Archive for November, 2009

Keep Marketing Through Christmas

By | November 30, 2009 | Micro Business Issues, Perspectives | 1 Comment

xmas treeThis guest post is part of our ongoing Small Business Perspective series, and is written by Theresa Gould, owner of RobnT Business Solutions in Chicago, IL.

Most business experts advise that business owners should always be marketing their product or service. Marketing is one aspect of your business that should never take a vacation. The holiday season is the perfect time to keep those marketing venues rolling. What better way to make good use of the time spent at office parties and mixers? In this article I want to share five ways for you to network and market yourself during this holiday season. Read more…

8 Rules for Composing Your Salescopy

By | November 27, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | 1 Comment

The following guest post is brought to us by the Internet Marketing Center.

Writing great salescopy is not only an art, it’s also a science. You must entertain, inspire, and compel your audience all at the same time. It can be a challenge, but there are ways to make it an easier task.

The Internet Marketing Center has been testing salescopy formulas and measuring the effects of those tests for years (across thousands of businesses)… and we’ve found a few cardinal rules to be aware of before sitting down and committing your pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. Read more…

Best Hiring Practices Sometimes Overlooked

By | November 25, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

help wanedMany people think that getting a business off the ground and running is the hardest part of making their dream into a reality. Chances are that unless you are running a one-man operation, you’ll have to tackle another hurdle – recruiting and hiring employees. Read more…

Expand Your Offerings by Expanding Your Networking

By | November 23, 2009 | Micro Business Issues, Perspectives | 1 Comment

men-partneringThis guest post is part of our ongoing Small Business Perspective series, and is written by Caprice de Lorm, owner of de Lorm Designs in Orange County, CA.

Editor’s note: Below is the first of a two-part article focused on ways in which you can expand what you offer to clients without directly expanding your business. The first part covers different options for expanding what you can offer to clients, and the second part will discuss how to create the networks and where to find potential partners. The second part will be available next month.

Owning a small business is wonderful, and yet it has its challenges. One of the challenges many small business owners face is competing with larger companies that offer a wider variety of services. What can you do when you provide a portion of the services a potential client wants, but not all? Do you want to bid for that portion of the business, or instead offer a solution that expands across various needs? Read more…

Attitude of Gratitude

By | November 20, 2009 | Micro Business Issues, Perspectives | No comments

gratitudeThis guest post is part of our ongoing Small Business Perspective series, and is written by Katharine Napoli, owner of Computerized Office Services in New Jersey.

Gratitude.  It’s thankfulness in a different wrapping.  Lately the word has come up repeatedly through print media, blogs, and talk shows.  It’s an emotion that can have powerful effects on our lives.  Being grateful for the customers we currently have helps us give better service or produce better products. Read more…

How Do You Fire Someone?

By | November 19, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

trump-youre-firedIt’s something that many small businesses have been faced with.  You have an employee who just isn’t living up to expectations, you can’t afford to keep, or you just don’t think is a good cultural fit for your company.  You’ve decided that you have to fire them and move on.

Now what? Read more…

Holiday Marketing Strategies

By | November 18, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | 1 Comment

happy-holidays-tux-thumb_306x2451With the start of the holiday season in a few short weeks, your small business will compete with shopping, wrapping gifts, baking and spending time with family for your time and concentration. It is important you take some time now to start organizing what you would like to accomplish in the coming months as you wrap up the year and look ahead to 2010, all while the holidays are occurring. Read more…

Pay Attention to Credit Card Standards

By | November 17, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

credit_cardsIt’s something we all fear: having our identity stolen and our credit cards used to make unauthorized purchases, potentially costing us hundreds of dollars in fees to get things fixed.

The Javelin Strategy & Research Center, which  has been studying identity theft since 2004 released their 2009 study that revealed Identity theft is on the rise, affecting almost 10 million victims in 2008 (a 22% increase from 2007). Read more…

Marketing Copy Writing: Simple is Best

By | November 13, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | No comments

writing-man1By now you should be thinking about the actual words that you put on your marketing materials, be it postcards, business cards, your website, etc.  What you write is important, but one thing that every marketing expert will tell you is that the copy has to be exciting but effective.  Too often today, “exciting” has been replaced by “complicated. ” Read more…

Boost Your Profits by Adding Customer Testimonials

By | November 12, 2009 | Micro Business Issues | 1 Comment

testimonialsThe following guest post is brought to us by the Internet Marketing Center.

Did you know that your customers’ successes, triumphs, and positive results can make more money and sales?

It’s true! Even if your website is full of great salescopy and photos that illustrate all the fabulous features and benefits of your product or service, your potential customers still need to know:

“What do people who have actually purchased and used your product or service think about it?” Read more…

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