Marketing Tips From an Etsy Power User (via Intuit Small Business Blog)“Marketing online is all about photography now,” says veteran jeweler Mark Poulin. “I’m selling photographs.” For the past 20 years, Poulin (pictured) has been selling enamel jewelry featuring whimsical depictions of animals, aliens, and more…
Surprise Your Customers to Build Loyalty (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Customers generally expect to get what they pay for. If you go beyond that to deliver something extra and unexpected, you can set your company apart from the competition. To that end, here are five ways to surprise customers and beat “the other guys…
6 Tips for Hiring Your Successor (via Intuit Small Business Blog)You know you’ve succeeded as a small-business owner when you can finally hire someone else to run your company’s day-to-day operations. Handing over the reins can give you a chance to grow, try something new, or simply relax for a while. But letting…
Simplify Your Social Media Efforts With Buffer (via Intuit Small Business Blog)If you truly want to influence people and establish yourself as an expert in your field, your social media presence needs to go beyond Twitter and Facebook. But maintaining multiple accounts across networks can be a time-consuming endeavor. Content…
Building a Successful Social Media Campaign (via Intuit Small Business Blog)As an entrepreneur, you know all about the power of social media: It can help you build your brand, promote your business, and connect with customers. But before you write your next post or tweet, consider whether your current strategies are making…
Disenfranchised: How to Get Out of a Bad Franchising Agreement (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Buying a franchise can be a lot like getting married: Your courtship is blissful, so you seal the deal and then enjoy a fruitful honeymoon period. But then, at some point, the relationship sours — and you decide you want out. As in divorce, leaving…
5 Things You Can Do Today to Become More Productive (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Do you feel like your to-do list and the clock are engaged in constant battle? Kevin Kowalke, a mortgage broker and business strategist, believes you need to examine what’s working and what isn’t — and then strategize how to be more productive…
5 Licensing Lessons Every Inventor Should Understand (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Americans have long admired inventors, those gadgeteers intent on thinking up the next big thing. From Ben Franklin, who tinkered with eyeglasses to create bifocals to Fulton’s steam engine, Bell’s telephone and Edison’s light bulbs, the notion…
How to Identify and Train Future Managers (via Intuit Small Business Blog)While your business is in startup mode, your management “team” may consist of only one person: you. But as the company gains momentum, you’ll likely reach a point where you’ll have to relinquish control and trust someone else to oversee day-…
How to Get Employees to Share Ideas to Grow Your Business (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Your employees may be able to tell you a lot about your business you may not know. What do customers really think about your product or service? Are there more complaints (or less) than usual? What could be done to improve sales, marketing and customer…
How to Use LinkedIn to Generate Leads (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Forget six degrees of separation from Kevin Bacon. The odds of most small-business owners selling anything to the Golden Globe-winning actor are astronomical. However, in the context of professional networking on LinkedIn, the six-degrees concept can…
Building Buzz: How to Spark Word-of-Mouth Marketing (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Word-of-mouth advertising is 10 times more effective than a traditional ad, asserts Jonah Berger, a marketing professor and author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On. But, contrary to popular belief, less than 10 percent of those sought-after personal…
