Should My Business be More Social Online?

The Role of Social Media in Your Small Business

There are many new and exciting social media channels, but just how focused on social media should your business marketing be?

Life in the lucrative lane: Bowling alley best practices

Bowling is, by some estimates, the most participated-in sport in the U.S.

Bowling in its many forms has been said to be the second-most popular sport in the world, after soccer. Though it has never exactly been the sport of kings, and at times has been viewed by some as a hopelessly middlebrow activity, it has always been pretty popular, particularly in the United States.

Being the squeaky wheel: knowing when (and when not) to embrace automotive "best practices"

Anything categorized under "best practices" should be carefully considered

In recent years some in the automotive industry have expressed the opinion that industry best practices are killing, or at least crippling, the car business. Could it be that they have a point? Perhaps.

7 secrets to a splendid spa: How to exceed customer expectations

Spas provide people to enjoy a temporary reprieve from their hectic routines.

Ahhhh, spas… it seems that they’re more popular today than ever before. No longer considered the exclusive domain of either the chronically ill (therapeutic spas) or the rich and privileged (resort and destination spas), today’s spas provide people from all walks of life with unprecedented opportunities to enjoy a bit of pampering and a temporary reprieve from their hectic routines.

Retail best practices: What does customer-centricity mean to you?

Paying more than lip service to the concept of putting the customer at the center of everything you do.

In recent years "customer-centric" has become a buzzword in several industries, particularly in retailing. Two factors have made customer-centricity more important than ever for brick-and-mortar retailers: the increase in online shopping, and the struggling economy.

Marketing Your Restaurant Series - Ninth Tip

Get Customers to come back: Develop relationships with your Customers

In our last business tip of the series, Get Customers to Come Back: Developing relationships with your Customers, restaurant owners should liken the process to courtship and proceed through flirtation to commitment.

Marketing Your Restaurant Series - Eighth Tip

Get customers to come back: Loyalty Counts

In this business tip, Get Customers to Come Back: Loyalty Counts, look to create a sustainable loyalty program to reward your most valuable Customers.

Marketing Your Restaurant Series - Seventh Tip

Get Customers to come back: Seek Customer Feedback

In the next business tip Get Customers to Come Back: Seek Customer Feedback, we look next to how restaurant owners can gather and use customer feedback.

Marketing Your Restaurant Series - Sixth Tip

Make Your Customers Happy: Keep customers coming back

In this next tip, Make Your Customers Happy: Keeping Customers Coming Back, your next step is to make sure your Customers make your restaurant their go-to spot.

Marketing Your Restaurant Series - Fifth Tip

Make Your Customers Happy: Create a Great First Impression

As noted in Make Your Customers Happy: Employee retention, engaged and motivated employees are your best ambassadors. In this next business tip, Make Your Customers Happy: Create a great first impression, your next step is to make sure your Customers’ expectations are met and even exceeded.

Marketing Your Restaurant Series - Fourth Tip

Make Your Customers Happy: Employee Retention

In our Business Poll, of those that responded, 9% believed that Making customers happy was the area that they found the most challenging when marketing their business.

Marketing Your Restaurant Series - Third Tip

Get Customers: Make it Worth their while

Using promotions tied to discounted prices is indeed a time-honored way to bring in new customers, followed by word-of-mouth recommendations from a family member, friends or co-worker.

Marketing Your Restaurant Series - Second Tip

Get Customers: Let Them Know Who You Are

In many ways, what you are – as a business – is identical to who you are as a person. Identity is about character in action, adherence to principles and commitment.

Introducing Marketing Your Restaurant Series

Get Customers: Know Your Customer

The first challenge is to get the customers to come in to your restaurant and although it is important to let them know who you are and to, obviously make it worth their while; the first step is to know who they are.

How to protect your online reputation

Reputation damage can be devastating to a small business

A company's reputation is its most vital intangible asset. Building a solid reputation often takes years, but now much of that hard work can be undone with a few mouse clicks.

The Omnipresent (But Invisible) World of Business-to-Business Bartering

Bartering has been around as long as business itself

To read some of the business publications, you’d think that bartering was a whole new phenomenon, or at best a fringe element of the business community.

7 Warning Signs That Your Business Is In Trouble

Most business failures are result of internal factors

What with the current economic situation, it is rare to find a business owner nowadays who isn’t at least a little bit concerned about the well-being of his or her business.

Two and a half tips for hiring GREAT employees (and avoiding dreadful ones)

Avoid troublesome employees and recruit great ones

For the past few months, actor Charlie Sheen’s very public meltdowns have dominated the print, broadcast, and online media. TV producer Chuck Lorre would probably wish he’d never met the actor.

Common small-business scams and how to avoid them

The scammers are targeting naïve individuals

When you think of the word "scam," perhaps your first thought is of fast-talking boiler room criminals ripping off baffled senior citizens. Or maybe you picture one of those spam emails that promise millions of dollars in exchange for sensitive financial information.

Firing your bad customers

The Pareto Principle: the vital few and the trivial many.

Over a century ago, in 1906 to be precise, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto noted that in his own garden, 80% of the vegetables in his garden were found on 20% of the plants. Surprised by the seeming disparity, he researched to determine whether the same ratio would apply in areas beyond his little plot.

How to determine the best advertising vehicles

Target Market, Product and Advertising Budget.

When choosing the advertising vehicle or vehicles that will best serve your purposes, there are three factors that you need to consider: (1) your target market, (2) your product, and (3) your advertising budget.

How to handle sensitive employee disciplinary actions

Using the proper guidelines to apply to employee misconduct

Workplace discipline counseling is about compliance, not punishment. Although it is hard, you have to keep strong emotions out of a difficult situation. The only emotions that should guide you are compassion for the person being scolded, and concern for your company and your other employees.

Networking ideas for shy business people

"Networking" has been a business buzzverb for at least the past 20 years.

By now, most people in business accept networking as a necessary tool for firms that want to increase their business and reach out to new markets, as well as for individuals who wish to advance in their careers.

Service providers no business can do without

Information and Communication

More than ever before in our history, businesses are finding that communication is as essential to success as any other aspect. In order to successfully compete, even the smallest business must provide customers with access to information that rivals the largest corporations.

Is it a business… or a brand?

It should be both

Once upon a time, "branding" was what ranchers did to cattle and horses. Later it was co-opted by the advertising industry. But today, as David Lemley, president and chief brand strategist of Lemley Design, wryly noted, "the term ‘branding’ sits in the pot with all the other buzzwords."

Six real tips for better business meetings

Keeping your meetings running smoothly

A recent Google™ search for "tips for better business meetings" yielded over 42 million results. Forty-two million. To say that the consulting industry focus upon improving meetings has blossomed would be a real understatement.

Inexpensive tactics for getting attention for your business

Ask a business owner to identify the most important factors in his or her business’ success, and making customers aware of the business is going to rank right at the top of every list.

Types of Business Insurance

Taking the fear out of business insurance is easy

One common area of business planning that many businesses approach with trepidation – or even a sense of dread – is business insurance.

3 Ways the Export Initiative Could Help Your Domestic Import/Export Business Grow

Taking advantage of this new government initiative

This tip looks at 3 ways the National Export Initiative (NEI) of 2010 may impact small businesses.

Don't Overlook Paid Search Marketing

Drive net-new sales revenue

PPC expert Geordie Carswell offers a reminder of how paid search marketing can help your business grow.

Three Things to Know About Linking (Part Two)

Strategic linking for success

Debra Mastaler of Alliance-Link offers comments and simple advice on how to create a link-building action plan. (Part Two of Two-Part series)

Three Things to Know About Linking (Part One of Two)

Strategic linking for success

Debra Mastaler offers some expert insight on 3 simple things to know about links to your website.

Visual Communication through Web Design (Part 2 of 2)

The Psychology of Good Web Design

This is Part 2 of a two-part series where web design expert Melvin Ram shares insight on the psychology of effective web design.

Visual Communication through Web Design (Part 1 of 2)

Strategy and Psychology of Web Design

Web design can be very powerful marketing. Visual signals are some of the most prominent messages you can send to your customers and potential clients. Web design expert Melvin Ram shares experienced insight on properly understanding the psychology of effective web design.

Understanding the Basics of Local Search

Optimizing Your Local Business Listings

This tip taps local search expert Vedran Tomic for some hints on improving your local web listings. Includes helpful links.

3 Simple Tips for Keeping Your Business Green

Managing Small Details for Big Change

Keeping your business "green" may be a simple matter of better practices. This common sense business tip looks at some of the ideas behind "Going Green." It offers simple hints and easy-to-implement ideas to help your business get (or stay) green in 2010 and beyond.

Building Web Success: Optimizing Online Conversions - Part Three

Part Three: Optimizing Conversions

In the final part of this 3-part series, we continue to discuss the benefits of online conversion rate optimization

Building Web Success: Optimizing Online Conversions - Part Two

Part Two: Conversion Rate Measurement

Measuring your website's conversions will allow you to optimize your efforts, and ultimately, make more money online. This article looks at how to accurately measure conversions over time.

Building Web Success: Optimizing Online Conversions - Part One

Part One: Goals and Tracking

Optimizing your business' web conversions will help you to increase profitability. This 3-part series taps UK SEO expert Liam Delahunty for insight and actionable items ready for webmasters everywhere. Read this article series to develop the foundations of your own, personal blueprint to follow when optimizing online conversions.

Introduction to Psychographics

Getting to Know the Characteristics of Your Customers

Psychographics can help a business owner to see beyond the obvious, and really make a meaningful connection.

The Simple Objectives of Marketing

Looking at the Basics of Business Marketing

In business marketing, some simple objectives will tend to drive most actions. Remaining focused on these simple directions can help your business to make better marketing decisions.

Staying Proactive in an Unstable Economy

How to Keep Moving When The Economy Doesn't

Staying proactive in an unstable economy is the key to remaining vital as a small business. Look to this tip for some simple ways to keep moving as the economy slows.

The Basics of Email Marketing

Getting Started with Email Marketing

Interested in using email to market but don't know where to start? This tip looks at the basics and offers simple suggestions for businesses ready to improve their online marketing.

Location, Location, Location

Choosing the Right Spot for Your Business

It has been said that the three most important words in business are "location, location, and location." See more about how to best choose your place of business.

Making a Small Business Seem Not So Small

Making Sure the First Impression is the Right One

In many small businesses, it is important to create the feeling of a larger business to gain customer dedication. See how one entrepreneur tackled this challenge.

Efficiency Equals Profitability

Paving the Road to Business Profitability

Most small business owners realize that efficient practices are necessary to keep a business running smoothly.

Small Business Semantics

Avoiding Getting Lost in the Language

Small businesses face many challenges, so it pays to not get lost in the terminology. See how staying focused on the issues (not the descriptions) can help your business.

Getting Ahead on the Web

Strategies to Make More of Your Time Online

Well known SEO expert Aaron Wall offers suggestions for small business web investments.

Hiring the Right One

How to Find and Hire Your Best Employees

Use these simple tips the next time you are hiring a new employee for your small business.

Hope for the Best, But Prepare for the Worst

Defending Against Murphy's Law

Through some simple planning, many small business owners can avoid potentially devastating situations. Learn how to remove the rose-colored glasses, and prepare your business for any emergency.

Take Time Away from Your Small Business

The Value of Time Spent Away from Your Business

Proper relaxation and some dedicated me time for the business owner can help sustain the energy needed for success. Here are some simple steps to help you achieve a better work-life balance.

Keeping it Fresh for Small Business Success

Using Fresh Ideas to Revitalize Your Approach to Business

Fresh ideas are one of the ways that a business stays strong and competitive. View this tip for more info.

Building Blocks of a Better Budget

Tips To Setting Better Budgets

In business, every plan needs a budget. From a small media blitz or interior renovation to aproduct roll-out on the largest scale, the budget set and your ability to stick to it are closely aligned with your professional profitability.

Hold the Phones

Proper Phone Etiquette Builds Businesses

In a small business, how the telephone is answered can be a simple, but very important consideration.

Walk a Different Mile

Trying on Another Perspective

Try walking a mile in another’s shoes to improve your own perspective. This advice can be especially pertinent to a small business owner.

Knowing Your Numbers

Making Sense of Every Dollar

Understanding what your numbers reflect will help you to better manage many aspects of your business.

Survey Says: Using Polls to See Where Your Small Business Stands

Listening to Your Customers' Needs

Using some very simple strategies, a small business owner can get a better feel for what customers like or dislike about what is happening every day in the business.

Building Employee Pride in Your Small Business

Inspiring Better Employee Performance

Building a sense of pride for the business in every employee is your responsibility as a small business owner. Here are some common sense tips to help.

Tax Prep 101

Simple Tax Hints

Looking for some simple tax hints? Here are some common sense tips that can help ease the stress of tax time.

Cost-Effective Ways to Market Your Website

Spreading the Word While Saving a Buck

If your business has a website, there might be some very cost-effective methods you can employ to spread the word. Look to this tip for some simple strategies.