Which eCommerce Software is Best For Your Small Business?

[fusion_text] When selecting an eCommerce solution for your small business it is important to take into account how complex it will be to set up, since even if you have hired a company to do it for you, this will impact your cost.  You should also consider how easy it is for a potential customer to find your website online, browse and make purchases.  While there are many solutions available, here are the four options we typically recommend for small business owners based on cost, complexity, performance and ease of maintenance: WooCommerce – good for adding the simple capability to …

select a compelling blog topic

How to select a compelling blog topic

Blogging is a lot about trial and error. You might start with one idea, think of another, and write two or three blog posts on the topic before realizing it’s not doing well. One way to avoid this is to choose the topics you write about ahead of time – if you know in advance what your next article will be about, it’s much easier to plan out what you need to research and get started!   You need to consider whether it is of general interest and your subject matter expertise and passion for the topic. For example, if …

How Your Small B2B Business Can Rock Social Media

The questions we typically hear most often from small businesses about social media are: Which social media networks should I consider? What type of content should I post? These are great questions and we have certainly seen a lot of boring Business-To-Business (B2B) content on social media.  It often seems that only Business-To-Consumer (B2C)  businesses know how to sell the sizzle in the steak, so to speak.  What business owners seem to forget when delivering their message to other businesses is that those businesses are run by people.  And people still like to have their attention grabbed, even if it …

Small Business Spotlight: Dr. Michael Newman, DC

Dr. Newman has been practicing Chiropractic and Acupuncture in South Miami for the past 38 years.  An active member of the Miami community, Dr. Newman has served as President of Temple Beth Or, is past Vice-Chair of Miami-Dade County Schools District Citizens Advisory Committee, and a member of several chiropractic organizations including The Florida Chiropractic Association and the Dade County Chiropractic Society.  He is an active Rotary Club member who has been honored for his service. But his pedigree only tells part of his story.  To walk into Dr. Newman’s practice is to enter a community of caregivers who not …

Small Business Spotlight: The Organic Wine Company

Veronique Raskin grew up in the South of France where as a young girl she helped her grandmother tend her garden and her grandfather pick extraordinary fruits and vegetables, as the sweet perfume of wildflowers wafted across the meadows.  The land was farmed as Mother Nature intended, using organic fertilizers and growing complementary crops in such a way as to not require chemical pesticides.  She used to love watching her family’s horse pull a wagon brimming with Syrah, Cinsault and Carignane grapes from the vineyard to later be painstakingly fermented into the finest French wines. She grew up and away from …

Linked In Best Practices For Small Business

There are some social media channels that are an absolute “must” for your small business, in particular Facebook, Google+ (mostly because Google loves it, and also because your clients are probably already reviewing your performance there) and Twitter.  I would add Instagram if you can portray your business visually (and most of us can), and YouTube for your testimonial and other business and experiential videos, even if they aren’t professionally shot in a studio.  But if your business sells to other businesses, or targets the professional crowd, then you simply MUST be on Linked In. You really should be on …

How Often Should A Small Business Blog?

The simple answer is, it depends upon how much impact you want.  Let’s start by reviewing some of the reasons a small business owner would want to blog: To demonstrate expertise in their line of work To get the word out about something new To share a frequently asked question with a broader audience, allowing the opportunity to share a link and shorten a future operational task To improve their search engine ranking (each blog brings new traffic when linked from social media and Google loves fresh content) To connect with new people To have something original to share in …

Online Reviews Best Practices

From Vocus You probably need more. When choosing a business to buy from, customers search for reviews by other customers. If you haven’t got any, you’re in danger of being overlooked. Don’t fear the added attention of online reviews. While you can’t control what consumers say about your brand, there are ways to foster positive reviews among your customers. Here are four steps to achieving them: Expand your social horizons.We know who the heavy hitters are when it comes to social networks: Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. When it comes to referrals, though, several other networks are worth your attention. Yelp!, …

Social Media Blurred Personal & Professional Lines

Historically in social media people had a distinct personal and professional profile, now blurring into a single profile. Assume that how you are online is how you would behave in a professional setting. Relative anonymity of feedback can make it more bold and blunt For younger generations  (Millennials) are becoming more aware of privacy online and what they do online having an impact on their professional lines.  However, they also recognize that people have a life outside of work so there may be more acceptance of that. Recommendation for small business:  owner personality is so tied to the business that …