According to The Small Business Social Media Survey conducted in May 2011 by Webs, 78 percent of small business owners said they plan to spend more of their marketing budget on social media this year than they did in 2010. Facebook is overwhelmingly the entrepreneur’s favorite tool, with 68 percent indicating that it is the social media tool they use most for business.

New to Facebook or not, the number one social networking site is…

The media always want good local stories, or a local angle on a national story, making the PR possibilities for a new business endless.  The trick is to be creative and think of an angle that makes your story stand apart from the rest.  Below are several ideas to help generate news coverage in your market and after contacting the media remember to be persistent, accessible and to follow up. 

Promote Yourself As An Expert

Editors always appreciate a regular…

One of the most effective ways to spread the word about your company in a market is via the local media.  

Although communicating with the local media may feel like a daunting task, we’ve broken down the process into five simple steps to help make it easy for you. 

Step 1:  Craft Your Message

Before you contact the media, decide exactly what information you want to get out to the general public. Then stick to your agenda. Too much information may…

As a small business owner, you can’t afford not to explore the social media space because over the last ten years there has been a significant shift in the way people access information about you and your business. The Internet has forever changed the way we communicate, the way we buy and the way we interact with content and other people. It has made the whole world into a networked marketplace and what truly makes it different from any other form of communication is that users are now…

One of the advantages of operating your own business is hiring family members. However, the employment tax requirements for family employees may vary from those that apply to other employees.

How spouses earn Social Security benefits:

A spouse is considered an employee if there is an employer/employee type of relationship, i.e., the first spouse substantially controls the business in terms of management…

As a small business owner, you have the opportunity to deduct certain expenses from your taxes. Don’t let yourself get carried away though; there are some expenses that are not deductible, regardless of the situation. Just as a reminder, below are some common expenses that CANNOT be deducted as a business expense.

1. Clothing—Unless it is protective gear, or a uniform not to be worn during non-working hours, clothing cannot be…

 It’s amazing how many beautiful direct mail pieces with striking images and witty headlines fail to even tell the reader how to contact the business. In fact, there are three often over-looked elements that are absolutely critical to profitable direct mail campaigns.   

1. The Right List…

First and foremost I consider myself a direct marketer.  It also happens that I work for a commercial printer - PrintingForLess.com.  Being a marketing person at a commercial printer has given me some valuable insights into the manufacturing process – and how marketers can better work with their printers to minimize costs.

Our marketing team recently created and printed a double-postcard prospecting piece.  During the printing process, complaints started coming from our…

Tips to marketing your business in good conscience

Building a thriving business and protecting the environment doesn't have to present a tricky trade-off. When it comes to printing, the options in the industry are making it easier every day to find environmentally-friendly ways to successfully market your business in print.

Eco-conscious printing is about more than just the manufacturing process on press. It involves awareness of the entire manufacturing chain - the…

Learn Useful Hints to Help You Pinch Your Print Pennies

We know that marketing your business with professional printing materials can be expensive. And in these tough economic times, it's more important than ever to be efficient wherever possible. So, consider the following cost-saving tips to help you get the most bang for your marketing buck.

1. Plan Ahead for Affordable Printing

There are some areas in business where it is okay to…