Let’s face it; most businesses today need to have a presence on the Internet. The problem is, that most small business owners are quite honestly scared of the work it will take to get their business online.
Posts Tagged ‘small business help’
What makes a great shopping cart? 10 Qualities to look for in an online shopping cart.
July 27th, 2010
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You Can’t Please Everyone, All the Time.
March 16th, 2010
5 Comments
The recent tough economy has changed small businesses because it has forced many of us to do what ever we can to make the sales, even if it means discounts or giving something away. At the same time, this has trained consumers to never be satisfied with the listed price. As we are coming out of this recession and starting on recovery, small business owners are going to need to set some reasonable boundaries. Small businesses that offer quality work, high caliber products and fair prices will surely succeed during this recovery.
David vs. Goliath – Small Business vs. Big Chain Stores
January 28th, 2010
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Has anyone seen the recent Office Depot commercial about the small business barbershop? Dan, the small barbershop owner has a look of concern as a big chain barbershop opens across the street from his little shop. The sign out front of the big chain store says, “$6 Haircuts”. The grand opening was full of the normal pomp and circumstance that you see in most openings. The manager of the big chain looked confident and sure.
A Peak at the Past and Looking Ahead
January 4th, 2010
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guess we have all heard the old saying, “Don’t dwell on the past”, but I think in order to move forward, we sometimes have to look at where we have been. It goes without saying that 2009 presented many challenges both on an individual level and from a business owner’s prospective.
Reach for the Stars…
December 3rd, 2009
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Whatever you do, don’t stop dreaming. Where would we be today if people didn’t dream or stretch themselves to go beyond their current situation and reality? Don’t stop dreaming. Reach for the stars and you won’t be disappointed if you only get the moon.
Guerrilla Marketing Tools – Business Cards
November 20th, 2009
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My first and most important tool for our business, THE original basket boutique, is the business card. The business card, while it sounds so common and conventional is actually a very powerful guerrilla marketing tool when it is employed properly. Your business card can be unconventional or conventional. It depends on your business. Ours is unique in that it is a smaller size with rounded corners and has a hole in the center of our “O” in the logo. You can make your card unique by adding full color pictures or logos. Have it printed on glossy, heavy paper as apposed to regular business card stock. Sure it costs a little more, but it’s not so much that it cost prohibitive.
Gaining Market Share in a Down Economy
November 20th, 2009
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In our last segment, Marketing in a Tough Economy – Revisited, we talked about an important business success factor, Customer Retention. As a recap, we know your current customers are one of your most valuable assets. Small business owners need to focus energies and resources on keeping these customers happy. Over time, not only do these customers support your business, but inevitably, the hope is they help you gain more customers through their referrals and testimonials. So, besides your current customers referring business to you, how else do you get your name out to the world? How are you going to get new customers and build your brand?
Keeping Customers in a Tough Economy
October 30th, 2009
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Let’s face it; your current customers are your business life’s blood. They are generally your primary source of revenue you should be spending a good percentage of your marketing budget focusing on them. A good rule of thumb is that 60% of your marketing budget should be spent on your current customers or marketing directly to them. Remember, it costs far more to gain a new customer more often that it does to keep a current one.
