SmallBusinessNewz - For Business Professionals

21 Stats to Keep in Mind This Holiday Season

Chris Crum — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:43:36 -0500

Deloitte released the results of a new survey looking at holiday retail spending and trends. Social media, mobile phones, and online reviews are playing increasingly big parts in the lives and shopping habits of consumers.

New Google Infrastructure Rollout Not Imminent

Doug Caverly — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:55:04 -0500

Soon enough, new infrastructure for Google's Web search will be rolled out. Don't worry that your site will go from the first page of search results to the 335th just in time for the holidays, though, as a high-ranking Google employee has indicated that the search giant won't mess with much until after everything has passed.

Watch Out for Resentful Former Employees

Chris Crum — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:55:06 -0500

Ernst & Young released the results from its 12th annual Global Information Security Survey, finding that reprisals from recently departed employees and a lack of adequate security budgets are becoming the sources for major concern among IT professionals.

The survey was conducted among nearly 2,000 senior executives in over 60 countries. It found that:

Optimism Index Gains A Little More Ground

Doug Caverly — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:57:23 -0500

The National Federation of Independent Business Index of Small Business Optimism isn't exactly imitating a rocket; we're not yet near 100 (which represents 1986 levels of optimism), or even back at the significant 90.0-mark. Still, it gained 0.3 points in October, and every improvement counts.

Are You Researching Your Brand On Social Networks?

Jordan McCollum — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:03:35 -0500

Performics reports that Twitter may be the place to get your brand mentioned if you want social networkers’ attention, according to MediaPost. Nearly half (48%) of those who saw a brand mentioned on Twitter turned to a search engine to research that brand. Other social networks lagged far behind, with 34% researching.

Approach Social Media With A Purpose

Frank Reed — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:01:51 -0500

Ever had a time in your neighborhood or apartment complex or anywhere for that matter that you were enjoying the peace and quiet of a time and then it happened? You know. One dog barks then every dog in the neighborhood decides they have to have their say. Suddenly that peaceful moment is a cacophony of dumb dogs yelling at nothing in particular but still making a lot of noise and helping nothing. You just have to wait it out until they run out of energy and do the only thing that dogs do well; sleep.

The Upside of Marketing During the Economic Crisis

Abby Johnson — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:16:12 -0500

Since unemployment rates jumped past 10 percent last week, it looks like the recession is anything but over. While the news is discouraging, businesses need to realize that there are still opportunities available for them. As explained in the video report below, these opportunities would not exist if times were better.

Small Businesses Continuing To Trim Jobs

Doug Caverly — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:53:36 -0500

New statistics regarding the U.S. unemployment rate are not at all good; in short, they express that it's at a 26-year high, hitting 10.2 percent in October. And the latest data regarding small business jobs isn't so great, either, as it looks like positions will continue to be cut for a while.

E-Commerce Sales Down from a Year Ago

Chris Crum — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:40:09 -0500

comScore has released its retail e-commerce sales estimates for the third quarter, and found that US online retail spending totaled $29.6 billion, a 2% drop compared to last year. This is the first time on record that consecutive quarters have seen negative e-commerce spending growth compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

Take a look at this chart:

Findings from the Largest Business Social Media Study Yet

Chris Crum — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:20:24 -0500

Business.com released some findings from a study of about 3,000 North American business professionals to identify trends in social media use. The company calls it the largest study to date of social media use by business professionals.

Gift Card Tips For The Holidays

Doug Caverly — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:15:26 -0500

A gift that hits the mark is a great thing; when someone shows that they know you well enough to get a great present, it's very endearing. But let's be honest: most people don't even come close to the mark. So gift cards remain the most-asked for present, and small businesses should consider what they offer.

Search Marketing Without Social? Good Luck.

Chris Crum — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:57:13 -0500

If you didn't already have a reason to use social media to market your business, consider Google's recent Labs release, Social Search. The feature returns search results (when possible) based on related updates from people you are connected with on various social networks, blogs, etc.

UK Enterprise Tsar In Small Business Insult Uproar

Doug Caverly — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:18:26 -0500

Alan Sugar, the UK government's enterprise tsar, has won the enmity of small business owners all over the world. Yesterday, Sugar made the mistake of claiming that many such owners are in fact often "moaners" and accustomed to living in a fantasyland.

Part 2: Holiday Trends for 2009

Abby Johnson — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:56:00 -0500

As evidenced in our previous article on the first 5 holiday trends for 2009, the economy is still greatly impacting both consumers and retailers. Unfortunately, the next 5 trends from Phil Rist of BIGresearch and Ellen Davis of the National Retail Federation send the same message.

Eight Percent Increase In Online Holiday Sales Predicted

Doug Caverly — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:55:57 -0500

There's fresh good news - and unfortunately, a little fresh bad news, too - with regards to the 2009 holiday season. It looks like online sales will increase, but consumers will be focused on low prices and thus perhaps put small businesses up against big retailers.

Small Businesses Looking to Online Tools For Stronger Growth in 2010

Chris Crum — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:33:52 -0500

Campaigner has shared some findings from its State of the Small Business Online Marketing Survey. The firm says that while the economic climate has challenged businesses of all sizes, many small business owners are seeing the beginnings of a turnaround and are positioning for stronger growth in 2010 through the use of web-based marketing tools.

Google TV Ads Contest Winners Announced

Doug Caverly — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 11:58:59 -0500

Thanks to Google, three small businesses are going to receive a rather significant of national exposure. Amazing Gates, Owners.com, and ZAGG.com have been declared the winners of Google's TV for All contest.

The contest began about two months ago when small businesses were asked to submit 30- or 60-second promotional videos. Some judges narrowed down the list of entries ten finalists, and then YouTube users were allowed to vote for three winners.

Top 5 Ways to Exploit Halloween to Benefit Your Business

Chris Crum — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:28:37 -0400

Note: We originally ran this article last Halloween, but I thought it would be fun to run it again, so there you have it.

Let me start off by saying, this article is purely for fun. I don't really condone most of these ideas. It's Halloween and this is a day where people play pranks and whatnot. I'd like to just post the article, without this disclaimer, but I've seen too many of these things backfire when people don't "get it." So I'll tell you flat out. It's a joke. Most of these will probably get your house egged or TP'd.

FPB Wary Of Government Spending Cuts

Doug Caverly — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:59:48 -0400

Generally speaking, it's hard to disapprove of government spending cuts. Considering that so many countries are billions or trillions of dollars in debt, ideas that'll stem the flow of cash often seem great. But the Forum of Private Business has spoken out against the idea of the UK government lessening its support for small businesses.

Searching Your Company In Twitter

Rich Brooks — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:55:22 -0400

Dear Rich,

Good Webinar on Twitter last Thursday - I picked up some good tips.

After your presentation, a question came to mind that I wished I had asked, as it might have been helpful to others.

If I mention a company's name in a tweet, they often pick up on that and start following me.

Is there software that follows Twitter searching for a mention ? I am not speaking about using a hash tag or @ sign to directly get their attention.

Part 1: Holiday Trends for 2009

Abby Johnson — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:46:25 -0400

It's hard to believe that it's already time to start holiday shopping. According to the recent National Retail Federation's 2009 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions survey, it looks like the early bird may get the only worm. The survey, conducted by BIGresearch, found that consumers are aggressively looking for bargains this year. In addition, retailers are greatly cutting back on their inventory due to weak demand. In other words, it's going to be a push-and-pull battle between retailers and consumers.

Are You Under 'Passioned'?

Frank Reed — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:01:50 -0400

OK, so passioned is not a real word but that’s the beauty of blogging. I’m not a real journalist either so I call that here at Frank Thinking, grammar rules and proper writing technique are not required. Having said that I can now move on. Thank you.

What You Can Learn from Amazon to Increase Holiday Sales

Chris Crum — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:11:25 -0400

There is a reason Amazon is widely known as one of the biggest retailers online (if not the biggest). The company knows what it's doing.

Amazon has appeared in headlines recently for a number of reasons, and a fair amount of them are related to different things the company has been doing to increase its sales as the holiday season approaches. While as a small business, you don't likely have the clout that Amazon does, they do employ strategies that you can learn from in order to potentially increase your own sales.

1. Mobile Payments

Postal Strikes Pose Threat To Small Businesses

Doug Caverly — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:48:50 -0400

Once upon a time, your humble author ordered a rather large television, and for the sake of free shipping, accepted a delivery target of about one month down the road. But generally speaking, people want stuff they order to arrive promptly, and postal strikes in the UK are posing quite a problem for small businesses.

Consumers Don't Always Want to Be Your Friend

Chris Crum — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:41:52 -0400

The Global Web Index from Lightspeed Research recently shared some information about how Americans view brands. The findings offer some insight that businesses may want to consider when plotting their strategies for social media, blogging, and general interactivity with customers online.

Email Wins Consumer Marketing Survey

Doug Caverly — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:50:10 -0400

The findings of a new study suggest that it's time for small business owners to buy ergonomic keyboards and stick their phones underneath dust covers. At least one group of consumers vastly prefers to receive advertising offers through email instead of from telemarketers.

Finding the Right Social Media Strategy

Chris Crum — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:30:11 -0400

Whether you like it or not, the increasing popularity of social networks is likely to factor into how successful you are in attracting new (and old for that matter) customers online.

eBay iPhone App A Cash Machine

Doug Caverly — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:01:03 -0400

If you've given up on eBay and/or not embraced the mobile market, it may be time to rethink those decisions. It seems that consumers have bought over $400 million worth of stuff from eBay this year using an iPhone app.

Consumers Are Going Online More for Research

Chris Crum — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:27:50 -0400

Consumer online local research is on the rise according to the findings a recent study from TMP Directional Marketing and comScore. Shoppers go about doing their research a variety of ways, with most going to search engines first (31%) followed by print yellow pages/white pages (30%), online Yellow Pages sites (19%), and local search sites (11%).

Only a year ago in the same study, print yellow pages were ranked number one at 33%. This shows that online is becoming more the norm for consumers to do their research before shopping.

How to Open a Business Bank Account

Abby Johnson — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:22:14 -0400

Many people shy away from away establishing a business bank account when they open a business because they fear it will be difficult. While some financial affairs are challenging, the following video illustrates how opening a business account is not hard and is actually an essential part to beginning a business.