Small Business Brief / Current News

Time To Divorce Problem Customers?

thejenn — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:39:41 PST

By eliminating 5% of her clientele this year, Kishau Rogers' Web-site development firm is saving 20% more of her time while 2009 revenue is on track to rise 10%. "It was the best decision I've made, because it really reduced the level of frustration that I was experiencing," Ms. Rogers says. "It freed me up to the clients that are loyal and pay on time."

5 Fetch(s)

Why Your Advertising Isn't Working

thejenn — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:36:50 PDT

The vast majority of ads don't register with consumers. Here are seven straight-up reasons why your message probably isn't getting through.

17 Fetch(s)

8% of Companies Have Fired Someone for Facebook Idiocy

thejenn — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:31:22 PDT

Hilarious example of an employee being too stupid to remember what you say online can bite you in the butt. Ever wonder what your employees are saying online?

19 Fetch(s)

Turning Web Browsers Into Buyers

thejenn — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:54:14 PDT

Imagine you owned a grocery store in which roughly half the people who loaded up shopping carts suddenly left them full in the aisles and took off without buying a thing. Most merchants would consider that a crisis, but on the Web, it's the norm.

20 Fetch(s)

Ivan the Terrible's Terribly Effective Click-Fraud Scheme

thejenn — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:10:39 PDT

With a bit of detective work, you can spot domains that send you useless and irrelevant search traffic. And occasionally, you can nab a bad guy, like the dude we nicknamed Ivan the Terrible. He tried to rip us off for over 10,000 fraudulent clicks. This is how we caught him.

24 Fetch(s)

Being a Family First Entrepreneur

thejenn — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 09:36:32 PDT

"ONO, Options Not Obligations" explores changing your mindset to live with an options-oriented outlook rather than just an overwhelming obligation to become a rich entrepreneur and provider. Living as a "family first entrepreneur" requires a commitment to overarching change while working past the fear of not having enough money to live the kind of life you want.

22 Fetch(s)

When Negotiating, Always Listen Before You Speak

thejenn — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:06:25 PDT

You simply can't know what is in someone else's mind. Ever. That revelation turned into a key rule of negotiating for me: Never anticipate what the other side is thinking. Go into every negotiating situation with an open mind and listen to what the other party is saying.

20 Fetch(s)

The Life of an Internet Mogul

thejenn — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:35:18 PDT

As a high school student, Matt Mullenweg worked on open-source software projects in his bedroom. Seven years later, he still does most of his work from home. Mullenweg, 25, is the founder of Automattic, the company behind the open-source blogging tool WordPress and a handful of other software projects.

27 Fetch(s)

How to Optimize Your Conversion Rates

thejenn — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:58:54 PDT

There are thousands of potential improvements to choose from. You need to prioritize these based on the level of impact that improvement can have and the resources available to execute them. If you don't have a copywriter available at the moment, you shouldn't focus on copy changes even if it would be the most impactful. That's just common sense, but to many it catches them like a deer in headlights.

19 Fetch(s)

Classic Business Building Concepts

thejenn — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:59:20 PDT

Businesses have become the source of way too much stress for their owners, employees, stakeholders and clients. What works for the long term are the basics that have always worked. They are classic. And classic is classic for a reason.

19 Fetch(s)

Firm Gives Loans When Banks Won't - And, Yes, There's A Catch

thejenn — Thu, 28 May 2009 07:02:53 PDT

Rather than issuing a monthly bill, On Deck automatically deducts small payments every day directly from a borrower's checking account. For instance, one client received a loan from On Deck for $15,000 at a quoted 21 percent interest rate. Five days a week, On Deck debits $71.48 from the company's checking account.

13 Fetch(s)

8 Ways to Cut Overhead Expenses from Minimal to Practically Non-existent

thejenn — Thu, 21 May 2009 06:37:25 PDT

A smart business owner is constantly researching ways to trim your overhead costs to make sure their business is as profitable as possible. Make sure you're at the top of your game by implementing and taking advantage of all the free and low-cost options there are out there for small business owners.

14 Fetch(s)

What Chocolate Covered Grasshoppers Can Teach You About Marketing

thejenn — Tue, 19 May 2009 17:42:57 PDT

Social media is not Twitter. Social media is you connecting with your customers to tell your story. It's how small businesses can market their companies on the Web, not only effectively, but for free. Every small business has a unique story. If you want to successfully market and grow your business, focus on telling yours.

19 Fetch(s)

In Advertising, Consistency Pays Off

thejenn — Tue, 19 May 2009 07:18:02 PDT

Your ability to sustain a long-term advertising program shows customers that you're a successful, reliable brand.

15 Fetch(s)

Why Small Businesses Fail

thejenn — Mon, 18 May 2009 13:25:10 PDT

Working harder doesn't fix a broken business model. It just prolongs the agony. This kind of delusional thinking, I believe, explains why some 70% of small businesses go broke before their 10th anniversary.

14 Fetch(s)

Make it Outrageous - Make It Bigger, Make It Goofy, Make It Last

thejenn — Fri, 15 May 2009 07:13:07 PDT

Take your cliche warranty or satisfaction guarantee and make it remarkable. Brikolor, a Swedish furniture company, guarantees its furniture for 300 years. Calling it a "lifetime warranty" wouldn't have been worth telling anyone about, but a 300-year warranty is unique (even though it's basically the same thing).

18 Fetch(s)

Whose Business Is This Anyway? Facing the Customer Feedback Frenzy

thejenn — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:30:56 PDT

As consumers, we used to suck it up and take it when we were using ... products and services created, managed and hosted by others. Today, we are almost drunk with the power we have to make or break a company by what we blog, tweet, Facebook, and more. So what are companies to do when the entire landscape of customer input and feedback mechanisms has gone haywire? Here are some thoughts about this new feedback frenzy that can send a company reeling from the impact of input.

15 Fetch(s)

Caution: Google May Be Sending Your Customers Away

Robert — Wed, 06 May 2009 07:09:42 PDT

You may want to go take a look at your Google Local Business Listing to verify it still exists and is sending people to the right Web site. It seems that due to what Google is calling an "algorithm change" many Google business listings are being merged with other companies located in the same building or with competitors who work nearby. Broken down, that means customers looking for you may actually be sent to the Web site of your competitor instead. Its great fun and just the latest in Google Map hiccups.

21 Fetch(s)

Introvert's Guide To Conference Networking

Heidi — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:08:24 PDT

For some of us introverts, events like this are worse than a root canal. As I plot my strategies for the next conference, I'm sharing what I've already learned at other conferences or "big room" gatherings and what I've heard from some of my friends.

19 Fetch(s)

30+ Places To Find Creative Commons Media

CathyStucker — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:36:14 PDT

Whether you are looking for music to open your podcast, images to spice up your blog post, or video and text content for your site, these 30 sources can help you find the free content you need.

23 Fetch(s)

Three Secrets to Make a Message Go Viral

Heidi — Fri, 01 May 2009 07:53:01 PDT

Viral marketing has become a hip, low-cost way to reach a lot of people very quickly -- with little effort. But as marketers, including giants such as Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, and Procter & Gamble, slash ad budgets, "viral" needs to mean more than "free" and "fueled by prayer." Making an idea contagious isn't a mysterious marketing art. It boils down to a couple of simple rules.

15 Fetch(s)

Online Reputation Management DOES matter

DebraMastaler — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:48:24 PDT

A well written and researched post by Tony Adam on why your online reputation matters.

10 Fetch(s)

How To Outsource Your Traffic Generation

Robert — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:27:14 PDT

This is how I've grown my business past the point of my competitors being able to keep up. I'm just simply able to out work them because I have more man hours to play with.

19 Fetch(s)

Small Business SEO: How To Launch That Web Site

DavidWallace — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 10:18:59 PDT

Okay, so say you're a small business looking for search on a dime. You have your domain, your hosting is squared away, you have a few pages of content up and you're finally ready to attract the world (or at least your city) to your Web site. Being small means you need to be smarter. It's about doing all the little things that will pack the big rewards. Where do you start?

23 Fetch(s)

Time to Buy TV, Radio, and Internet Ads?

Robert — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 19:00:44 PDT

With advertising dollars scarce and large corporations cutting back on their marketing efforts, smaller businesses are reaping the benefits of significantly lower rates for ad buys they may have once thought were out of reach.

5 Fetch(s)

TwitterMass: A Smarter Way to Auto-Follow on Twitter

Robert — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 18:47:32 PDT

Auto-following is a sensitive topic on Twitter, and the release of TwitterMass is surely going to create some controversy, as it takes auto-following to the next level.

11 Fetch(s)

Thanks For Your Business: How Do You Say It?

Robert — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:07:15 PDT

The best way, in my opinion, is to follow up with each and every person you come in contact with by mail. Yes, good 'ol mail. A thank you note/card can make an immediate - and lasting - impact. Add your own handwriting to the card and the impact doubles. Add a picture of your contact/customer to the card and the impact doubles again. You may feel like this process takes too much time for the amount of return. The process can be slow to heed results, but you have to remember that networking is a long-term deal.

12 Fetch(s)

Tabbed Navigation, and What Makes it Useful

Heidi — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 13:19:46 PDT

Tabbed navigation brings a real world element to the web, and when done right works very well in an interface. They help a user answer many essential questions without thinking: Where am I? Where else can I go? How much other stuff is there?

10 Fetch(s)

How My Start-up (Barely) Survived its First Year

Robert — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:55:23 PDT

Of all the challenges I faced that first year, one in particular stands out in my mind. It taught me an important lesson about what to do when you're suddenly confronted with potential catastrophe because of conditions over which you have no control -- something a lot of companies are facing today.

10 Fetch(s)

Top 10 Myths About Freelancers

Robert — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:58:56 PDT

There are a ton of myths about freelancing. They develop because of over-cautious fear on the one hand, and unrealistic expectations on the other. Managers can fear losing control of a job by giving it to a freelancer. Potential freelancers can imagine the worst, or ignore the risks. And myths arise.

8 Fetch(s)

AMEX Helping Small Business

DebraMastaler — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 07:55:43 PDT

The Open Forum, a video and article resource center, is actively seeking input from small business owners who have used their remarkable resources. If your story is chosen the OF may include it on the new, enhanced version of OPEN Forum.

12 Fetch(s)

Sell More by Seeing Your Store Through Customers' Eyes

Robert — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 11:28:26 PDT

Next to value-priced quality products, a motivated staff is the most cost-effective way to stand out from the competition while avoiding costly price wars. So many no-cost and low-cost staff behaviors can make all the difference in how a customer feels about your store. The devil is in the specifics because even the most well-intentioned staffer may unwittingly slight someone.

6 Fetch(s)

Using Twitter To Manage Online Brand Reputation

DavidWallace — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 08:39:16 PDT

With Twitter's popularity, brand managers everywhere are beginning to use the service to monitor conversations related to their brand and product names. This post examines some of the ways this is taking place and explores how you can use Twitter to manage the reputation of your brand online.

19 Fetch(s)

Why Long Copy Will Never Die

Robert — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 19:14:03 PDT

The next time you say that you "hate cheesy long sales pages," start paying attention to the sales copy that does persuade you. See if you can spot the classic persuasion techniques when they're presented in a new wrapper.

8 Fetch(s)

30 Free Conference Call Services

CathyStucker — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:51:36 PDT

Do you do conference calls and teleseminars? This annotated list of 30 top conference calling services will help you find the right provider at the right price--free!

6 Fetch(s)

12 Tips for More Effective Email Marketing

sazbean — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 05:27:02 PDT

Emailing a prospective client can be difficult at best. Following up on potential leads is important, but so is saying the right thing. It may help to consider your email piece as an elevator pitch - you only have a few seconds to grab attention and entice the customer to continue the conversation. Here are a few tips to help make your email more effective...

12 Fetch(s)

Marketers find Twitter a tweet recipe for success

Heidi — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:38:09 PDT

Hansen's Cakes of Beverly Hills says sales are up 15% to 20% since they embraced Facebook as a sales tool in September. "That's even in a recession," she says. "People are still having birthday parties and weddings, and seeing these little bits about cakes on updates get them excited about the possibilities."

10 Fetch(s)

30 Apps for Doing Business on Facebook

Heidi — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 08:27:14 PDT

Think LinkedIn is the only place for business? Facebook is growing rapidly and it's becoming a destination for businesses and business professionals alike to establish a presence. Here are over 30 Facebook applications to help promote, network, communicate, collaborate and accomplish more with your business.

8 Fetch(s)

Mining Twitter for Business Leads

Robert — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 13:08:38 PDT

People are asking questions, complaining, and searching for stuff in every corner of the world on twitter and these people are often more than happy to hear from someone who can provide an answer locally. With a little practice you can set-up a series of tweets that might turn up leads for your business every single day.

8 Fetch(s)

"Buy Local" Campaigns Help Save Small Businesses

thejenn — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:56:54 PDT

Fed up with seeing local small businesses being ravaged by the economic downturn, some people are taking matters into their own hands. They're trying to reverse the fortunes of mom-and-pop stores by becoming more organized in "buying local."

4 Fetch(s)