Category: Small Business Resources
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
7 Tips for Getting Started with Social Media for Your Business
Small business owners who haven’t gotten started with social media might be overwhelmed, intimidated and confused by sites like Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube and Vine when they consider what to do and what not to do when using these sites for business. The good news is that it can be easy to get started using social media sites for your business, and not only can it be fun, but it can also open upRead 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
How to Write a Small Business Marketing Plan: A Step-by-Step Guide
A marketing plan is an essential marketing tool for every small business. Use the guide on the following pages to answer these 10 questions: Marketing Strategy: How will your marketing plan support your business goals? Mission Statement: What are you trying to accomplish, and why? Target Market: Who are you trying to reach with your marketing activities? Competitive Analysis: Who are you up against, and where do you rank? Unique Selling Proposition: What makes yourRead 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
Customer Experience Should Not Be the Job of Just One Person
The whole world is going digital and it’s having an immense impact on organizations’ abilities to engage with customers. Through digital channels, social media and mobile communications, consumers today orchestrate their own experiences, choosing how and when they want to interact with companies’ brands. This creates a number of challenges for organizations, as they attempt to provide timely, consistent and personalized experiences to customers across channels. With less than half of companies rating their customer experience asRead More