Category: Small Business Management
Top 5 Bootstrap Marketing Techniques Every Small Business Owner Should Use
With the economy still lacking, the idea of starting and running a low-budget, bootstrappedbusiness is a very hot topic. The good news is that it doesn’t have to cost you a decade of debt to start your business, if you’re willing to put in a little time and elbow grease. In fact, it’s entirely possible to not only start a business on a bootstrap budget, but to also grow your business with minimal investment. Marketing isRead More
12 Tips for Making Your Business Blog a Success
The idea of starting a business blog from scratch may be a bit intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be an overwhelming experience, and the benefits of starting a business blog can make the process worthwhile. Here are 12 tips for getting started with a business blog and making it a success. 1. Post consistently – There are no defined rules when it comes to posting frequency. Whether you post once a week or everyRead More
Top 5 Reasons You Should Start a Business Blog
Blogging has become a common way to market your business online, but there are still many small businesses that are hesitant to make the jump and start a business blog. There are several reasons why small business owners don’t blog: It takes a commitment of time and resources that can be overwhelming They don’t know how to get started from a technical perspective. It can be challenging to develop a loyal, engaged following on aRead More
What Is a Focus Group?
A focus group involves having potential purchasers come together to experience something. Each member of the group then shares their opinions, criticisms and other feedback about the experience by answering the same set of questions posed by an interviewer. A focus group can be an effective way for small businesses to conduct market research. For example, a focus group can involve having a set of potential clients walk through one of your email marketing campaigns,Read More
101 Small Business Marketing Activities
One universal small business goal is to sell the business’s products and services. This is usually best accomplished by positioning the business in front of the target audience, and offering something they can’t refuse or find elsewhere. To this end, one of the smartest things a small business owner can do for their business is take the time to develop asmall business marketing plan that will set them apart from the competition. A marketing planRead More
How to Write a Unique Selling Proposition
A unique selling proposition (USP), or unique selling position, is a statement that succinctly outlines how your business, product or service is different from that of your competition. It identifies what makes your business the better choice, and why your target clients should choose you over the competition. Your USP can be an effective tool that helps you focus your marketing goals, and verify that every piece of marketing collateral you create successfully sets youRead More
For Many Small Business Owners, Providing Health Insurance Remains a Struggle
Brian Adams, who sells fireplaces in Indianapolis, is like many of the nation’s small-business owners. As the cost of providing health benefits has climbed, he has struggled to afford coverage for his employees — a problem the new health care law was designed, in part, to address. But a year after the law’s introduction of the insurance exchanges, provisions that were supposed to help small businesses offer employee health benefits are largely seen as a failure.Read More
The Three Letters That Could Change Your Small Business: API
Today’s business owners are incredibly tech savvy. They use cloud-based applications, run their small businesses from mobile devices and track the return on revenue of every advertising dollar with online dashboards. Many can even update their own websites, tweaking code when necessary. But even with this level of sophistication, most entrepreneurs are missing out on what might be the biggest opportunity they have to expand their small businesses, an opportunity expressed in just three letters: API.Read More
Small, But Fierce: How Small Firms Can Pack a Big Punch
If you compare the American economy to an automobile, then 2009 was the year it careened off the road. We’ve since towed it out of the ditch but, make no mistake, we’ve still got engine trouble. And there’s no better way to understand this fact than to look at the state of Small Firms in America. These enterprises, led by risk-taking entrepreneurs, have always been the true driver of job growth and innovation in America. AndRead More
A Look at the Future of Small Business Financing
When is it going to get easier to get cash—and what do we do meanwhile? Those are the questions small-business owners have struggled with since the economy took a nose dive. Many banks reacted to the financial crisis by tightening their standards, driving entrepreneurs toward other sources of financing, such as alternative lenders and crowdfunding. Now, despite the slow but steady recovery, it’s still tough for many small firms to get a traditional loan. So,Read More