Executive Prospectus

Laptops: How Thin Can You Get?

Small Business News — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:30:44 +0000

With people going gaga over tablets in 2011, what has happened with the laptop? For one thing, it’s getting thinner and thinner. With Apple leading the way, look for new laptops to really shed the pounds in coming months. We’ve got some tech reviews and some other cool gadgets you may want to check out with your business’s next laptop purchase.

Apple Leads Thin Revolution

MacBook Pro will be thinner than ever. Get ready for the new 15-inch MacBook ProRead More

From Small Business Trends

Laptops: How Thin Can You Get?

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Is Your Brand Helping Or Hurting Your Small Business? Chat Recap

Anita Campbell — Fri, 18 May 2012 01:18:00 +0000

Didn’t get a chance to participate in the FedEx Office Twitter chat on May 15? No worries – we have a recap of the highlights below.

The topic was branding: Is your brand helping or hurting your small business? Let’s take a look at some of the responses and comments on this topic. The Twitter handle of the person who said them, follows:

1. What exactly is a “brand”? Is it a name, a logo – or more? – @FedExOfficeRead More

From Small Business Trends

Is Your Brand Helping Or Hurting Your Small Business? Chat Recap

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Google Launches Knowledge Graph, ‘First Step in Next Generation Search’

Miranda Miller — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:00:00 +0000

Three new Google Search features are part of their “next generation search” project, Knowledge Graph. Info boxes, segmented results based on query context and suggestions based on popular queries negate the need to even click off the SERP for info.... [...]

Small Business Owners And The Estimated Tax Payment

Nellie Akalp — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:30:39 +0000

For new small business owners, meeting your tax obligations is a big adjustment – particularly when you’ve been used to having an employer take out income tax withholdings with each paycheck. When you have your own business though, tax time isn’t just once a year; rather you have to make estimated tax payments throughout the year.

If you’re not sure if you need to pay estimated taxes for your business, read on to learn moreRead More

From Small Business Trends

Small Business Owners And The Estimated Tax Payment

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The “Belong Subscribe And Engage” Marketing Plan

Deborah Shane — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:30:55 +0000

A sound and holistic marketing plan has always combined these areas:

Advertising: any paid form of communication through mass communication
Sales promotion: any short term incentive to encourage trial purchase
Events and Experiences: sponsored events or activities
Public Relations and Publicity: non paid ways to promote image and reputation
Direct Marketing: one-to-one communication such as mail, telephone, e-mail and Internet selling
Personal Selling: face-to-face interaction with one or more prospective customers

Using these marketing areas

From Small Business Trends

The “Belong Subscribe And Engage” Marketing Plan

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Mobile Sites: Choosing an Implementation Process & Strategies

Kristine Schachinger — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:00:00 +0000

No matter your approach, the mobile landscape is a tricky, expansive space of uncertainty filled with twists and turns that would give even the most solid minded developer or site owner points to pause. Here’s a guide to help you go mobile. [...]

New Shopping Habits: When Your Clients Go Mobile

Jamillah Warner — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:30:09 +0000

How do you know that you’re making the right move? As a small business owner you’re always evaluating and deciding, watching and then doing, discovering and then digging in. You’re a shopper.

Every piece of software, office equipment and service that you purchase for your business is a shopping experience:

How did you find the item or the service?
What did you compare it to?

You have a certain type of shopper’s behavior — theRead More

From Small Business Trends

New Shopping Habits: When Your Clients Go Mobile

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3 Steps to Determine if Social Local Mobile Is Right for Your Business

Jamie Turner — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:00:22 +0000

There’s a new buzzword marketers are using and, unlike some buzzwords, this is one that you should probably learn. The term is SoLoMo and it stands for “social, local and mobile.” What it describes is the convergence of social, location-based and mobile marketing into a new category of tools that many businesses are using to [...] [...]

Why Your SEO & Social Strategy Should Include Pinterest

Steve Beatty — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

You don’t have to be a lifestyle-type site to win on Pinterest, you merely need to make your brand fun and create interesting, shareable images. Pinterest offers other benefits, including social links generated from content shared on Pinterest. [...]

CEO Drama and How to Avoid It

Small Business News — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:30:42 +0000

You don’t need to be the leader of a multimillion-dollar corporation to create unnecessary drama in your business. Today’s news is full of stories about the latest CEO missteps. Here are some of the headlines, along with some lessons to be learned and tips on how to be a better leader in your business.

Setting the Right Example

Don’t let personal relationships interfere. Even the founder of Best Buy, Richard Schulze, finds his head on the chopping block (in aRead More

From Small Business Trends

CEO Drama and How to Avoid It

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