Small Business Tips and Advice

A bad video -- one that is poorly lit, that you can barely hear or is deafening, that rambles or doesn't make a point -- is worse than not having any video on your website (or YouTube). So to help you create a video that will ... (more...)

If you run a business that has a strong visual bent -- e.g., a clothing or furniture store, a photography studio, a catering business or restaurant -- Pinterest is a great, easy, and inexpensive way to find new customers and ... (more...)

More small businesses are using video to help sell their product or service. But does having a great video -- one with thousands or millions of hits on YouTube -- translate (or convert) into great sales? On a related note, are you more likely to buy a product or service if ... (more...)

While there are many benefits to using social media, having a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, and/or a Google+ account and regularly posting to them does not guarantee your small business social media success -- that is, more customers and sales. You want to know the real secret to Facebook ... (more...)

These 11 inexpensive yet highly effective marketing tools are the perfect way for your small business to ring in the New Year -- and ring up increase sales. [To learn more about each marketing tool, read my latest article, "Small Business Holiday Wish List: 11 Marketing Tools and Services" on ... (more...)

Banner ads and print ads can be expensive. And they are not necessarily the best way to advertise your small or mid-size business. So to find how to get the greatest return on your advertising dollar, I asked small business owners to share their tips. Following are the top 10 ... (more...)

There are dozens of web-based tools and services that claim to drive online traffic to local retail and service businesses. But some of them, such as daily sites like Groupon and LivingSocial, actually wind up costing businesses money -- and don't deliver sustained traffic. So how does a small retail or ... (more...)

Received this press release and had to share -- cause what small business owner wouldn't want a free marketing makeover (valued at $50,000)? Contest begins today, people! Be sure to enter. And good luck! Here are the details: San Diego, July 13, ... (more...)

Mobile apps seem to be all the rage right now. And many of them (think Angry Birds) appear to be tremendously successful. But can small businesses actually make money or get enough return on investment (ROI) to make investing in a mobile or Facebook app profitable? To find out, I ... (more...)

As of January 2011, 65.8 million Americans had a smartphone -- an 8 percent increase over the previous three months, according to comScore. More significantly, those smartphone users are shopping via their mobile devices – some 48 percent of them, according to a recent comScore mobile commerce survey. And that’s ... (more...)