Featured Links

Other Topics
Sponsored Links





Quote of the Day

"Success and failure are both difficult to endure. Along with success come drugs, divorce, fornication, bullying, travel, meditation, medication, depression, neurosis and suicide. With failure comes failure."

Joseph Heller



Recommended Products





 




 
Featured Small Business Articles

7 Habits of Highly Successful Small Business Owners
Do you spend every waking minute in your business? Do you find it difficult to take time out for you? Are you constantly working in a mess? Unfortunately there are far too many business owners working too long and too hard. They tend to be involved in ...

Phone Systems & Technology for Small Business
There are two main ways, utilizing technology, that a small business can project a big-business image. A dynamic and professional website, and a dynamic cutting-edge phone system. These two can compliment each other and are often used in conjunction as ...

Small Business Q & A: The Secrets Of Starting A Successful Ebay Business
Q: I hear so much about people who started selling on eBay andeventually turned it into their full time business. Is it reallypossible to build a profitable business just selling junk on eBay? -- Alex K.A: If Fred Sanford were alive today, Alex, I'm sure ...




Keeping Your Small Business Afloat
 
You've established a degree of Internet presence. You're business has survived the recession and your proud of the frugal methods you've implemented to save money and realize a profit.
Now you want to get to the next level via a short cut email marketing campaign. Two words...BE CAREFUL! Very careful. Sending email is a sure way to attract target potential clients but unwanted e-mail is the perfect way to shut down your business overnight literally.
You can lose your affiliate partnerships, ISP or website host in a matter of hours with just one complaint. From the above you can see that marketing is not as easy as it sounds. Many companies posing as marketing experts promising to submit your text ads to thousands of message boards, search engines and directories are only spammers posing as promotions experts.
Remember that short cuts don't cut it online. So proceed with caution. Read the rules and regulations when posting advertisements. Abide by them and your business will last longer online. In addition, take the four simple steps we outline below and enter the world of marketing using the front door.
Find A Reputable Promotions Agency
1. Find yourself a trusted online marketing agency. The best are long time businesses that have been promoting businesses online since the internet was born. Consider buying banner ad space and targeted e-mail from what are called list servers. These are lists of people who join online interest groups who don't mind receiving occasional ads on subjects that interest them. A reputable company has a good screening and sifting mechanism in place to keep your e-mail lists fresh and virtually free from Spam complaints.
Use The Power Of The Press
2. Never underestimate the power of a press release. Press releases announce the presence of new businesses or a new business venture while promoting your site all at the same time.
Keep Them Coming Back For More
3. Once you get folks to visit your site half the job is done. Remember, the most successful business are those with repeat sales from customers who come back again and again. So once they arrive the aim is to keep them coming. The tried and true way to keep your visitors coming back is by offering membership to your newsletter. Your newsletter will allow you to continue to advertise to your client. Here is a crucial point to gaining your clients' interest and loyalty. Avoid sending ads daily as this is a big turn-off.
Send out a weekly newsletter with practical information that will be informative and useful. Don't send the same advertisements week after week. Change your ads frequently. You could alert them to any new content such as sales, special offers or free services. Ad some interaction in your newsletter. Encourage your readers to write back on issues in which you all share common interest. Have contests or give members some notoriety for adding to the content in some way.
Win their loyalty
4. When members start to make your newsletter their own you have a loyal repeat customer who will stay with you for a very long time. Yes it's a little work but building up a loyal client base of repeat customers makes it all well worth it. Happy marketing.





Small Business News


Many small business owners favor "Buffett rule"
CBS News
Many small businesses, in contrast to US multinationals, largely back the so-called Buffett rule, a plan made famous (or infamous) by legendary investor Warren Buffet that would hike tax rates on top income-earners, according to a new survey.

and more »

Small Businesses Planning to Hire in 2012: Wells Fargo Report
eWeek
While business owners indicate plans to hire in the next 12 months, they demonstrate some concern around hiring today. America's small business owners are the most optimistic since July 2008, according to the latest findings from the Wells Fargo/Gallup ...
Small-Business Hiring Plans Hit Four-Year HighHuffington Post
Small-Business Owners More Optimistic About Growth -SurveyWall Street Journal
Gallup Reports Small Businesses More ConfidentLez Get Real
Jewelers Circular Keystone Online -EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
all 44 news articles »

Alaska Dispatch

Explosive growth for tribal small businesses in Alaska
Alaska Dispatch
A new report from Congress's investigative arm, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), has found that Alaska Native Corporations in the business of small business -- and more specifically those adroit at gobbling up federal contracts-- do ...
Report: Oversight of tribal contracts lackingBusinessWeek
Report Says Native 8(a) Contracting Programs Need Some WorkKTVA CBS 11 News Alaska
Alaska Native Corps Face New Wave of ScrutinyIndian Country Today Media Network.com
Kansas City Star
all 59 news articles »

Memphis mayor launches new initiative to help small businesses
Memphis Commercial Appeal
Speaking to more than 100 minority and women business owners and executives Wednesday, AC Wharton introduced his administration's Memphis Office of Resources and Enterprise (MORE) initiative, a new effort to make it easier for small businesses to bid ...

and more »

House lawmakers push for additional small business contracting reforms
Washington Post (blog)
By JD Harrison One week after proposing legislation to raise small firms' allotment of federal spending, House lawmakers on Wednesday introduced a trio of bipartisan bills intended to further reform small business contracting. Rep. Judy Chu and Rep.
SCHILLING, CHU INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN BILL TO REFORM SMALL BUSINESS CONTRACTINGDecatur Tribune
New bills aim to strengthen small-biz contractingFCW.com
Government contracting 101: five winning tipsBangor Daily News
Washington Business Journal (blog)
all 6 news articles »