It’s official, we’re now offering video as part of our effort to boost small business visibility on the web. Everything we do, from Local Maps Optimization to Advertising on Google, benefits from including video. That’s why recently we partnered with Lightswitch to introduce web video into our product offerings -- it boosts customer engagement and search engines love it. How much does Google, Bing and Yahoo love video? Sites with video are 53x more likely to appear on the first page of search results. It’s no wonder YouTube has become the second largest search engine in the US. So yeah, video is kind of a big deal. Consumers look for video, and val... [Read Full Article]

In the NewsU.S. to Help Banks in Distressed AreasThe Treasury Department will invest up to $1 billion from the federal bank bailout fund in small banks and credit unions that make loans to small businesses in some of the communities most ravaged by the economic downturn, officials announced on Wednesday. NYtimes.com Management & Operations How To Develop Your Global Leadership Pipeline To stay competitive in your industry and accomplish your goals, it is important to have strong leadership. This stems from executives, managers, and even entry-level employees, as they develop skills for improving the... [Read Full Article]

Tips from December 7, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss marketing to Baby Boomers via social media. Facebook is a great channel for Baby Boomers. They're learning to reconnect with friends, family, and classmates online. Create a fan page, that is simple and user-friendly, for your business to target this generation. Baby Boomers are just starting to get into Twitter. They appreciate basic deals and information with a very simple way to find these deals. Make your tweets very clear to Baby Boomers that you are promoting a deal or special savings. Baby Boomers are influenced by viral campaigns. Create a channel for your business and put videos up on YouTube that Baby Boomers can relate to. Grasp their feelings about living life to the fullest and achieving their dreams. Be patient with Baby Boomers & social media. Make directions as simple as possible; they did not grow up with the technology and must adapt to it. [Read Full Article]

Tips from October 1, 2009 The Small Business tips today discuss how to leverage a bit of social media for your business. Create a LinkedIn profile & page for your small business. Join entrepreneur/small business groups. Get your business networked. Use Twitter and it's searchable database to find your target audience. Begin networking, talking, being social and offer out some special deals. Facebook Fan Pages for business: tell your story, get members, upload pictures/videos. If your business has a blog, import your RSS feed using one of the Facebook applications for that purpose. Can't afford commercials? Create viral videos for YouTube. Create a channel for your business, post to Facebook Fan pages and share on all the other social networks you're a part of. Daily Overview: Find the areas of social media that are going to be able to do the most for your business. Network, get social and connect with both c... [Read Full Article]