Marketing Resources: Small Business

• Seven Tips for Forging an Appropriate Online Apologyby Denise Keller
  Despite best efforts, mistakes happen to every small business at some point. The key is not to panic, but to apologize to customers—the right way—and assure them that you are still worthy of their trust, confidence, and respect.
  More articles on Customer Relationships, Email Marketing, Marketing Tips, Small Business, Social Media
• Five Commandments of Small-Biz Email Marketing Awesomenessby Gary Levitt
  Is email marketing for your small business even worth doing? Yes, if you do it well. To ensure your campaigns are effective, you should be practicing the Five Commandments for email awesomeness.
  More articles on Content, Email Marketing, Marketing Tips, Small Business
• Four Ways to Keep Your Online Audience Interestedby Tim Eyre
  Much like an attractive store, a well-designed website will attract customers who will be happy to be there—and happy to stay. Avoid these four common mistakes that can turn visitors away and hurt your business.
  More articles on Content, Online Marketing, Small Business, Website Design
• Is Your 'About Us' Page Effective?by Kevin B. Levi
  For a small B2B business, the second most important page on its website after its homepage is its "About Us" page. Learn a highly effective formula for creating content for your "About Us" page, and how to track its effectiveness.
  More articles on B2B Marketing, Brand Positioning, Branding, Positioning Statements, Small Business, Value Propositions, Web Copy, Website Design, Writing
• Three New Ways to Market Your Small Businessby Sandra Rand
  Running your small business is a labor of love, but promoting it with new, targeted efforts is necessary to connect with customers. Learn how to keep things fresh and stay connected when marketing your business.
  More articles on Promotions, Small Business, Social Media, Word of Mouth
• Five Ways to Quickly Build Backlinks (and Get Relevant Traffic)by C. Wise
  If you're a small business, building backlinks to your website can be an effective way to gain traffic and increase revenue—no matter what your industry. Here are five ways to kick off your link-building with ease.
  More articles on Blog Comments, Blogging, Links, Public Relations, Small Business, Websites
• Seven SMB Marketing Trends for 2011by Niel Robertson
  This will be the year online advertising turns its attention to small and midsize businesses (SMBs). Many SMBs could get overwhelmed by the number of new online marketing tools. Here are seven trends that'll create the biggest opportunity—and confusion—for SMBs ...
  More articles on Advertising, Facebook, Forecasts, Measurement, Online Marketing, Small Business, Videos, YouTube
• Four Affordable Tools That Can Help You Market Your Businessby Steve Adams
  Small-business owners often feel the cash-flow pinch, especially when they're starting out. Because their resources are limited, they may feel that their marketing efforts have to be limited as well. Yet what they may not realize is that they already ...
  More articles on Email Marketing, Marketing Smarter, Marketing Strategy, Small Business, Social Media, Videos
• Nine Marketing Tips for Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Mondayby Joe Manna
  Large retailers can count on Black Friday to turn their books from red to black, and online retailers have Cyber Monday to cash in afterward. This year, though, we also have Small Business Saturday. So how can a small business ...
  More articles on Customer Acquisition, Customer Engagement, E-Commerce, Google, Marketing Tips, Small Business, Social Media
• Four Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a Businessby Stephen Johnson
  Many people are bullish about growth prospects now that the Great Financial Crisis seems largely behind us. But a lack of planning and preparedness will sink many of ambitions to start a business. These four questions can help structure your ...
  More articles on Customer Acquisition, Google, Market Research, Marketing Tips, Small Business
• 12 Small-Business Marketing Phone Tips for the 12 Days Till Christmasby Kevin Baker
  During the holiday season, how do you reconcile the high-pressure needs of your small business with your family's desire to roast chestnuts on an open fire? Having a virtual phone service can help, as can these 12 small-business phone tips ...
  More articles on Direct Marketing, Marketing Tips, Small Business, Technology, Telemarketing
• Bambi vs. Godzilla: How to Work With Very Big Clientsby Matthew Stibbe
  Who said small firms can do business only with other small firms? If you can get your foot in the door, working for Fortune 500 companies is the smart way to grow a profitable marketing firm. This is how one ...
  More articles on Case Studies, Hiring Outside Resources, Marketing Tips, Small Business
• Five Reasons Why Social Media Is Right for Small Businessby Mike Krause
  When it comes to social media, the one thing that small and midsize businesses want to know is this: Is it worth it? Yes, it is. Here are five quick reasons why.
  More articles on Marketing Tips, SEO, Small Business, Social Media
• Six Socially Responsible Tactics That Grow Your Small Businessby Geri Stengel
  It's a global trend: Consumers want to buy from, employees want to work for, and other businesses want supplies from, socially responsible enterprises. Small-business owners can use the corporate social responsibility trend to improve their own businesses and stand out ...
  More articles on Collaboration, Community, Green Marketing, Marketing Smarter, Marketing Tips, Small Business
• What Online Content Will People Pay For?by Miles Galliford
  Since the Internet began, some 40 years ago, most of its content has been free to access. Today, that is still the case. However, paid content is one of the fastest-growing areas of Internet business, generating more than $15 billion ...
  More articles on Community, Customer Behavior, Marketing Tips, Small Business, Thought Leadership, Web Content
• Four Social Media Tips for Small Businessesby Peter Bingaman
  Social media can be an effective marketing tool for small businesses. However, different businesses have different needs and different reasons for adopting social media. Regardless of the reason, social media can serve as an efficient, low-cost marketing tool for businesses ...
  More articles on Community, Marketing Tips, Small Business, Social Media, Social Networking
• Eight Reasons for Small Businesses to Dip Their Toes in the Email Marketing Pondby Wendy Lowe
  When Shop.org surveyed retailers for its State of Retailing Online 2009 report, it found that email was the most-mentioned successful tactic overall. What are you waiting for...?
  More articles on Customer Engagement, Direct Marketing, Email Marketing, Small Business, Targeting
• Cures for Eight Common Small-Marketing-Firm Ailmentsby Steve Adams
  Small-agency quirks don't have to be fatal. In fact, many can be fixed by applying simple technologies that provide big-business tools while allowing firms to stay true to their small-business core. The following eight cures to the common small-marketing-firm ailments ...
  More articles on Customer Engagement, Hiring Outside Resources, Marketing Tips, Small Business, Writing
• A Two-Step Process for Launching Successful Email-Marketing Campaigns: Find Your Voice, and Segmentby Steve Adams
  Email is one of the easiest, most affordable, and most effective marketing tools out there. Nonetheless, launching an email-marketing program can seem a daunting challenge, especially for time-strapped entrepreneurs and small-business owners.
  More articles on Email Campaigns, Email Marketing, Email Subject Lines, Marketing Tips, Personalization, Segmentation, Small Business, Writing
• Improve Your Email Marketing Through Segmentationby Michael Clark
  Not all customers are alike, and what appeals to one may not interest another. Therefore, it is important that you connect the message you are sending to your customers' differing interests. Email messages that are segmented, targeted, and relevant to the ...
  More articles on Email Lists, Email Marketing, Segmentation, Small Business, Surveys, Targeting

See all 83 marketing articles related to Small Business

• SMBs Missing Email List-Building Opportunities
  Most small-to-midsize businesses have mastered the basics of organic email list-building, making use of Web-based sign-up forms and even offering incentives to encourage subscriptions, but fewer than half use any ...
  More articles on Email Lists, Email Marketing, Research Summaries, Small Business
• Four Ways Small Businesses Can Make a Big Email Splash
  "Countless small businesses send out countless emails every day," writes Gary Levitt in an article at MarketingProfs. "If you were to sift through campaigns and results (as I do), the ...
  More articles on Customer Relationships, Email Campaigns, Email Marketing, Small Business
• Small Businesses to Ramp Up Mobile, Social Marketing in 2012
  With smartphone penetration reaching an impressive 80% in the small-business community, interest in mobile marketing is mounting: 21.8% of small-business decision-makers say they plan to dedicate more resources to mobile ...
  More articles on Forecasts, Mobile Marketing, Research Summaries, Small Business, Smart Phones
• Small Businesses Embracing Social Media With Integrated Approach
  Growing numbers of small businesses continue to adopt social marketing: 81% now report using social media channels to market their businesses, up from the 73% reported six months earlier, according ...
  More articles on Customer Engagement, Research Summaries, Small Business, Social Media
• Are You Ready for the Holidays?
  "When the weather is warm, the sun is shining and kids are out of school, I think about … the winter holidays," writes Kelly Glass at the Affinity Express blog. ...
  More articles on Marketing Smarter, Small Business, Targeting
• Seven Ways to Make Small Business Saturday Big for Your Business [Slide Show]by Tyler Garns
  The Saturday after Thanksgiving has been dubbed Small Business Saturday, a day for customers to shop small—at their favorite local stores—and help fuel the economy. How can you use this ...
  More articles on Collaboration, Customer Engagement, Email Lists, Google, Marketing Tips, Promotions, Small Business
• Challenge the Status Quo! Take on a Dominant Market Player [Slide Show]by Louis Rix
  We all learned on the playground in elementary school that it's never a good idea to take on the big kid. But maybe you should! Learn five ways to effectively ...
  More articles on Branding, Customer Loyalty, Marketing Smarter, Marketing Strategy, PPC Campaigns, Small Business
• Overcoming the Small Business Inferiority Complex
  "Anyone who has worked in or run a small business has felt the ugly sting of an inferiority complex to their larger rivals at some point," writes Rohit Bhargava at ...
  More articles on Marketing Smarter, Marketing Strategy, Personalization, Small Business
• Small Businesses Moving Aggressively to Online Marketing
  Small and midsize companies (SMBs) continue to move marketing dollars to digital channels, according to BIA/Kelsey, which now forecasts digital spending among US SMBs to reach $16.6 billion annually by ...
  More articles on Forecasts, Online Marketing, Research Summaries, Small Business
• WOM, Forums, Blogs Top Influencers of SMB Buyers
  Though word-of-mouth recommendations still have the greatest influence on purchasing decisions among small and medium-sized businesses, online forums and blogs play a huge role in the process, too—and a more ...
  More articles on Research Summaries, Small Business, Social Media, Word of Mouth
• Social Media Gets Mixed Reviews From Small Business
  Small business owners are still lukewarm about social media: 53% say they use social media for business, but only 12% say social marketing is a must for their business, according ...
  More articles on Research Summaries, Small Business, Social Media
• How to Build Facebook Friends and Fans for Your Small Businessby Tim Reeve
  [Slide Show] Though it's great to have tons of Facebook friends, those friends are worthless if they aren't engaged. Here are six ways to attract and retain Facebook friends who ...
  More articles on Advertising, Community, Facebook, Small Business, Social Media
• What Your Company Can Learn from This Parking Garage
  "If there's one message I have stressed more than any other over the last few years," writes Bill Taylor at Harvard Business Online, "it is that it is not good ...
  More articles on Creativity, Small Business
• Beware of Shiny Marketing Toys
  Many marketers can't resist a shiny toy. Whether pay-per-click in the mid 1990s, Web 2.0 in the early 2000s or mobile marketing in the late 2000s, we want it—and we ...
  More articles on Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tips, Small Business
• How to Enchant Your Customers and Employees
  Guy Kawasaki recently spoke with Stephen Denny about his new book, Enchantment, and the themes in its subtitle: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds and Actions. "As he says, there ...
  More articles on Customer Engagement, Small Business, Social Media
• How and When to 'Reply All'
  The "reply all" button can produce all kinds of headaches—from filling inboxes with unnecessary chatter to damaging a brand's reputation. "Unwitting or careless use of reply all spawns much mischief," ...
  More articles on Collaboration, Email, Small Business
• Small Business Owners Working Harder, but Happy
  More than three-quarters of US microbusiness owners say they are very (42%) or extremely (35%) happy to work for themselves, according to Vistaprint's newly launched Small Business Happiness Index, which ...
  More articles on Career Management, Research Summaries, Small Business
• Small Business Marketing: Social Surging, Email Still Most Effective
  Though the use of social media among the nation's smallest businesses surged in 2010—a trend likely to continue in 2011—email and brand websites are still the two most effective marketing ...
  More articles on Email Marketing, Research Summaries, Small Business, Social Media, Websites
• How to Put Your Customers on Hold
  In a post at the Neuromarketing blog, Roger Dooley recalls trying to minimize wait times when his company oversaw a small call center. "We knew (from those times when we ...
  More articles on Customer Engagement, Small Business, Social Media
• Two Content No-Nos for Your Blog
  "On one of my recent trips on the Content Revolution Tour with the great Ann Handley of Marketing Profs," writes Becki Dilworth at the Bridgeline blog, "I found myself hanging ...
  More articles on Blogging, Content, Small Business

See all 298 marketing Daily Posts related to Small Business

Small Business case studies, deconstructing real life examples and illustrating lessons learned

• SEO and Sex: A Recipe for Successby Dr. Helaine Smith, DMD
  CASE STUDY: How does an SMB owner run a business day to day, do his/her own marketing and promotion, and make sure the biz keeps going and growing? Just maybe, SEO+Sex=Success!
  More case studies on Blogging, Keywords, SEO, Small Business, Thought Leadership, Website Design
• Three Small (Biz) Steps to Increased Product & Service Sales, Recession Editionby Paul Hyland Salon & Day Spa
  CASE STUDY: Sales of luxury products and services have been suffering in the current economy—all the more so for small businesses. But email, coupons, and new-client referral and member-rewards programs have helped this small business beat the recession blues. See how.
  More case studies on Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Customer Retention, Email Marketing, Promotions, Recession, Referrals, Small Business
• How Intuit Used Viral Marketing and an Interactive Web Site to Generate Small-Business Leads, Engage Customersby Intuit, Inc.
  CASE STUDY: Inspired by the viral success of Office Max's "Elf Yourself," QuickBooks-maker Intuit set out to creatively engage small businesses with its "Jingle Generator." The effort exceeded targeted metrics, earning viral a spot in the marketing mix.
  More case studies on Case Studies, Customer Engagement, Interactive Marketing, Lead Generation, Small Business, Word of Mouth
• How a Bed & Breakfast Inn Boosted Its Bookings with One Video Adby Morning Glory Inn
  As a B&B in the highly competitive historic Pittsburgh area, the Morning Glory Inn needed a way to attract more recreational and business travelers. Its Web site, the Yellow Pages, and direct mail initiatives continued to bring in some new customers. But here's how the inn boosted its online visibility through rich media, and learned three valuable lessons on the way.
  More case studies on Advertising, Case Studies, Digital Marketing, Interactive Marketing, Product Marketing, Small Business, Videos
• How a Finance Director Left Her Day Job and Launched an 'Engaging Brand' Online via a Podcast and Blogby The Engaging Brand
  A finance director, feeling stifled by the corporate world, launches her own business based in branding and egagement... with only $1,000 to spend. Two years later, she's a blog and podcast star with a successful business.
  More case studies on Blogging, Case Studies, Podcasting, Referrals, Small Business, Social Media
• How a Small-Business Consultant Leveraged a High-Profile TV Commercial to Generate New Traffic and Win New Businessby LocalZing
  As a tiny Florida player in the field of advertising for small businesses, Karl Long knew he should consider unconventional ways to promote his company. Taking a cue from a competitor, Long launched a campaign that upped traffic to his blog 500%, raised his Google profile, and led to new business.
  More case studies on Advertising, Blogging, Blogging Strategy, Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Press Releases, Public Relations, Small Business
• How an Online Software Biz Doubled Its Sales Leads, Increased Site Traffic 75%by Makana Solutions
  Makana Solutions needed an inexpensive way to reach the elusive small business market. Rather than chase small businesses, it hired an online "inbound marketing system" to help small businesses find Makana. The results: Web site traffic climbed 75%, and sales leads have doubled.
  More case studies on B2B Marketing, Case Studies, Facebook, Google, Keywords, Lead Generation, Search Engine Marketing, Small Business, Social Media, Websites
• How a Consultant's Internet Radio Show Led to New Business, New Sources of Revenueby CRM Essentials LLC
  Atlanta management consultant Brent Leary launched a radio show in 2006 to help small and mid-sized businesses understand technology. It proved so popular that he evolved the show into a series of online podcasts, bringing new business and (ultimately) new revenue to his 15-year-old consulting business.
  More case studies on Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Keywords, Online Marketing, Podcasting, Small Business, Web Analytics
• How a Tiny Manufacturer Convinced Apple to Stock Its Product and Tripled Salesby Wi-Gear, Inc.
  Wi-Gear, an independent manufacturer formed in 2004, was focused on one product—a wireless Bluetooth headset—geared toward the Apple iPod. It had a tiny sales and marketing budget and no outside capital. It needed to grow its distribution from just online sales to other retail outlets, preferably Apple Stores. But plenty of competitors also made wireless headphones for iPods, and they too wanted to get into Apple's stores.
  More case studies on Case Studies, Sales, Small Business, Word of Mouth
• How a Small-Business Consultant Leveraged a High-Profile TV Commercial to Generate New Traffic and Win New Businessby LocalZing
  A competing online marketing company's unorthodox approach to self-promotion got consultant Karl Long thinking about ways he could use his personal blog as a public relations tool to help his company, Local Zing. As a tiny Florida player in the field of advertising for small businesses, Long knew he should consider unconventional ways to promote his company. Taking his cue from the competitor, he launched a campaign that increased traffic on his blog more than 500%, raised his Google profile, and led to new business.
  More case studies on Blogging, Blogging Strategy, Case Studies, Customer Acquisition, Press Releases, Small Business
• How a Small Specialty Software Company Got on Fortune 100 Companies' Radar Screensby Novinity Corporation
  A software company in rural Montana was able to acquire major pharmaceutical company accounts and increase tradeshow traffic 300% by developing and promoting the educational content that its target industry craved...
  More case studies on Case Studies, Collaboration, Creativity, Email Campaigns, Small Business

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Small Business online seminar broadcasts from the best minds in marketing

• MarketingProfs University: Killing Giants—Outmaneuvering Larger CompetitorsBroadcast on 1/12/2012 11:00:00 AM
  More seminars on Management, Marketing Challenges, Marketing Strategy, Small Business
• Social Media is a Powerful Tool for Small BusinessesBroadcast on 9/2/2010 11:00:00 AM
  More seminars on Customer Relationships, Marketing Smarter, Marketing Tips, Small Business, Social Media
• Promotions: Instant Gratification for Small Business MarketersBroadcast on 12/14/2007 11:00:00 AM
  More seminars on Marketing Plans, Measurement, Online Marketing, Promotions, Sales, Small Business
• Small Business Series: How to Advertise on a Modest BudgetBroadcast on 10/19/2007 11:00:00 AM
  More seminars on Advertising, Direct Marketing, Hiring Outside Resources, Marketing Budgets, Marketing Challenges, Small Business, Word of Mouth
• Small Business Series: Budgeting for the Marketing MixBroadcast on 9/14/2007 11:00:00 AM
  More seminars on Marketing Budgets, Marketing Tips, Measurement, ROI, Small Business
• Small Business Series: How to Set Prices the Smart WayBroadcast on 8/17/2007 11:00:00 AM
  More seminars on Brand Positioning, Marketing Strategy, Measurement, Positioning, Pricing, Small Business
• Small Business Series: Positioning, Naming and TaglinesBroadcast on 7/20/2007 11:00:00 AM
  More seminars on Marketing Tips, Naming, Positioning, Positioning Statements, Small Business, Taglines
• Small Business Series: Do-It-Yourself Market ResearchBroadcast on 6/22/2007 11:00:00 AM
  More seminars on Hiring Outside Resources, Market Research, Marketing Tips, Small Business
• Small Business Series: Why Most Small Businesses Fail (and How to Avoid Being One of Them)Broadcast on 5/18/2007 11:00:00 AM
  More seminars on Advertising, Management, Marketing Plans, Marketing Tips, Measurement, Small Business, Trade Shows/Events
• Writing a Marketing Plan for Entrepreneurs and Small Business: From Blank Page to PresentationBroadcast on 6/9/2005 11:00:00 AM
  More seminars on Market Research, Marketing Plans, Positioning Statements, Pricing, Small Business, SWOT, Value Propositions, Writing

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Small Business Take 10 Webcasts—tactical marketing know-how in just 10 minutes from subject matter experts

• Take 10: Three Ways to Outsmart Your Biggest CompetitorsReleased on 11/4/2011 10:00:00 AM
  More Take 10 on Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tips, Small Business

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Small Business marketing downloads for the busy professional

• Small Biz How-To Guide: Positioning, Naming & Taglines
  Spot-on positioning leads to names that attract customers and taglines that sing. Get your small business on the track to marketing success.
  More tools on Naming, Positioning, Positioning Statements, Small Business, Taglines
• Small Biz How-To Guide: Market Research
  Need to learn about your customers without the big price tag of market research firms? This guide on do-it-yourself market research will help you get the information you need to position your business without emptying the corporate coffers.
  More tools on Market Research, Measurement, Metrics, Small Business
• Small Biz How-To Guide: Avoiding Key Pitfalls
  Let's face it, more small businesses fail than succeed. Make sure yours is one of the winners with this guide to getting your small business off the ground and solidly on the road to success.
  More tools on Marketing Budgets, Marketing Plans, Marketing Tips, Small Business

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