Holidays and the seasons surrounding them like Halloween are always fantastic chances to use your imagination to create new and exciting advertisements and products. Read our tips on how to make the best of the season! [Read Full Article]

Tips from March 5, 2010 The Small Business tips today discuss handling conflict management. Engage in active listening. There are two sides to every story, and listening to others will help in understanding what the problem is, and open up ways to solve the issue at hand. Pay attention to others. Conflicts involve more than one party. Take the time to listen to both parties, and try to understand where each is coming from. Arrange a meeting between the parties involved in the conflict. A mediation session will allow both parties to confront each other in a controlled setting to talk out their problems. Communicate clearly. A conflict will never be solved without clear, honest, and open communication.  Daily Overview: Be a leader when it comes to conflict management and take control of the situation. You will gain respect. [Read Full Article]

Tips from December 18, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss marketing to Generation X via email newsletters. Newsletters sent via email make life easier for Generation X. These are easy to read, quick to click through, and (should) provide great deals or information accessible immediately. Getting an email with a promo code or deal and online shopping is simple and quick for Gen X. They like to multi-task and would rather see and buy rather than wait around for it. Think about this strategy when you send out newsletters. Make sure your deals, coupons, or promo codes are available and easily seen. Getting people to click through also makes it all trackable for you! Newsletters have the ability to make Gen Xers feel individually important. Although thousands of other people are receiving the same newsletter, different data like their name or location can be added dynamically to bring that forward. Make them feel special. Genera... [Read Full Article]

Tips from the morning of December 17, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss marketing to Generation X via print marketing. Generation X has the highest subscription and readership of periodicals (Time, Newsweek, People, Details, Spin). Advertisements in these types of publishings are seen by a majority of Gen X. Generation X is also credited with building the market of small and local newspapers. They are interested with what is going around them. Keep in mind, advertising in this type of paper hits locally and is cheaper.  Movie lists, entertainment guides, and personal ads are favorites in print media for Generation X. They prefer short & concise writing. Keep this in mind. Place advertisements accordingly (at the end of short articles). Growing up with the technological revolution, Generation X embraces mass media. They will turn to print media, but as time and technology grows, be warned: they will jump ship and u... [Read Full Article]

Government, Politics, and the Economy Is It Too Early to Start Thinking About a Rebound? It may not feel like it yet in your town or in your industry, but there are indications that things are getting better. NYtimes.comManagement and OperationsHow to Not Go Out of BusinessStart by studying how your best customers interact with your brand and its competitors, then brainstorm ways to address any shortcomings. BusinessWeek.com Management and Operations [Read Full Article]

Tips from November 10, 2009 The Small Business tips today will be about email marketing around the holidays. Include holiday greetings and designed themes in your email marketing. This can help set a certain tone if that's what you're looking to do. Don't blow-up subscriber inboxes with additional holiday email promotions. Instead substitute a standard email with the holiday one. Your subject line should include holiday phrases and special deals to entice people to open the email. Keep emails informative without spamming. Put direct links to holiday-branded landing pages instead of a link to your homepage. Daily Overview: Don't be a Scrooge. Make email marketing over the holidays fun, informative and unique. [Read Full Article]

The Small Business tips today discuss how to keep your business from taking over your life. Understand that it's okay to say no. Each time you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else. Set specific rules for yourself and the time you dedicate to working. Build in a grace period for the "I have to get this done" stuff. Then stick to it! Build in you time. Make time to recharge the batteries, watch a movie, go out with friends. A personal release will help you focus again when it's time to get back to business. Let your clients know that you have specific business hours for calls AND for when you perform your work. Make sure you're the one setting the expectations. Daily Overview: Tell your clients when you're working. Tell yourself when you're not. Keeping to your schedule helps you keep your sanity. [Read Full Article]

Tips from October 16, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss training your employees to provide exceptional customer service. Every employee is a representative of your business. Give them reasons to respect your brand, business, & customers. Go over situations that could arise; get feedback from experienced employees. Show your customers you're ready for anything. Employees that know all situations can help customers immediately instead of asking management. Be knowledgeable. After an unusual situation occurs, talk to employees about how to handle the situation in case it happens again.  Daily Overview: Proper employee training will give your business an edge on providing exceptional customer service. [Read Full Article]