Saturday November 21, 2009
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marketing
From Entrepreneur.com
Market With Meaning
By Rosalind Resnick
Don't offer your customers products — offer them solutions, connections and satisfaction.
Are You Losing Control of Your Brand Online?
The rise of social media allow companies to connect with consumers in unheard of ways. Here’s how to keep control of your brand online.
FTC Aims to Uproot Deceptive Marketing
The FTC’s new social media policy makes transparency paramount.
Make the Most of Your Advertising Dollars
In today’s market, your advertising dollars can go further. Here are four tips for making the most of your marketing budget.
Online Advertising Made Simple
To attract added sales this holiday season, follow these essential tips for an online campaign that increases sales.
9 Vital Statistics for Tracking Site Traffic
When you know who your visitors are, you can turn them into customers.
Three Best Ways to Win Community Support
Highlighting your local roots can keep the regulars coming in – and attract new customers wanting to patronize neighborhood shops.
Keep Your Regulars Happy
Here are ten tips for keeping your regulars coming back — and for picking up new ones along the way.
Give Your Marketing a Fall Lift
Check in with customers today to prepare for tomorrow's holiday season.
Quick Tips: How To Channel Your Twitter Voice
Your customers may be on Twitter and Facebook, but before you jump on board, too, make sure you it's right for you.
Create Measurable Impact
Web metrics numbers are only as good as what you do with them.
Adding Value: The Future of Marketing
Cut through the advertising noise by marketing with meaning.
Marketing Locally? Think Globally
Thinking outside the borders can expand your customer base.
Drive Sales With Tutorials
Position yourself as an authority and gain market share by providing instructional content.
Give Your Website a Personal Touch
Customers tend to respond to personal touches. Here are three worth considering.
Rock-Solid Marketing for Trendy Times
Instead of jumping from trend to trend follow these six steps for marketing that really works.
Firms Get Hand With Twitter, Facebook
Some small-business owners, overwhelmed by the time commitment required to market their products via social media, are hiring consultants to lend a hand.
Think You Can’t Stretch Your Advertising Dollars?
Colleen DeBaise answers questions about finding the best marketing strategies and getting into the shoe business.
Print Ads: A Bargain for Buyers
Bargains abound in this tepid economy. Here’s how to take advantage of today's advertising market.
Be Efficient With Your Social Networking
Budget your time wisely -- or risk being ruled by the Internet.
Online Ad Deals Are Clicking
Use these online marketing tactics to grow your business during lean times.
Find a 'Tweet' Deal on Advertising
Banner ads aren't the only way to advertise online; take advantage with these affordable alternatives.
Which Ad Strategy Is Right for You?
Want to rev up your returns? Here’s how to choose the best medium for your message.
Lessons from 'Brand Obama'
Think President Obama’s got the right pitch? Here’s how to use his message control strategies to command attention.
Create Vocal Brand Advocates
Want to send a louder message? Make sure you’re biggest advocates stay enthusiastic about your company.
9 Ways to Advertise for Free
Even in this tough economic climate, it pays to advertise. Here's how to spread the word about your company for free.
Dentists Step Up Marketing
Dentists are increasingly advertising their services as more patients lose jobs or employer-sponsored insurance and skip major treatments or routine cleanings.
E-mail Marketing Still Works
Social media has its place, but e-mail remains the king of online relationship marketing.
Sharpen Your Social Media Intelligence
How to sort through the noise to proactively monitor how your company is represented online.
Should You Be the Face of Your Business?
There are plenty of ways to be your own best spokesperson – and a few reasons not to.
Contests, Giveaways Move to Twitter
Small businesses increasingly are turning to Twitter to generate buzz and spread brand awareness.
Integrate Your Online Advertising
Why pay for clicks when you can actively network with your customers for next to nothing?
Entrepreneurs Aim to Build Loyalty
Small businesses are working to build loyal customer bases by reaching out on the Web, offering freebies and getting celebrities to try their products.
5 Myths That Can Kill Your Marketing Copy
Here are five copywriting mistakes to avoid when devising your company’s marketing message.
5 Franchise Marketing Essentials
Look for these qualities before you make an investment.
Track Your Tweets
Twitter is the easiest form of social media to measure, so make sure you're getting the most from it.
Ramp up Your Redesign
Make your website's overhaul an event that attracts traffic — and customers.
Ways to Boost Online Traffic
Want to ramp up your site’s traffic? Here’s a hint: Interact with consumers and fellow business owners.
10 Rules for Quick and Easy PR
Simple steps to give your business a competitive edge, on a budget.
Customer Reviews Can Boost Business
Here’s how to get the most out of your customers’ written testimonials.
3 Tips for Working with a PR Firm
Tapping a public relations firm can be a great way to drum up attention for your business. Here's how to make the most of that key relationship.
The Cost (and Payoff) of Investing in Social Media
Savvy entrepreneurs are looking to social media as another way to market their businesses.
Turn Web Traffic Into Foot Traffic
A solid web presence is essential--even for the smallest brick-and-mortar businesses.
A Hot, Affordable New Advertising Opportunity
Consumer habits show online video is the best value for advertisers. Here’s how to get started.
A $25 Million Press Release
Grab the press's attention – and keep it – with concise and compelling releases.
Maximize Your Ad Campaign Dollars
Advertising isn't cheap, but that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune to promote your business. Try stretching your ad dollars with these tips.
4 Ways to Boost Franchise Sales
Don’t just rely on the mother ship to help boost sales. Be proactive now, and your business will thrive in any economy.
Can They Really Make Money Off the Dollar Menu?
What deals really cost and why they've become a battleground for franchisees.
As Seen (Often) on TV!
With the cost of air time falling, more small companies are discovering the benefits of infomercials.
Build Your List, Grow Your Business
Every point of contact with potential customers is an opportunity to build your e-mail list – and sales.
6 Easy Ways to Make Money Online
Learn how affiliate marketing can skyrocket your bottom line.
Proven Tactics for Tough Times
The newest insights into online marketing that deliver customers
Look Like a Multimillion Dollar Brand
Five ways to look like you make a lot of money without spending a lot.
5 Ways to Stand Out on Fee-for-Service Sites
Make sure potential clients find your business among the growing competition on fee-for-service sites.
Are Your Ads Hitting the Mark?
Here’s how to gauge whether or not your advertising dollars are being spent effectively.
How Using Detailed Keywords Will Help You Grab Shoppers
Help motivated shoppers find exactly what they’re looking for with descriptive, long-tail keywords.
Need Cheap Marketing? Consider Twitter
Thought Twitter was just for media personalities and blog writers? Think again. Here’s how you can use Twitter to market your small business.
Recession Marketing All About Connections
Experiential marketing helps you connect with customers on an emotional level — for less than you think.
Word-of-Mouth Marketing Can Bite Back
A lot of reputations are at stake when you give a referral--including yours. Make it count and keep your integrity.
Targeted E-Mail Marketing
People tend to pay attention to articles and offers in their areas of interest. So, if you’re trying to beef up your response rate, get to know your customers.
Do More with Less
New communications and public relations tools offer marketers less costly alternatives for building brand and product awareness.
A Great Ad Campaign Can Last Forever
Marketing to values is more important than marketing products.
How to Make Your Message Stick
Memorable marketing leads to sales. Follow these 4 essential tips to make your message unforgettable.
SEO: Essential to Survival
Companies that rely on the web for sales can’t afford not to embrace search engine optimization.
Starting Up: Corporate America Offers Its Own 'Stimulus Package'
Whether it's free software or substantial funding, companies offer aid to small businesses.
Unlock the Secrets of Successful Websites
Creating a great website and promoting your business via search engine optimization and social media websites can be done in eight steps.
Use Stories to Add Oomph to Your Brand
Broadcasting customer testimonials can boost your business’ credibility. Here’s how to sniff them out.
A Marketing Home Run
In baseball-crazed Boston, sponsoring the Red Sox earned Exotic Flowers a marketing award and a mass of new fans.
No Better Time for E-Mail Marketing
What do the best franchise owners know about online marketing that you need to know, too?
Quick Tips: How to Land a Government Contract
How to get in on the billions of dollars in government spending expected this year.
Steal Your Competitors' Clients
If your best prospects are someone else's customers, you better have a strategy for wooing them away.
How to Advertise Now
Unsure what to cut and what to keep? This smart, 4-point checklist is your guide to recession-era advertising.
How to Get Indexed Faster
Use these techniques to make a bigger online impact faster than your competition.
Premium Chocolate Holds Steady
Even in a recession, “premium” products like chocolate and wine sell.
2009: The Year of One-to-One Marketing
Great letters make for strong sales. Start the new year out right by building relationships one letter at a time.
Musician Finds a Following Online
A heartbroken musician became an instant rock star after word-of-mouth praise on the Web attracted fans -- and a record deal.
10 Advertising Words to Avoid in 2009
Shun meaningless words like 'a lot' and 'guarantee' in your copy. It'll help you out a lot -- we guarantee it.
Marketing That Takes Flight
Steve Astephen turns cult heroes into household names -- and his philosophy can work for you, too.
For Eateries, Oatmeal Is Hotter
As chain restaurant sales suffer, traditional menu items like oatmeal give some eateries a boost.
Where Stunts and Strategy Collide
As the Super Bowl nears, a small apparel company is trying to use the buzz around the big game to drum up attention.
Starting Up: 6 Ways to Profit From Social Media Tools
Boost business by offering blogs, video and other content that appeal to customers.
Quick Tips: Boosting Your Online Search Profile
Improve the odds that prospective customers will stumble upon your business online.
Selling It: The Path to Viral Success
How start-ups market online, on the cheap.
Border Retailers Court Mexicans
Merchants in Southwestern cities are heavily courting upscale Mexicans to save the holiday season, but they now have to wrestle with the falling value of the peso.
6 Low-Cost Ways to Attract Holiday Shoppers
Get shoppers in the holiday spending spirit and boost your sales, too.
Not Your Father's Marketing Campaign
Press releases can be targeted directly to consumers, without the media filter. Here are 4 new ways to use press releases to win sales.
Connect the Branding Dots
Logos, websites and marketing materials have to work together to create a positive impression -- and put money in your pocket.
Stay on Top of Mobile Advertising
As current and potential customers increasingly embrace mobile technologies, so should you. Here’s how to stay in touch.
Convert Passers-By Into Purchasers
Big events pose big opportunities to generate sales. Here’s how to convert crowds into customers.
Targeted Marketing Gets Intelligent
Advertisers ride a brain wave called neuromarketing. But is it for real?
A Marketing Tool That's Obvious, Overlooked and Cheap
Superior customer service is a thrifty and effective way to hang onto existing customers – and attract new ones.
Unearth the Hidden Publicity Gems in Your Business
Build exposure for your brand by showing off your company's expertise and top employees in trade magazines.
4 Advantages to Buying a Big-Name Franchise
With borrowing leverage, purchasing power and marketing prowess already in place, big franchises handle much of the legwork.
Economic Crises Call for Better Marketing Plans
Waiting for the next crisis to hit means you will have waited too long to revise your business plan.
Restaurants Push Value Meals
All-you-can-eat promotions and the like are flooding casual-dining outlets as restaurant chains attempt to lure customers to their tables.
Starting Up: Pricing Your Products
Business owners often miss the mark in terms of pricing their products. Here’s a primer on how to hit the target.
Companies Offering Innovative Incentives to Lure Franchisees
Franchisers are using innovative marketing tactics in the face of increased competition.
Wholesalers Set Up Shop Online
To compel added sales, some wholesalers are using the Internet to cut out retailers and sell directly to consumers.
Starting Up: The Art of the Pitch
How to persuade prospective clients to take a risk on your start-up.
4 Steps to Assessing Your Product's Profit Potential
Have a great idea for new business? Here’s how to judge whether it’s a market or just a mirage.
Give Web Users What They Really Want
Most people go online with a goal in mind. Learn to capitalize on their habits.
Standing Out in the Beauty Game
Burt's Bees' marketing chief talks about maintaining a small-brand feel as business grows.
Looking Abroad for a Profit Boost
Struggling at home? Overseas markets may be ripe for the picking.
Do You Know What Your Audience Wants?
Define your target market and stay up to date with its needs.
Appeal to Consumers' Five Senses
Your copy should stimulate a sensory reaction that compels readers to buy.
Innovative Incentives to Lure Franchisees
Franchisers are becoming increasingly creative in marketing themselves.
Amazon vs. eBay: a 7-Point Comparison
Knowing the pros and cons of each can help you maximize your online profits.
3 Secrets to a Site that Sells
Put these tips in place to turn browsers into buyers.
Starting Up: Staying Out of Spam Folders
A newsletter is a great way to connect with customers — if it doesn't land in their spam folders.
Use E-Coupons to Increase Online Sales
E-coupons are a proven way to increase sales, and are easy to implement.
Win Sales From Recession-Minded Consumers
Here are 4 ways to woo shoppers this summer, when the spotlight's on saving.
Irked by eBay, Sellers Trade Elsewhere
Upset by recent changes, some online retailers are moving away from the auction giant.
Starting Up: Attracting Luxury Shoppers
Starting a high-end shop in rocky times? Here’s how to land wealthy customers.
Starting Up: Teaming Up With Other Businesses
Joining forces with another small business can help you win customers.
Certifiably Green
Strut your business's eco-friendly stuff with the help of these 10 programs.
12 Tips for Writing Better Brochures
Every online company must have brochures and other printed literature to hand out to customers and prospects. Are yours ready to go?
Networking Together
The expansion of social-networking sites are giving small businesses new opportunities to network with each other and their customers.
Use Social Media to Bond With Consumers
Social media can help small firms to better connect with and market themselves to consumers and others in their industries. And they're often free.
Generating More Referrals
There are plenty of opportunities to develop quality referrals — you just have to look for them.
Advertising in Digital Media
These 3 hot trends can give you a competitive edge on the web and beyond.
Small Businesses Succeed with E-mail Marketing
These 3 entrepreneurs used e-newsletters for a cheaper, faster and more effective marketing campaign.
Nostalgia Sells
The oldies but goodies of baby boomers are all the rage.
How to Market a For-Profit Social Venture
A socially-minded business needs to win customers, without compromising its mission.
Asked & Answered: Marketing Multiple Businesses
Should I combine my separate businesses under one umbrella to save on marketing costs?
Green Products Gain From New Price Equation
Green products are becoming more affordable these days, allowing businesses to draw in new consumers.
Break Into the Global Marketplace
Preference programs and free trade agreements can provide strategic advantage.
Keep Your Customers from Straying
Follow these 8 simple methods of building business relationships that last.
Developing Your Company's Logo
If you just need a logo and not an entire campaign, an online logo company is a better alternative to a traditional ad agency.
No More 'Me Too' Marketing
Before you can beat your competitors, customers have to be able to tell you apart. Here are 3 steps to becoming the leader of the pack.
Three Tips for Closing a Sale
Revamp your sales strategies to ramp up your closing rates.
Three Strategies to Get Customers to Say 'Yes'
Small companies often find creative ways to level the playing field with larger competitors.
Permanent Wholesale Marts a Boon to Retailers
You don't have to wait for the next trade show to keep your shelves stocked with the latest and greatest.
Top 10 Sales Mistakes
Every salesperson, regardless of the industry, product, or skill level, makes mistakes. Be smart. Avoid these common errors and generate more revenue and happier customers.
Teaching Old Dogs New Tricks
Understanding the changing face of journalism can be the key to getting more coverage for your business.
With Wedding Bells, Novelty Sells
Finding and courting a creative niche business idea is destined for success in the $62.8 billion wedding industry.
Emotional Branding: What's Love Got to Do With It? Plenty!
Sell to your customers by appealing to both their reason and their emotions.
Ten Key Principles of Franchise Marketing
Being part of a franchise system offers tremendous advantages such as, in most cases, instant brand recognition. But it also presents some limitations.
Do-It-Yourself Display Ads
Start-ups and major Internet players such as Facebook are giving advertisers the option of building online-ad campaigns all on their own.
Marketing in the Recommendation Age
As customer review venues and their influence increase, business owners should capitalize on this trend.
Web Start-Ups Seek New Ways to Click
As concerns mount that the slowing economy may hurt the online-ad market, Silicon Valley Web start-ups are developing new approaches.
Tech Firm Drums Up Sales Growth Through A Web Marketplace
This outfit kept its techs working during a revamp by turning to an IT-services matchmaker.
The Essentials of Guerrilla Marketing
Implement these building blocks to create a successful campaign.
Gucci-Stalking: New Sites Make Shopping a Game
A number of members-only Web sites have launched selling luxury goods at discounts of as much as 70%.
As Candidates Quit, Trinkets Pile Up
The businesses responsible for campaign paraphernalia are devising creative ways to unload their excess inventory.
Modern Marketing: Using Tech in Creative Ways
From widgets to mashups, businesses use imagination and tech savvy to win customers.
Web Market Lets Companies Buy, Sell Ideas
Small businesses looking to find a hot idea — or trying to sell a hot idea to a big company — are about to get some help.
Make Your Ads Workhorses
Tough economic times demand productive ads. Learn the 4 most critical elements for ads that get results.
Getting on Top Bloggers' Radar
Small businesses looking to pitch their products or services to influential blogs have some help these days.
Expand Your Ad Empire
Amplify your interactive ad arsenal with the latest technology trends.
Getting Workers to Share Know-How With Their Peers
Knowledge-management technologies are helping small companies make the most of limited training budgets.
8 Tips for Increasing Your Average Sale
Getting a few more dollars out of each customer can put startups on a fast track to success.
How Can I Sell My Client List?
We answer a reader's question about how to sell your client base to another professional.
The Wisdom (or Not) of Non-Compete Contracts
Here are some things to consider before hiring your first salesperson.
Starting Up: How to Market on Social-Networking Sites
Does your business have a profile on MySpace or Facebook? How to win customers via social media.
Think Outside the Box With E-Brochures
These hot new marketing tools show a lot of potential.
Differentiating Your Business
7 tips for creating a unique selling proposition that helps cut through the competitive clutter to drive sales.
Marketing Your Home Based Biz
Even if it's the only thing you do to promote your home based business, e-mail marketing will get you repeat business and referrals without breaking the bank.
Starting Up: Entrepreneurial Buzzwords
Are you a solopreneur, greenpreneur or copreneur? Here's a lesson in the new entrepreneurial lexicon.
Getting Customers to Buy More
Want to increase profits? Try this smart upselling technique and watch sales soar.
What are the Pros and Cons of LinkedIn?
The value of professional networking sites depends on how much time you're willing to spend on making connections.
Taking a Green Initiative
These 3 entrepreneurs are taking advantage of green marketing tactics the right way.
Learn to Market More Creatively
Knowledge of your industry can bring originality to your business.
Starting Up: The Business of Love
Online dating, private matchmaking… love is everywhere. How to break into a hot industry.
Improve Client Relationships Through Social Media
Would your business benefit from a page on Facebook or MySpace?
The Future of Customer Service
Mobile technology is changing the way consumers search for answers.
Colors That Bring Out Your Brand
Make sure the colors you choose are sending the right message to your customers.
Pitching a Product Over the Phone
Kelly Spors explains how to convince a company to pay you for a product idea.
Misleading Marketing Copy
You may be tempted to use them, but avoid these phrases in your advertising and marketing materials.
E-mail Marketing Resolutions
Implement these 5 goals for a great new year of e-mail marketing.
Starting Up: Four Tips on Effective Networking
For entrepreneurs, networking is essential. Here are four ways to get your name out there.
Paying for PR — But Only When It Works
How small companies on a budget spread the word about their business in the media.
This Holiday, Say It With an E-Card
Here are 10 creative holiday e-mail card ideas.
Web Promotion: Lights! Camera! Sales!
How to use video to expand your business in a YouTube world.
Talk Is Cheap
Advertising can be a big problem for a small business. One alternative is just to get the right people talking.
Facebook, a Marketer's Friend
Small firms are using the social-networking site Facebook as a marketing tool to cultivate relationships with clients and consumers.
Starting Up: Giveaway Slip-Ups
A business can win customers by offering free products. Just don't give the store away.
10 Common Marketing Mistakes to Avoid
A good marketing plan can help launch a new business or grow an existing one. But make sure to avoid these mistakes.
Starting Up: Freebies Can Spur Sales
New business owners can attract attention by giving away products.
Web Sites Cast a Net Over Striking Writers
With no restraints under Guild rules, upstarts lure talent.
Getting the Most From Tradeshows
Don't show up empty-handed. Make sure you're fully prepared to maximize your time at this annual event.
Consulting and Licensing Agreements
We have a start-up and know people interested in using our model to open their own company. We don't want a partnership, so what kind of agreement do we need?
When Success Isn't Enough
Here's what retailer Shabby Chic did to take its business to the next level.
Starting Up: The Art of the Gimmick
For entrepreneurs looking to make a big splash in a new market, an over-the-top sales promotion can help.
A Niche to Grow
Expand your business by targeting qualified niche markets.
The Fastest Way to Find New Customers
Tap into your customer base by piggybacking on established businesses with similar target markets.
Top 5 Business Card Blunders
Avoid these mistakes that could ruin your branding efforts.
Bidding for Large Contracts
Learn how your startup can bid for contracts against established businesses.
How Small Businesses Can Land Big Contracts
Want to boost business and your profile? Here are some tips on landing a major deal.
Starting Up: Drop Shipping Can Relieve Inventory Headaches
Want to start an e-commerce site without inventory worries?
Green Fashion: Beyond T-Shirts
Eco-designers branch out but still face scarcity of outlets and logistics woes.
Holiday Sales Checklist
Start doing these 10 things now to prepare for the year's biggest shopping season.
The Luxury of Flexible Ownership
Partial ownership has moved beyond yachts and ski chalets. Find out how businesses are capitalizing on this trend sweeping the middle class.
Halo: The Power of 3
Think the biggest video game launch in history doesn't apply to you? Here's why you're wrong.
Web Sites Find Security Seals a Boon for Business
Merchant verification programs can boost consumer confidence -- and your business.
Marketing an Online Business
I have an online retail business that sells ethnic, handmade jewelry. How can I market my products most effectively?
Small Business, Big Clients
Don't fear taking on giant corporations as clients and business partners. Everyone benefits when Goliath hires David.
Toy Stories: Show-and-Tell Blog Hooks Customers
A former science teacher credits a blog for his educational toy's company success.
An Eye-Catching Way to Drive Home Your Message
When it comes to pitching products, there's nothing like an eye-catching set of wheels.
Got a Great Business? Spread the Word
With all the demands of running a business, it's not uncommon for business owners to ignore a potentially lucrative tool: public relations.
An Event to Remember
Whether it's a flying competition or an art show, these companies prove that businesses of any size can host a memorable event.
For Your Review
Want more eyes on your products? Go online and share your expertise.
Discounts Abound for Small-Business Owners
Get discounts on everything from computers to janitorial supplies.
Readers and Owners Talk About Branding
Mark Hellendrung, president of Narragansett Brewing Co., and George Wright, director of marketing at K-TEC Inc.'s Blendtec, moderate a forum on branding.
Going Global: Businesses Earn More by Exporting
Small businesses often shy away from tapping foreign markets. Big mistake.
Four Ways to Protect Your Business Ideas
We offer a guide on trademarks, copyrights, patents and more.
Creating the Right Image Sets the Tone for Success
The perfect name, logo or tag line can make a big impact on a business' success. Here's how to proceed.
Develop a Weird Idea Into a Marketable Success
Got a great -- but offbeat -- product? Here's advice on how to market the truly odd idea.
Building on a Name
Uncle Wally's muffins may not be as famous as Famous Amos cookies, but the same person was behind starting both brands: Wally Amos.
Hispanic Entrepreneurs Succeed in Fertile Latino Market
Hispanic-owned businesses are succeeding in the fertile Latino market.
A Few Moments in the Limelight Can Boost a Small Business
Getting the famous to use your products is a good way to boost sales.
- Take Advantage of Electronic Communication
Friday, November 6, 2009 - Refranchising: Should You Buy In?
Friday, November 6, 2009 - The Intersection of Awareness and New Media
Friday, November 6, 2009 - Market With Meaning
Friday, November 6, 2009 - Cash Shy? Try Bootstrapping
Thursday, November 5, 2009 - More Business News @ FoxBusiness.com
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