companies, some firms believe it’s best to go after one industry, offering easy and affordable ways for businesses in that industry to get into mobile marketing. ^

Pulitzer Prizefighting

Seth's Blog — Pulitzer Prizefighting People are drawn to existing competitions like moths to a flame.It's precisely the wrong way to succeed.Lots of journalists take significant detours in their careers and their writing in order to win a Pulitzer. ^

Pulitzer Prizefighting

Seth's Blog — Pulitzer Prizefighting People are drawn to existing competitions like moths to a flame.It's precisely the wrong way to succeed.Lots of journalists take significant detours in their careers and their writing in order to win a Pulitzer. ^

Weekend Favs March Six

Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing — Weekend Favs March Six Weekend Favs March SixThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing Weekend Favs March SixThis content from: Duct Tape Marketing I have a weekend routine where I share a handful of favorite things I tripped upon online this week. ^

Superinnovator — (An excerpt from “Advantage: Business Competition in the New Normal”) The Value of Knowledgeable Novices History and experience suggest that the right novice well placed is sometimes the best way to solve a problem. ^

Cardagin Scans $1M Series A for Mobile Loyalty Card Program

Mobile Marketing Watch — Cardagin Scans $1M Series A for Mobile Loyalty Card Program Carrying around loyalty cards for different stores can be a pain, so moving loyalty programs to mobile phones makes sense. ^