SmallBizResource Blog -- Marketing

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

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

Craigslist Gets "The Weird Al" Treatment

Posted by Fredric Paul 09:25 PM ET | Jun 16, 2009

If eBay is the spot for small businesses to start selling, Craigslist is where companies go to buy and sell stuff before they're even companies. And now Weird Al Yankovic gives the ubiquitous online marketplace his special breed of love -- in a Doors-themed video with Ray Manzerak on keyboard.

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Marketing

SBR Quickie: Wither Twitter?

Posted by Gayle Kesten 09:35 AM ET | Jun 16, 2009

From the "another-survey-that-validates-what-small-businesses-already-know" department: Social media is emerging as a direct marketing channel, according to email marketer StrongMail Systems.

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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

How To Create Share-Worthy Content

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:43 AM ET | Jun 8, 2009

A longtime colleague has been struggling with whether to ditch a client -- one she had reservations about taking on in the first place. I sent her this piece by Seth Godin.

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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

SBR Quickie: 5 Tips For Taking Your Business Video Viral

Posted by Gayle Kesten 10:48 AM ET | May 12, 2009

Perhaps no one knows the impact of a viral video better than Susan Boyle, the across-the-pond, overnight singing sensation who just a few weeks ago appeared on Britain's Got Talent and knocked the world's socks off ... courtesy of YouTube.

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Marketing

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

Guy Kawasaki's 10 Twitter Tips

Posted by Janet Attard, Courtesy of Business Know-How 09:40 AM ET | Mar 26, 2009

If you ever go to a conference at which Guy Kawasaki is speaking, make sure you arrive early enough to get a good seat.

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Business Know-How | Marketing | Productivity | SmallBizResource | Startups

The Bright Side Of Marketing's Decline

Posted by Gayle Kesten 12:16 PM ET | Feb 20, 2009

Results from a survey about marketing budgets are far from pretty, but the conclusions drawn by Church of the Customer blogger Ben McConnell are downright beautiful.

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Marketing

Short-Term: The New Long-Term Marketing Strategy?

Posted by Gayle Kesten 02:13 PM ET | Jan 9, 2009

Would you consider it encouraging if I told you job losses among the smallest of businesses in December were around half that of November's numbers?

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Economy | Marketing

How To Bag More Sales

Posted by Janet Attard, Courtesy of Business Know-How 09:21 AM ET | Jan 8, 2009

As usual, this past Sunday's newspaper was jam-packed with advertising supplements. All the usual fliers were there -- the food coupon flyers, the flyers for local furniture stores, a flyer for Best Buy, and flyers for a variety of other big retailers.

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Business Know-How | Marketing | SmallBizResource

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

Rounding Up The Year-End Roundups

Posted by Gayle Kesten 01:54 PM ET | Dec 23, 2008

Santa's not the only one who's making a list. The Web is overflowing with lists of best-ofs. I continue to be mindful of the ones I present here on Small Biz Resource -- my radar always on the lookout for quality over quantity.

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Economy | Hardware | Marketing | 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

Recession Aside, You Still Need To Advertise

Posted by Gayle Kesten 03:16 PM ET | Dec 2, 2008

Gimme an R… Gimme an E… Hey, have you heard? We're officially in a recession -- and have been for, oh, about a year now.

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Marketing | SmallBizResource

Last-Minute Considerations As We Slide Into Cyber Monday

Posted by Gayle Kesten 11:23 AM ET | Nov 24, 2008

No-brainer, the economic downturn is going to put a measurable damper on holiday spending -- particularly for specialty retailers -- but as long as Rufolph's nose still glows, consumers will still buy gifts.

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Marketing

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

How To Calculate Your Break-Even Point On Ads

Posted by Janet Attard, Courtesy of Business Know-How 11:07 AM ET | Oct 9, 2008

How many sales do you have to make before you start making a profit on an ads buy?

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Business Know-How | Marketing

100 Tips On Marketing Your Business For The Upcoming Holidays

Posted by Gayle Kesten 04:53 PM ET | Sep 16, 2008

Here's a fact that's almost as scary as yesterday's financial headlines: There are less than 100 days until the holidays arrive. The question is, what are you doing now to prepare for your marketing efforts?

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Marketing