All posts in Micro Business Tips

Take Your Small Business With You On Summer Vacation

By | May 14, 2013 | Micro Business Issues, Micro Business Tips, Small Business Marketing 101, Tips | No comments

This post is written by Megan Totka, Chief Editor for ChamberofCommerce.com. She writes on small business news and small business tips and resources. ChamberofCommerce.com helps small businesses grow their business on the web and helps them find their local Chamber of Commerce.

As the weather heats up, the time for summer vacations draws near. It is estimated that nearly half the American population, or 140,000,000 people, will travel this summer.

If you own a small business, you need a vacation just as much as traditional employees but may not feel comfortable totally unplugging and disappearing for the length of your time off. After all, there is really no one who can completely fill in for you during the time you are away from your office, store or computer. There are some ways to find a happy medium, however, and still enjoy your summer plans to the fullest.

Here are some easy ways to make the most of your vacation, and keep your business going strong, this summer. Read more…

5 Quick Tips to Avoid Burnout

By | May 13, 2013 | Micro Business Insight, Micro Business Issues, Micro Business Tips, Tips | 1 Comment

This post is written by Robbie Vogel, a writer/editor with Vistaprint. Robbie has worked for microbusinesses in both PR and advertising.

The life of a small business owner is not a walk in the park. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed, highly stressed, and mentally and physically exhausted at times. However, when these feelings combine with a general helplessness and a desire to simply give up, you might be perilously close to a burnout.

The differences between being stressed out and being burned out are subtle. According to Help Guide, stress is characterized by over engagement and produces urgency and hyperactivity. Everyone knows these feelings, when it seems that the day is too short and the to-do list is too long. Burnout, on the other hand, is characterized by disengagement and a loss of motivation. So if that passion that used to get you out of bed in the morning is nowhere to be found, use these five quick tips to prevent burnouts. Read more…

Digital Spring Cleaning

By | March 5, 2013 | Marketing, Micro Business Issues, Micro Business Tips, Small Business Tips, Tips | 2 Comments
Digital Spring Cleaning

This is a post from Sara Nash; Sara earned her degree in Public Relations from Penn State University. From there, she worked a PR agency in Boston before joining the PR and Social Media team at Vistaprint.

It is about that time again…spring cleaning! But this year, why not cover all of your bases and do a bit of digital spring cleaning as well? It’s so easy to get in a winter rut, but a little cleaning can help dig yourself out and get ready for the spring! Read more…

50 Days Of Business Card Design: Natural Elements

By | March 1, 2013 | Design Tips, Marketing, Micro Business Tips, Small Business Tips, Tips | No comments
50-days-natural

This post is written by Kristen Johnson, a member of Vistaprint’s social media team who focuses on content marketing.

We are flying through 50 Days of Design! The theme for week three is Natural Elements. If you are seeking a business card design that exudes a natural, earthy look, then be sure to check out this week’s content. If you are not familiar with 50 Days of Design, it is a 10-week long Facebook campaign where we feature new business card designs each day along with a corresponding tip directly on Vistaprint’s Facebook page.

Here is the business card roundup for week three: Natural Elements! Read more…

5 Reasons To Add Photos To Your Marketing Materials

By | October 30, 2012 | Acquiring New Customers, How To, Marketing, Micro Business Tips, Offline Marketing, Retaining Customers, Small Business Tips, Tips | 3 Comments
5 Reasons To Add Photos To Your Marketing Materials

This post is by Jeff Esposito, Vistaprint’s Social Media Manager.

One of the biggest challenges for small business owners is making a personal connection from a piece of marketing collateral. Many times a postcard, flyer or website lacks the personality that would come across in a face-to-face meeting. One way that you can add some more personality and tell your story to prospects better can be through adding pictures to your materials. These photos don’t have to be of you, but could be of things representing your business (so all of you photo-shy readers can breathe a sigh of relief). Below are five tips to help you enhance your marketing materials through photos. Read more…

The Art Of The Testimonial Part Two: Putting Them To Work

By | October 25, 2012 | How To, Micro Business Issues, Micro Business Tips, Offline Marketing, Retaining Customers, Small Business Tips, Tips | No comments
The Art of the Testimonial: Part Two

This blog post was written by Rob Zodda, who works in creative services at Vistaprint and also has digital marketing experience.

Nice work! You’ve spent a lot of time listening to your customers, and gathering their thoughts. Now you have some authentic testimonials from people whose lives were improved by your product or service. That’s great! But what’s next? Here are five simple ways to put those glowing reviews to work for you. Read more…

Top 5 Unexpected Places to Network

By | October 23, 2012 | Micro Business Issues, Micro Business Tips, Offline Marketing, Small Business Tips, Tips | 1 Comment
Networking

This is a post from Sara Nash; Sara earned her degree in Public Relations from Penn State University. From there, she worked a PR agency in Boston before joining the PR and Social Media team at Vistaprint.

Do you ever find yourself walking away from a conversation with a stranger, thinking to yourself how much of a coincidence it was that you ended up having so much in common? If you open yourself up, you are bound to find yourself networking in places you would never expect…which is yet another reason to always carry a business card or 20. Read more…

6 Tips to Boost The Effectiveness Of Your Facebook Page

By | October 11, 2012 | Digital Marketing, Facebook, Marketing, Micro Business Tips, Online Marketing, Small Business Tips, Social Media, Tips | No comments
6 Tips to Boost The Effectiveness Of Your Facebook Page

This guest post is by Jeff Esposito, Vistaprint’s Social Media Manager.

If Facebook were a color, it would be this season’s black. It has over 900 million users with the oldest Facebook user being 101-years young. This large user base makes it a no-brainer for businesses of all sizes to build up a presence to connect with their customers (if you don’t have a Facebook page yet, don’t worry click here for a quick how to on that). Read more…

I’m Ready To Add To My Staff. Now What?

By | October 9, 2012 | Micro Business Issues, Micro Business Tips, Small Business Tips, Tips | 1 Comment
You Hired Someone. Now What?

This post was written by Chris McMahon and Larry Jacobson. Chris has spent the last 15 years in Talent Acquisition and HR leadership roles in high growth Boston area companies such as Endeca and 170 Systems. He is now Director of Talent Acquisition at Vistaprint. A recovering attorney, Larry has been in talent acquisition since 1996. He’s worked with a number of startups and is currently the Director of Technology Talent Acquisition at Vistaprint. In his free time he enjoys hot yoga, BBQ and outdoor activities.

In our last post, we wrote about timing. More specifically, when you should make your first hire. Now, you’ve finally decided to take the plunge and hire someone to join your growing business. One of the questions you’ll need to answer is whether to hire an independent contractor or an employee. Each have pros and cons and the right decision will, for the most part, depend on your specific need and the strategic direction of your business. Apart from the financial, legal and tax considerations, you’ll want to determine if the skills and work output you’re looking for in this role are “core” to your business. If they are, then you should lean towards a full-time employee.  Please see the table below for suggested pros and cons of each employment type. Read more…

Little Things Count In Small Business Marketing

By | October 4, 2012 | Acquiring New Customers, Marketing, Micro Business Tips, Retaining Customers, Small Business Tips, Tips | No comments
Little Things Count In Small Business Marketing

In the past, we have talked about the importance of having your business’ name and/or logo seen around town. Every little thing helps, from putting business cards on bulletin boards to giving away t-shirts or hats to your customers – if your potential customers don’t know your name, how can they find you? While our past posts have focused on getting the word out among the adult community, we failed to recognize another important part of the family equation – the kids. While it might sound odd, studies have proven that children do play a role in families purchasing decisions, so it is important to keep them in mind when planning out your marketing strategy. Below are three tips to accomplish that: Read more…

Page 1 of 1012345678...Last »