By Sherron Lumley Bringing in new clients, improving cash flow, and finding new sources of capital are a perennial challenge for every business—for small businesses even more so. But now, thanks to the Internet and social media, entrepreneurs have access to many of the same powerful marketing tools, business networks, and customer groups that were once the private domain of Fortune 500 corporations. The trick, of course, is how to use these new tools correctly. The first step on this...

by Reed Richardson. It’s an age-old predicament for entrepreneurs: Sure, you may have built a fabulous new product or developed the next killer app, but if you don’t also do a good job of marketing it to customers, your business can still end up failing. So, how can small, local businesses, a majority of which spend less than $2,500 a year on marketing according to a recent Merchant Circle survey, overcome this problem? The first step, say many marketing experts, begins with a change of...

During the last few years, social media has stolen some of the thunder of traditional public relations in the eyes of businesses of all sizes. Even prior to the explosive use of the Internet, small businesses in particular often put advertising and marketing ahead of public relations, perhaps because of insufficient budgets, and in some cases, because of a lack of understanding of how public relations is different from the other two communications practices. However, small businesses would be...

As a small business, you can think of endless reasons that you don’t need to worry about branding. You may tell yourself: “Branding isn’t necessary for small businesses.” “I’m too busy.” “I can’t afford it.” You tell yourself these things, and yet you still feel a little uneasy. You know that your business needs an identity. So what do you do? First, it’s important to understand what branding is and is not. Branding is not a logo. Branding encompasses much more than a symbol, name or...

Part I: Three reasons in favor. By Reed Richardson. During the past year, the business world has been significantly reshaped by a new discounting phenomenon, one that combines the ubiquity of traditional coupon clipping with the power of social networking. These new “social coupons,” offered through websites like Groupon, Eversave, Adility, LivingSocial, eWinWin and several others, promise participating businesses access to a plethora of new, local customers, while offering consumers...

By Max Berry Advertising has come a long way since the Mad Men of Madison Avenue. The Internet and so-called viral marketing have revolutionized the job once done by newspaper, radio, and television spots. But, while your small business probably doesn't have the resources for online video clips, adver-games, or mass text messages, that doesn't mean you can't employ some savvy, semi-viral strategies of your own. First Things First "If it's different, it will create a buzz. If it's generic,...