Small Business

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• Pack 'Em In
  In a post at the Viral Garden blog, Mack Collier discusses why so many companies struggle to launch and maintain active online communities. To find success, you'll need more than ...
  Small Business, Social Media, Word-of-Mouth
• Sign Me Up!
  If you want to improve your online-conversion rate, says Amy Gesenhues in an article at MarketingProfs, you should probably take a look at your registration page. There are several reasons ...
  Customer Experience, Customer Relationships, Small Business, Website Design
• A Fine Mess Caused by the Fine Print
  "I was going to hire a company today to do something fairly simple that would have cost [an advertised] $45," begins a post at the Service Untitled blog. But there ...
  Advertising, Hiring Outside Resources, Pricing, Small Business, Word-of-Mouth
• The Two-Edged Sword of the Testimonial
  Holly Buchanan opens a post at the FutureNow blog with a pair of seemingly contradictory ideas: that testimonials work very well and that they don't work at all. Both are ...
  Customer Experience, Small Business, Testimonials, Word-of-Mouth
• Have We Got the Answer for You!
  If you've never visited the MarketingProfs Know-How Exchange—or if it's been a while—why not stop in to see how the community responds to a host of topics, both in real ...
  Collaboration, Creativity, Small Business, Taglines, Targeting
• The Foolishness of Fencing in Facebook
  In a post at the Acidlabs blog, Stephen Collins points to the results of a recent survey that found a whopping 55 percent of Australian employers blocked workplace access to ...
  Creativity, Facebook, Management, Small Business, Social Networking
• Case Study: Three Small (Biz) Steps to Increased Product & Service Sales, Recession EditionKimberly Smith
  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 ...
• Make the Most of the Slow Season
  "When the slow season strikes," says Kimberly Smith in an article at MarketingProfs, "it's time to put some energy into pumping up that brand." She runs down a list of ...
  Branding, Customer Acquisition, Customer Engagement, Customer Relationships, Customer Retention, Small Business, Word-of-Mouth
• Do You Hear What I'm Saying?
  Words for Hire blog's Karen Swim tells the story of Jane, a freelance editor hired by Miranda to proofread an e-book. To Jane, this request entailed an exhaustive review of ...
  Collaboration, Hiring Outside Resources, Small Business
• That's Amore!
  Not long ago, a MarketingProfs colleague in Orange County, California, ordered an extra-large pizza from Gina's Pizza and Pastaria—a small, local chain known for its high-quality ingredients. When he went ...
  Customer Experience, Customer Satisfaction, Promotions, Small Business
• Our Friend, the Difficult Customer
  You have a great product or service, and you do your best to create an exceptional customer experience. Despite your efforts, though, you encounter difficult customers with more frequency than ...
  Collaboration, Customer Experience, Customer Relationships, Customer Satisfaction, Small Business
• Entrepreneurs Can Change the World
  A video can empower. It can inspire, creating a moment or a feeling that moves you to sally forth and conquer the world. It can leave you feeling capable and ...
  Customer-Centric, Customer Engagement, Customer Relationships, Digital Marketing, Small Business, Videos, YouTube
• Can We Talk?
  Some time ago, we highlighted a MarketingProfs article in which Michael Antman cautioned against making word-of-mouth (WOM) strategies the primary element in your marketing mix. "He raises reasonable points about ...
  Customer-Centric, Customer Experience, Customer Satisfaction, Marketing Strategy, Small Business, Social Media, Word-of-Mouth
• Brainstorm Like a Rainmaker
  Brainstorming a steady stream of ideas for your blog can be a challenge—especially when you're short on time and have already covered obvious topics. If you're facing writer's block, Michael ...
  Blog Comments, Blog Monitoring, Blogging, Collaboration, Customer Engagement, Small Business
• Pimp My Mag
  When we discuss content designed to help your customers, we usually focus on whitepapers and social-media channels like blogs. A custom magazine is another way to connect in a meaningful ...
  Customer Engagement, Small Business, Writing
• Is Facebook Really Your Friend?
  Facebook has a checkered past when it comes to user relations. Members cried foul, for instance, when the social-networking giant launched the invasive Beacon system, and they later bemoaned certain ...
  Facebook, Small Business, Social Networking
• The Second Life of Marketing Copy
  Getting your Web site's marketing copy just right takes time, effort and money. "But before you amortize your investment," says Rick Sloboda of Webcopyplus, "consider how those carefully crafted words ...
  Press Releases, Small Business, Web Copy, Writing
• I'm Satisfied. Now Make Me Loyal.
  Think about a product or service that does everything it's supposed to do, rarely breaks down and comes with a reasonable level of support. For Rohit Bhargava, his cable service, ...
  Customer Retention, Customer Satisfaction, Small Business
• Can We Get Irrational for a Moment?
  "The most common frustration I see, and I see it daily, comes from marketers who can't figure out why more people won't buy their product," says Seth Godin in a ...
  Customer Behavior, Sales, Small Business
• Jam with the Traffic
  In an article at MarketingProfs, Mack Collier explains why it pays to obsess about the traffic coming to your blog. Here are some of the key questions you should be ...
  Blogging, Small Business, Web Analytics