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Marketing Your Expertise: Review of ExpertClick

Credibility. Authority. Every business owner knows the value of being perceived as an expert, the go-to source when people think about your product or service. But, getting found as the expert in today’s market, with all of the market noise, is the challenge. ExpertClick helps you overcome this challenge by placing you in front of journalists for media interviews.

The site and service is designed for the business owner who does not have time for more elaborate or money for moreRead More

From Small Business Trends

Marketing Your Expertise: Review of ExpertClick

Top 100 Small Business Blogs Per BlogRank

BlogRank is a new ranking system for blogs. You really should check it out.

BlogRank dynamically ranks blogs in a wide variety of categories.  Here is a small sample of the categories:

• music blogs
• Asian food blogs
• museum blogs
• real estate blogs
• technology blogs

The sheer number of categories and blogs is impressive.  Data is collected on about 20,000 blogs, although not all of those blogs appear in the rankings.

And of course there’s a category for small business blogs. And that’s good, because Small Business Trends is currently rankedRead More

From Small Business Trends

Top 100 Small Business Blogs Per BlogRank

Fall Business Forecast

In additional to cartooning, I’m also a stay-at-home dad to my two young children. This means I read a lot of children’s books. In fact, I read so many that I can rattle off rather lengthy impromptu Seuss-like verse on almost any subject. (Fun at parties!)

Mother Goose is especially great for cartoon inspiration because it’s something that everyone gets right away. You just have to say “Hey diddle diddle,” and not only does everyone fill in the rest, but youRead More

From Small Business Trends

Fall Business Forecast

The Straight Skinny on When to Offer Early Payment Discounts

Some businesses try to encourage early payments from customers by offering what are known as trade terms.  Typical trade terms might be 1/10/30.  Those terms mean that the buyer gets a 1% discount if paying within 10 days, and the balance is due in 30 days from the date of the invoice.

Sounds simple enough, right?

But I wanted to know if trade terms work in the real world, especially from the point of view of the company extending the trade terms. Read More

From Small Business Trends

The Straight Skinny on When to Offer Early Payment Discounts

How to Get the Most Out Of Facebook Fan Pages

Facebook has come a long way since its inception. No longer just a site for college kids, Facebook has created some amazing advertising opportunities for SMB owners to take advantage of. And those opportunities have become even more powerful with the creation of Facebook Fan pages.

Facebook Fan pages allow you to officially represent your business on Facebook. You get to give your “fans” and customers a unified place to hold conversations about you, to get updates on what you’re doing, interactRead More

From Small Business Trends

How to Get the Most Out Of Facebook Fan Pages

Combatting The Summer Business Lull

Welcome to July, folks. We’re now officially knee deep in summer. That means along with the BBQs and sunburns, you’re probably also facing sluggish sales and a loss of in store face time with customers. As happens every year, warmer weather means people are spending more time at the beach and less time making heavy buying decisions. It’s the summer lull and there’s nothing you can do to combat it.

Or is there?

As an employee, I always loved summers in businessRead More

From Small Business Trends

Combatting The Summer Business Lull

Take the Time to Manage Customer Reviews

Not so long ago, Yelp received quite a bit of attention when they began allowing business owners to respond to reviews left on the site. It was something SMB owners and others had been salivating for. And for good reason. Review sites and local search have changed the way your customers are discovering you and helping them make important purchasing decisions. If your company is who your customers say it is, then these online reviews play a pretty crucial part inRead More

From Small Business Trends

Take the Time to Manage Customer Reviews

How to Become the Center of Everyone’s Attention

It’s easy to watch someone else get all the glory. All you have to do is stand and listen. But if you’re an entrepreneur who craves media attention, you may ask yourself, “Why isn’t that me in front of the camera?”

Molding your business into an industry and media darling takes time and planning. If you truly want free publicity, it’s up to you to start and maintain the process of becoming an industry leader. Here are three painless steps toRead More

From Small Business Trends

How to Become the Center of Everyone’s Attention

Sales: It’s About Them, Not You

So you have a product or service that you think is the greatest thing yet. You believe that people should really want it. And they will as long as you do a good job of explaining why. You think that sales is persuading and convincing.

Sales is really about matching your product or service with someone else’s needs. It’s not about trying to fit your product or service into their world, or about convincing them that they should have your productRead More

From Small Business Trends

Sales: It’s About Them, Not You

How to Choose Between a Credit Card and a Charge Card

People sometimes use the terms “credit card” and “charge card” interchangeably. However, they are different animals, and their differences should be clearly understood by any business owner searching for new credit.

Let’s look at some key needs/features that a small business owner might desire when seeking credit, and see whether credit cards or charge cards are best able to meet those needs. There is almost always a trade-off, so think hard about your business requirements to determine which is right forRead More

From Small Business Trends

How to Choose Between a Credit Card and a Charge Card

Entrepreneurs - Determination Will Power Your Dreams

There is something we are not hearing enough of when we turn on the news at night – stories of small business owners who are not only holding their own through this economic downturn, but also making huge strides to branch out or grow their businesses.  The most successful business owners among us don’t take their cues from surveys that say consumers aren't spending, and optimism for business growth is down.   After spending several days at NAWBO in Chicago one thing is clear - Some of the most determined entrepreneurs and business owners in our midst are women.  They see dreams as goals with deadlines, and will not let the economy stifle their dreams.   The theme at this year's conference was ‘Power Your Dream’.  A more practical interpretation might be ‘Find the answers to grow your business and meet your goals even when it appears the world is not on your side’.

Marion Hook owns the Adobe Rose Inn Bed and Breakfast in Tucson, Arizona.  Her story is such a rich example of what small business entrepreneurs face in a variety of industries.  For one, she is feeling the impact of the economy. The hospitality industry has seen a decline in business of about 35%, but The Adobe Rose Inn is down just 12%.  How has Marion done it?  She’s always known her loyal customers, and has always put them first.  Weekenders who came to know the Adobe Rose Inn as ‘the’ place to stay during college football season were always given first priority.  Now that tourism is down, and patrons might skimp on the luxuries of her B and B for a cheaper alternative, she still has the weekenders booking weeks in advance. 

But it’s not just the convenient parking that comes with the room that gives the inn an advantage.  The Adobe Rose Scones have always been met with rave reviews.  In fact it’s those scones that give Marion’s story another layer of interest and inspiration.  This past year she decided it was time to enter the food industry and take her scones to market.  She could use the brand recognition of her inn to sell her scones, and in turn foodies who discover her product would learn about The Adobe Rose Inn.   She admitting there’s more to it than she ever imagined, she also takes pride in the headway she’s made.   Her scones are now in her local Whole Foods store, more proof that Whole Foods and their commitment to buy local means great opportunities for ‘home’ bakers.  Now she faces the challenges of reaching a larger market, both the cost of ramping up production and navigating the world of marketing.  As we know, small business owners don’t have the big bucks to gain national recognition through traditional and costly marketing strategies.  And that is why she is here - to find a plan that will take her to the next level.  At NAWBO there is no question too small, and no one unwilling to offer guidance.   There’s no better formula for success – an entrepreneur not afraid to ask for help, and an organization who is always there to lend a helping hand.  Pass the butter!

Internet retailing - let the good times roll?

The annual Internet Retailer conference has wrapped up for 2009, and SBTV.com was there in Boston to assess both the tone and turnout.  The internet retail economy has been considered a bright spot in this recession.   As consumers have sought to find discounts they have gone on-line to use price comparison sites, and find quality overstock or used goods.   But are e-tailers thriving or just surviving?  And are the hopeful they will be positioned to grow their companies to the next level?

The short of it is this, some are holding their own, while others are seeing lots of green.  In general it is an area of growth as other retail outlets contract.  Everyone seems confident that when the economy turns around e-tailing will be bigger than ever and here to stay.  The companies that grow their inventory, and improve their systems for dealing with customer inquiries and complaints, and learn to properly use social media for marketing will be ready to face the future.  In fact, an increase in on-line retailers has led to an increase in the number of companies offering services that will help with growth through marketing, sales, and customer service.   We saw one company offering outsource call center services, while another touted lower cost shipping services to Canada and other foreign markets.  In general U.S. companies have not aggressively sought to reach even the Canadian market because of the high cost of shipping.  

In terms of turnout, we can’t deny that turnout was down.  However, one company that provides a hi-tech product for invoicing told us while they were seeing fewer people inquiring about their product, those who did stop by knew exactly what they were looking for.   They were shopping around for the best option, and trying to figure out the best time to make the investment.  In years past a lot of people showed up at the event thinking they too could jump on the e-tail bandwagon without even having a business plan first.  In this economy only the lean and mean companies intent on growing their businesses, or the serious and savvy entrepreneur, seem willing to spend the money and time to attend.  In the end many of the companies on the showroom floor were happy to talk with fewer people who were clearly more likely to bring them future business.  A good analogy might be real estate.  An agent would rather not show the house 100 times to curious lookers, when their time is better spent giving extended tours to 10 buyers who are pre-qualified, have the money down, and really want to live in that neighborhood.  

     This year there was also a greater spirit of sole entrepreneurship.  More individuals with a passion for certain products are finding a place on-line, and are able to compete with the bigger companies because of services that help them develop relationships with suppliers and manufacturers.  Alibaba.com took up space at the center of the showroom floor, and was a first stop for many sole entrepreneurs looking to start or grow their businesses.  Taj Izhar works out of his home office in Princeton, NJ and runs two sites – www.safarijeweleryshop.com, and www.organicteacafe.com   He’s doing business in a competitive landscape and feeling his price points just can’t match or compete with the larger sites on-line that offer the same products.  At the same time he wants to find those products that consumers can’t find anywhere else.  He, like so many other e-tailers here, sought out Alibaba.com as he looks for ways to find suppliers with competitive pricing.    As Alibaba.com grows so does their reputation for helping business owners like Taj Izhar.  Todd McCartney sells promotional goods to some of the major airlines.  He was able to compete with larger companies and bring his costs down by 300 percent after finding a foreign supplier through Alibaba.com.

   There is an interesting observation from e-tailers this year that also makes for a good closing thought.  This industry was born out of the boom economy of the last 7 years, and has now become the most immune to going bust.  In fact internet retailing might help us get back on our feet a little sooner.