SmallBizResource Blog -- Internet

5 Internet Marketing Mistakes That Cripple Profits

Posted by Janet Attard, Courtesy of Business Know-How 10:30 AM ET | Aug 3, 2009

How successful are your online pay-per-click (PPC) advertising campaigns? What about your email marketing efforts? Are you getting traffic to your Website, but not getting as many new orders as you had hoped for? If so, you could be making one of the following five common mistakes.

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Business Know-How | Internet | Marketing

How To Find People To Follow On Twitter

Posted by Gayle Kesten 12:37 PM ET | Jun 26, 2009

Of my 271 followers on Twitter, *maybe* 10% are people I actually know. The rest is a group joined together based on common interests -- small businesses, entrepreneurs, tech tools, and the like.

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Internet | Marketing | SmallBizResource | Startups

How To Protect Your Small Business From Identity Theft

Posted by Gayle Kesten 03:28 PM ET | Jun 23, 2009

With friends, family, and co-workers like these…In the spirit of opening your eyes but not inducing paranoia, when small businesses fall victim to identity theft, someone they know is more often than not the guilty party whose tampering has a direct impact on their credit standing.

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Internet | Security | SmallBizResource | Software | Startups

13 Twitter-Speak Translations

Posted by Gayle Kesten 01:56 PM ET | Jun 22, 2009

"What the heck IS this Twitter thing?" The frequency with which small-business owners and entrepreneurs continue to ask me that question -- as recently as two hours ago by one of the dads at an end-of-the-year school function, and last week during two interviews for profile pieces -- signals to me that, a) word is truly getting out beyond those of us who live in this social media cocoon, and, b) people assume way more is involved with Twitter than is actually the case.

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Internet | Marketing | SmallBizResource | Startups

Know-How For Hire: Top 100 Web Skills

Posted by Gayle Kesten 09:00 AM ET | Jun 15, 2009

While the economic recession continues to roll on, Elance's June jobs report provides an unprescribed dose of optimism -- providing you have the right skill set.

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Economy | Internet | SmallBizResource | Startups

Concerns Among Small Businesses, According To Two Companies That Serve 'Em

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:48 AM ET | Jun 12, 2009

Does it make sense to take out a business loan if you're struggling to attract customers?

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Economy | Internet | Marketing | SmallBizResource | Startups

eBay Dangles $120K Contest Carrot In Front Of Existing, Potential Sellers

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:38 AM ET | Jun 9, 2009

I haven't written about eBay in months. Perhaps no news is good news?

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Internet

System Mechanic Speeds Startup Of Slowpoke PCs

Posted by Gayle Kesten 01:11 PM ET | Jun 5, 2009

Make coffee. Pack lunch. Wake son. Those are just a few of the tasks I can cross off of my to-do list during the time it takes to get my laptop started each morning.

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Green | Internet | SmallBizResource | Software | Startups

Beyond Google Alerts: Free Tools That Track What's Being Said About You Online

Posted by Gayle Kesten 10:35 AM ET | Jun 2, 2009

What are your customers and competitors saying about you and your business/brand online? Could an employee be intentionally/unintentionally divulging private details about your company? Are you on top of the latest industry news, research, and trends that would influence decisions you make about your business?

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Customer Service | Internet | Marketing | Security | SmallBizResource | Startups

Freebie Friday: 6 Contests & Giveaways Galore

Posted by Gayle Kesten 10:30 AM ET | May 29, 2009

When you're a small business, a little recognition can go a long way. Add in cash prizes, free hardware and software, and one-on-one expert advice, and the time it'll take to apply for the following half-dozen contests could prove an undeniably sweet ROI.

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Internet | Marketing | SmallBizResource | Startups

Cross-Channel Shoppers: Are ROBO Shoppers Faking Out Your PPC Conversion Rate?

Courtesy of Business Know-How 11:19 AM ET | May 28, 2009

We've heard it for years. Heck, I've said it myself countless times before: "Click-throughs are great, but it's conversions that really matter." However, consumer research during the past several years has shown a growing trend that most emarketers believed would have eased by now.

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Business Know-How | Internet | Research | SmallBizResource

BillFLO Takes The Tedium Out Of Invoice Entry

Posted by Gayle Kesten 01:54 PM ET | May 4, 2009

So many tasks, so little time. Aiming to automate one that small-business owners know all too well, a startup in San Francisco has introduced a hosted service that eliminates the need to manually enter invoices into your accounting system.

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Freelancing | Internet | Productivity | SmallBizResource | Software | Startups

SBR Readers Show No Mercy To Employee Caught In Facebook Lie

Posted by Gayle Kesten 09:02 AM ET | May 1, 2009

Social networks: They giveth, and they taketh away.

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Internet

Employer Uses Facebook To Snag 'Sick' Worker

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:00 AM ET | Apr 28, 2009

I realize I'm preaching to the choir when I say social networks represent an easy, cost-effective way to market your small business and connect with current and potential customers,
colleagues, partners, etc.

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Internet | Marketing | SmallBizResource

Google Bolsters Gmail With Offline Accessibility

Posted by Gayle Kesten 09:43 AM ET | Jan 30, 2009

Google doesn't want a little detail like lack of an Internet connection stop you from using your e-mail.

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Internet | Mobility | Productivity | SmallBizResource | Software

Your Small Business In 2009

Posted by Gayle Kesten 12:40 PM ET | Jan 5, 2009

Like my entire family smushed into my parents' spare bedroom this time last week, so, too, can small businesses expect their space to crowd with more startups in the coming year.

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Economy | Hardware | Internet | Marketing | Mobility | Productivity | SmallBizResource | Software

Yellow Pages 2.0

Posted by Gayle Kesten 10:45 AM ET | Dec 12, 2008

When contemplating the best ways to advertise online to your local market, don't let your fingers walk past a tried-and-true resource that has been at your disposal long before you were born.

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Internet | Marketing | SmallBizResource

Koobface Virus Still Stalking Facebook

Posted by Gayle Kesten 03:07 PM ET | Dec 9, 2008

A slimy worm is leaving its gooey trail across Facebook, posing as members' friends to ultimately hijack their machines via bogus e-mail that's delivered via the social network's messaging system.

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Internet | Marketing | Security | SmallBizResource

12 Ways to Build Your E-Mail List

Posted by Janet Attard, Courtesy of Business Know-How 01:23 PM ET | Dec 4, 2008

Building an e-mail mailing list -- and mailing to it regularly -- is one of the most effective strategies for boosting Web site traffic and sales.

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Business Know-How | Internet | Marketing | Startups

Five Link-Building Sins That Will Work Against Your Web Site

Posted by Janet Attard 09:31 AM ET | Nov 20, 2008

One of the most important keys to prominent placement by the search engines is to get other Web sites to link to your site. Granted, finding appropriate sites to ask for links, and then trying to convince them to link to you, is time-consuming, but beware cutting corners in your link-building campaign. You could be shooting yourself in the foot.

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Internet

Survey Says: Zoomerang Can Bring You Closer To Your Customers

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:48 AM ET | Oct 31, 2008

Holding onto the customers you have and convincing them to spend more is top of mind, to be sure. One more tip I'll throw into the mix of advice: try Zoomerang, an online-survey maker, to find out what's on your clients' minds.

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Economy | Internet | Research | SmallBizResource | Software

Free Apps For Your iPhone

Posted by Gayle Kesten 12:25 PM ET | Oct 27, 2008

Now that my cell-phone plan is up and I'm free to choose a new one sans penalty, InformationWeek's roundup of cool Web applications for the iPhone or iPod Touch is putting me in an Apple kind of mood.

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Internet | Mobility | SmallBizResource | Software

It's Time To Float Your Business To The Cloud

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:53 AM ET | Oct 24, 2008

If you're still purchasing new software to run your business, then you may want to stop, stop, and stop. A hosted alternative could save you a chunk of cash and make your life a whole lot easier.

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Hardware | Internet | Productivity | SmallBizResource | Software

How To Buffer Your Blog During The Economic Bust

Posted by Gayle Kesten 02:38 PM ET | Oct 21, 2008

The merits of blogging as a marketing tool for our microbusinesses are no mystery. Some of us are even making money and/or a living as bloggers. So the concern for how to prepare our blogs for an economic downturn is huge.

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Economy | Internet | Marketing

25 Bucks Can Buy You Advertising On MySpace

Posted by Gayle Kesten 02:09 PM ET | Oct 13, 2008

Following in the footsteps of FaceBook and The New York Times, MySpace is testing out a new service aimed at small businesses and individuals who want to create an ad campaign that lives on its multimillion-member social networking site.

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Internet