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…
Building a Website for Your Business (via Intuit Small Business Blog)The recession may be over (at least according to economists) but America’s small businesses are still in cost-cutting mode. In an October 11 article, SmallBizTrends.com cites a National Bureau of Economic Research study. It’s findings? “Owner…
Become a Go-To Customer Resource to Increase Sales (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Want to attract more customers? It may be time to scale back on promotions and take a hard look at what you’re providing potential clients. “Success in today’s economy means creating relationships that last through the good and the tough times…
To Boost Revenue, Choose the Sales Channel Less Traveled (via Intuit Small Business Blog)When the going gets tough, it’s said, the tough get going. Likewise, when traditional sales channels come up short, some tough-minded small-business owners find opportunities where few — or maybe none — have dared to sell their wares before. Hammers…
What You Need to Know About Small-Business Record Keeping (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Three little words can cost you a lot more money than you might imagine — and they have nothing to do with “love.” When it comes to keeping your business’s records, saving everything “just in case” can prove to be an expensive proposition…
Cater to How Customers Communicate for Greater Marketing Success (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Your customers obviously share an affinity for your business and its goods or services, but they differ in how they communicate. Their methods these days include texting, email, phone, and face-to-face networking. Understanding your customers’ styles…
Is Profit-Sharing Right for Your Small Business? (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Profit-sharing? You want me to share my hard-earned profits with people who haven’t invested any capital in my company? Yes, perhaps. Profit-sharing can increase employee productivity and morale while decreasing turnover, among other benefits. Here…
What to Do Before Launching a New Product (via Intuit Small Business Blog)Sooner or later, your small business will probably have to release a new product in order to grow. But unless you take a few key steps beforehand, your effort may be doomed to fail. Here are four critical things to do before you launch a new product…
4 Hints That Your Target Market Is Moving (And How to Follow It) (via Intuit Small Business Blog)You identified your target audience when you drafted your business plan, but perhaps since then the market has shifted in ways you didn’t anticipate. In fact, the customers you originally sought may differ greatly from those you attract today. How…
