This Week in Small Business: All the news you can use right now
We always talk about thinking outside the box, but did you know that folks who video themselves taking things out of boxes are a YouTube and marketing phenomena? Learn about unboxers, the export-import bank debate, “intrepreneurism” and a lot more from the week’s news and information highlights.
Marketing
Here are 30 good ideas when you’re not sure what to send in your email marketing campaign.
B2B marketers need to move beyond email to true marketing automation where they automate the personalization of all messages across all channels.
Not all of these email subject line words to use and to avoid deal with marketing, some will simply help improve your personal emails.
Content and Social Media
Aaron Agius takes us through 9 Lessons Content Marketers Can Learn from Traditional Journalism.
If your content marketing efforts include Twitter, here are three ways that creating lists will boost performance.
Let’s face it, lessons from a guy who bills himself as “The Naked Chef” are a lot more engaging than listening to an MBA drone on and on, so check out what we can learn about social media from Jamie Oliver.
Tools, tips, general advice
Would a product listing ad in Google search results benefit your business? If the answer is “yes” scan this primer to learn how they work.
Finally, when you need a mega-dose inspiration for your marketing efforts, check out Matt Zilli’s It’s Never Too Early to Be a Marketing Genius.
Scan this list of seven marketing tools for your small business and see if there are any you need to add to your arsenal. And if you prefer “secrets” to tips, here are two marketing secrets growing tech companies know.
Hey, who should know more about mobile marketing than travel industry experts? Here are five tips from that group of cognoscenti.
If you’re pressed for time, Darren Shaw shows you a way to do a basic local SEO audit in 30 minutes…or less!
Are you put off by sales phone scripts? Paul Castain offers three alternatives.
If you’ve made some marketing mistakes in your career, check out this article from Steve Olenski, 7 Mammoth Marketing Mistakes And What To Learn From Them. There’s no way your screw-ups can be as bad as the Civil War…I’m hoping.
On the edge
Are you up on unboxers, haulers and vlogging? They are charting new paths in marketing, but the same laws and rules apply.
Keeping the pulse of pop culture is critical to many marketing efforts. Here’s advice from expert Shea Serrano, a staff writer for sports and pop culture site Grantland.
Today it may take launching a proximity or hyper local media campaign to really make your business stand out from the crowd.
Entrepreneurism and startups
In case you need more prodding, here are 10 reasons to start that small business you’ve been thinking about right now.
No document was recorded the day Mohed Altrad was born into a Bedouin tribe wandering the Syrian desert. Today he is Europe’s billionaire scaffolding king.
The majority of young girls in Australia don’t know what an entrepreneur is. Jo Burston and Rare Birds are out to change that with a model that could work anywhere.
Instagram has been called the most powerful selling tool and now there’s a startup that will turn your Instagram account into an ecommerce store. Also, when you want to get into ecommerce without the headaches of warehousing and shipping, dropshipping can be the way to get started.
If you’re young and want a head start on your entrepreneurial career, read Enon Landenberg’s account of what he wishes he had known in his 20s as an entrepreneur.
Successful entrepreneur Claudia Chan has launched the annual S.H.E. Summit conference. In this interview she relates her story and offers advice to help women with ambitions in business.
Government, politics and the economy
There is a lot of debate about funding the Export-Import Bank and its support of small business. Here’s the the other side, in case you didn’t see it last week.
Someone needs to send small business a big thank-you note. It provided 81 percent of the new private sector jobs in January.
As Congress considers corporate tax reform, they could end up hurting small business owners, who organize themselves as pass-through entities.
New York state small business owners and advocates recently gathered for Small Business Day in Albany and called for tax, regulation and legal reforms. For example, 10 television/movie productions received more tax breaks than all of small business in the state.
South Florida was one of the areas hit hardest by the collapse in real estate and the resulting recession. Now small business jobs are almost back to their pre-recession levels.
Management, Leadership and Career
Are you seeing all the options in your retirement planning? If so, you should be getting ready to walk away from your small business.
The way to push your company forward could be through the encouragement of “intrepreneurism” and innovation. Management needs to set the stage. Another way to boost productivity is to cut down on meetings. Yet another solid strategy is to move from managing into mentoring.
Have you considered everything – and I mean everything – that you might automate or farm out at your small business? This list should help you get the big picture.
We always think of social media in terms of marketing our companies, but we can also use it to gain insights into our B2B competitors. Here are five things you can learn about your industry.
If you’re looking for ways to conserve cash, consider bartering for good and services.
Keeping your employees motivated and happy is your prime responsibility. A study says that pay hikes aren’t necessarily the single best strategy to use.
We aren’t getting ahead of ourselves when we urge you to start planning for filing your 2015 taxes now. These tips will help.
IT is a major expense and important tool for small business. This Noobpreneur article offers ways to use IT service management effectively and affordably.
If you’re trying to get your small business off the ground, heed these 10 tips for managing your overload. And here’s more help: Under 30 CEO lists 11 things you should be outsourcing to save money in your business.
Can you be too smart for your own good? This Harvard Business Review article discusses why it’s hard for very smart people to strategize.
As we’re about to officially usher in spring, it’s time to think about our summer reading list. However, don’t wait that long to check out these three books on leadership.