Top Resources For Your Small Business

As a small business owner, the resources at your disposal can be the key to your success. Knowledge is power and while your business, product or service should certainly be original, there are plenty of lessons you can take from other business thought leaders to help you push that original concept to the next level.

Information & Tactics

Top resources for your small business. This list of resources for small business leaders and entrepreneurs includes Small Business Trends and our sister site BizSugar and will supply plenty of ideas for use in your own business. Montreal Financial

Six branding tips for small business success. Creating a powerful brand doesn’t require a huge budget or massive amounts of infrastructure. In fact, as this post demonstrates, a few simple tips may be all you need. TheOneOfAKindPreneur

Networking & Customer Service

How to find your small business influencers. Often the secret to small business success is to make sure you don’t have to do everything yourself. Step one can be to find others who share your small business message. SaucyHorse

Customer service and the human touch. Technology can help run most small businesses today, but don’t forget your customers are human. As a small business owner, your ability to connect is a major competitive advantage. Step By Step Marketing

Management Matrix

The simplest tool for business success? No it’s not the latest flashy dashboard or interactive Website or even the proper application of social media marketing. In fact, the answer may surprise you. Ability Success Growth

Tips for managing your inventory. If your business has any kind of inventory, it’s important to manage it well. Poorly managed inventory creates a variety of problems even if your sales are strong. Entrepreneur

Tools & Measures

Tech toys to cut your IT costs. Here are 25 tools that are any cost cutting technopreneurs dream. Though gadgets are not the only factor in your success, those that boost productivity and reduce expense deserve attention. GetApp.com

A measure for business growth. Growing your business, even in a small and clearly defined niche, can be important. But growth comes with its own set of risks. Here’s how to evaluate them. Inc.com

Skills & Strategy

The top skills for entrepreneurs. If you could reduce or distill the skills needed by any entrepreneur (or small business owner, for that matter) to just three, what would they be? Do you have these skills in your entrepreneur tool box? James Brown Marketing

Tips for building a more visible business. Don’t keep your company a secret. Here are five tips to make sure your business, product or service doesn’t stay under the radar longer than necessary. Buzz Small Business Magazine

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Stability: A Tad Uneasy?

Your standard sales graph cartoon usually shows a line moving up and down–a few highs and lows in there to make things interesting. But occasionally, I try to challenge myself a bit with something different.

Maybe the line only goes up, maybe it’s going backwards. Or maybe the line spells out a word. It keeps things interesting.

So for this cartoon, I tried to imagine what sort of business might either be thrilled with or completely terrified by a graph that suggested absolutely no change at all.

That said, I have no idea what business Haywire Inc. might be in, but it’s a good bet that stability makes them a tad uneasy.

About the Author

Mark Anderson's cartoons appear in publications including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal and Harvard Business Review. His business cartoons are available for licensing at his website, Andertoons.com.

Connect with Mark Anderson:

 

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Freelancing Trends That Might Shock You

Whether it’s the economy causing the rise in freelancers these days, as Business on Main reports, or just the ability to hire someone virtually at a fraction of the cost of a full-time employee, freelancing is hotter than it’s ever been. And while the unemployment rate may be hovering at just over 9 percent, the news about the percentage of freelancers finding work is much more positive. In fact, as The Christian Science Monitor points out, it’s been estimated that freelance roles will make up half of all the new jobs created during the period of economic recovery (whenever that starts).

Chart above: Content Writing Jobs Are Once Again Thriving

Each quarter, Freelancer.com charts the fastest-growing online jobs for freelancers. Delving in, we found some interesting facts.

The biggest surprise was in mobile app development trends: Despite there being an app for everything, mobile app development is actually slowing.

Freelancer.com attributes this to the slowing of Android project growth. According to Freelancer.com’s press release:

“Recently there has been some backlash in the hacker community over whether the complexity, hassle and walled garden of native mobile applications makes sense versus supporting a straight-out Web application – especially with HTML5 coming.”

I’d be curious to see how that changes mobile app development. After all, every time there’s a new platform (iOS, Android, Windows Mobile), developers have to scramble to learn the ropes. I wonder how HTML5 (which makes it easy to write a single program that can be used as an app on multiple platforms) will change the freelance gigs situation for developers?

Looking at Flash Development Trends

Speaking of HTML5, there was a 38 percent boost in jobs in this category, and Flash development trends showed that flash development gigs declined 10 percent. Expect HTML5 to dominate development soon.

And good news for us writers: Content jobs are back! After Google Panda killed content writing jobs last quarter, they’re once again thriving. (See the chart above.)

In general, companies are hiring writers, designers, programmers and SEO experts to give them the competitive edge. In these situations, it’s often cheaper to hire for just the work you need done than to pay full-time benefits. Do you use freelancers in your company?

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Infusionsoft Purchases CustomerHub

CustomerHub, an automated membership solution service, announced today that it was acquired by Infusionsoft, a marketing and CRM platform.

According to CustomerHub’s blog, the software:

“. . .was created initially as a simple customer account portal for Infusionsoft users’ customers, allowing them to manage their accounts online.”

Due to customer requests, the product grew to a customer membership platform that integrates with Infusionsoft software. Users of CustomerHub can manage customer information and automatically deliver content to them.

As one of the top app integrations in the Infusionsoft marketplace, the acquisition makes sense. Infusionsoft CEO and Co-founder Clate Mask says:

“Membership sites are growing in popularity as marketers shift their content delivery channels from physical media, like DVDs and binders, to online membership sites, which are easier to manage and more profitable to operate.  Membership site tools are the way of the future as small businesses look to generate high-quality leads, as well as monetize content and establish recurring revenue streams.” (Read the press release here.)

As part of the acquisition, CustomerHub founders, Kyle and Nathan Leavitt, along with their team, will continue to oversee the development of CustomerHub from within Infusionsoft.

What’s In it For You?

Both companies serve small businesses, and in particular those that sell online information products.  This seems like a natural direction for Infusionsoft to take.

As with any acquisition, it takes a while to integrate two companies.  Customers of both companies may not see instant change.  But as sales, marketing, tech development, and support are integrated between the two companies, look for enhancements that make it easier for you to generate revenue from running a membership site and selling information products.

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Small Business Startup: Like Riding a Mountain Bike?

There are probably quite a few analogies that could be made for starting a business. We mention riding a mountain bike because of a great post with which we start this roundup. Why is thinking this way about your business so important? Well, because when you are seeking inspiration while contemplating your next move, visualizing your business can make you consider different directions you might never have considered otherwise. We hope you’re inspired by the information and resources that follow. Tell us what you think in the comment section below.

Overview

How is a small business startup like riding a mountainbike? Well, for one thing, it’s best if you adjust the seat first. Just kidding! But seriously, the points on this list will make you think. Are there other experiences you could compare a startup to? Don’t Do It Yourself

Running your business with the right ethics. Of course, you are running your business to make a profit, but blogger and entrepreneur Ivan Widjaya poses the important question: would you do anything for money? Hopefully, like Ivan, you realize the proper balance necessary in any business. Noobpreneur.com

Basic Tips

How to run a live Webinar. They are an important tool in businesses of all sizes, but today a Webinar can be effectively used as a small business tool too. Here are some considerations to make things go smoothly when setting up your program. Bloggertone

Tips on selling your business. While it might be hard to think this way when first starting up, there may come a time when you wish to sell your business. Selling is easier if you’ve done your homework. One expert gives some thoughts on what to do first. AllBusiness

Latest Trends

Hot spots for new business, new jobs. Starting a small business in these tough economic times can be a trying experience. There are sectors of the economy that are doing better than others and, if your interests are in one of these areas, your chances of success are better. Child day care, home health care, and the financial services industry are three places you may wish to explore. CNNMoney

Regulations fewer but more costly. Federal regulations are fewer but more costly to businesses under President Obama, not good news as the economy is struggling through a recovery. Check out how the current administration compares to the previous. Bloomberg Businessweek

Growth & Strategy

When you first start a small business you usually wear a lot of hats. Among the important ones is that of CEO, but you also are the chief financial officer. The next step is usually to hire an outside accounting firm and then a controller.  When handling the financial affairs of the company starts to affect the CEO’s time needed to oversee and manage the revenue-producing aspect of the business, it is time to look toward bringing a chief financial officer on board. NY Times

The power of social media for small business. Peter Masters of MarketingM8 talks about starting his business to serve a whole new market in this profile on our sister site. How is your business using social media today? BizSugar Blog

Customer Service & Networking

Strange but true. If your small business is on the Internet, you may want to pay serious attention to this data about “bizarre” things that may be influencing your customers’ behavior online. You may find some of the conclusions surprising. GetElastic

Networking check list. Online or off, there are important tools for business networking. Every business owner is likely to have their own list of favorites guided by the kind of business they are in and the kind of customers, clients and partners they are trying to meet. Birdies Typing Services

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Google Launches AdWords SMB Partner Program

Over the past few years, small business owners have made great strides in marketing their businesses online. They’ve learned to create websites, they’ve established their Web presence by claiming all their online listings, and they’ve even gotten involved in social media to better connect with their customers. But one area that SMBs, as a whole, have actively ignored is paid search. And Google would like to change that.

Announced on the Google Small Business Blog last week was a new program called the Google AdWords Premier SMB Partner program. The objective of the program is to make getting involved in paid search less intimidating for small business owners by creating a list of preferred vendors for them to work with to help them get the most out of their advertising budget.

According to Google:

Premier SMB Partners bring to the table years of industry knowledge and meet Google’s highest standards for qualification, training and customer service. Teaming up with a PSP gives you a marketing and search engine advisor who can take the guesswork out of online advertising, to save you time and resources so you can focus on running and growing your business.

Through the program, not only will SMBs be able to take advantage of the experience of their preferred vendors, they’ll also be provided with campaign management, detailed reporting, customer support and marketing guidance.

By looking at the different programs and options, it appears the Premier SMB Partner Program will also offer small businesses a greater list of benefits than other programs and will include sales, training and technical/operations support.

Small business owners can rest assured that if a vendor has passed through Google’s Premier SMB Partner Eligibility, their expertise is worth trusting. Partners must meet a strict list of criteria to participate, including:

1. Large existing customer base of small/medium-sized businesses
2. Tele/field sales force with the ability to sell Google’s advertising products
3. Commitment to provide phone and/or email customer support to their advertiser base
4. Existing operational infrastructure (billing, reporting, etc.) to service thousands of customers

While it’s always nice to hire someone with a lot of experience working with other SMBs, for me, it’s really that third point above that’s so vital. Many business owners are wary of making the jump into paid advertising. They’re not sure how to set up campaigns, how to tell if they’re working, or how to target their customers used paid ads. Ensuring that business owners will be able to get their vendor on the phone or through email does a lot to curb fears and let small business owners know that they won’t be left on their own to figure things out. And that’s important.

Have you experimented with paid search? Does the emergence of a program specifically targeted toward helping SMBs get their feet wet interest you?

For more information about the new Google Premier SMB Partner Program, check out the Google site, where you can find information for advertisers (SMBs), partners and helpful videos.

About the Author

Lisa Barone is Co-Founder and Chief Branding Officer at Outspoken Media, Inc., an SEO consulting firm that specializes in providing clients with online reputation management, social media services, and other Internet services.

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Finally, Some Good News for Women Entrepreneurs in Latest Angel Capital Study

Women entrepreneurs are making progress in obtaining investment capital; minority entrepreneurs still have a ways to go; and the overall angel investment news is cautiously optimistic. So says Q1 Q2 2011 Angel Market Trends, the latest report on angel investing from the Center for Venture Research at the University of New Hampshire.

First, the positive news about women. In the first half of 2011, women angel investors represented 12 percent of the angel market, and women-owned businesses accounted for 12 percent of the entrepreneurs seeking angel capital. While these numbers aren’t outstanding, they do represent progress. More impressive is that 26 percent of the women entrepreneurs seeking angel investment in the first half of the year received it. In fact, the report notes, the percentage of women actually getting angel investments is above the overall average.

The news was not quite as good for minority entrepreneurs or angels. Minorities made up just 5 percent of the angel population, and 11 percent of the companies seeking angel financing were minority-owned. Like women, however, minorities received angel financing at a higher than the average: 17 percent of minorities seeking angel capital received it, compared to 15 percent of businesses overall. This is the positive news, but the report’s authors feel that the low percentages of minorities seeking angel capital is cause for concern.

If you’re not a minority or woman business owner, the news about angel capital is still pretty good (at least, relatively speaking). “The angel market appears to have reached its nadir in 2009 and has since demonstrated a slow recovery,” the report states. The market yield rate (the percentage of companies seeking financing that actually receive it) reached 15 percent in the first half of 2011, continuing a slow climb from 10 percent in 2008 and 12 percent in 2010.

Overall, total angel investments in the first half of 2011 were $8.9 billion—up 4.7 percent from the same period last year—and 26,300 companies got angel financing, up 4.4 percent from last year. The average investment was $338,400.

Some of the most popular areas for angel investing are not surprising, including healthcare services/medical devices and equipment (25 percent of total angel investments), industrial/energy (17 percent), biotech (14 percent) and software (11 percent). What is surprising is that media and retail sectors have become firmly entrenched in the top six most popular sectors for angel financing, with each getting 8 percent of total investments.

And for those of us looking to angels as a stimulator of job growth, there’s also good news. Angels have significantly increased seed and startup stage investing, which accounted for 39 percent of angel investments in the first half of this year—up from 26 percent during the same period last year. The report notes this is an “encouraging sign” for new business formation and job creation. And with an estimated 5 jobs created by each angel investment this year—or a total of 134,130 new jobs due to angel investment so far in 2011—it’s clear that angels can be a major engine of job growth if they feel confident enough to invest.

About the Author

Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media, a media company that helps entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses. Visit her blog, SmallBizDaily. Visit her website SmallBizTrendCast to get the scoop on business trends and sign up for Rieva’s free TrendCast reports.

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Build Your Own Mobile App With Appsbar

Everyone talks about how important it is to build an iPhone or Android app, but it doesn’t look inexpensive or easy. Until now. I’ve been testing appsbar, a free Web-based app that allows small business owners create their own iOS or Android application.

I found appsbar.com when researching the digital coupon phenomenon (think Groupon and Living Social) and discovered a post by appsbar founder Scott Hirsch, who built the tool, in part, as a do-it-yourself coupon service. From the merchant point of view,  the pricing of coupons is expensive. Most business owners considering coupons could benefit from a tool that lets you build it yourself and keep the profit margins higher.

Even if you’re not building a coupon offer, appsbar is impressive. The tool walks you through everything from the icon that will represent your app in the Apple store or Google Android Marketplace, depending on which market you’re targeting, to the functionality on every page. After you pick the basic properties of your app, you go through design (colors, layout, etc.) and then add content.

You can add a variety of content on one or more pages just like you would on a website.  As you click through the options, you can see in this image below that you have lots of choices for what type of content and functionality you want to put on a page. The choices include events, forms, menu or list of items, video or photo gallery, contact page, a link page, and a promotional coupon page (there are more, but you get the idea).

What I really like:

• Appsbar reviews all your work and then submits it to the appropriate marketplace for you.

• I can see the app as it develops in the mockup image on the right side of the screen.

• It essentially lets you create a mobile website at the same time you create an app that people can interact with.

What I would like to see:

• A little more clarity that they are going to submit your app…

I didn’t realize that after I created the app and clicked “publish” that the service would review it and submit it to Apple or Google. While it may have told me that once, I just wasn’t ready to commit to that step. It appears to save it anyway, but it left me in a tiny panic that a less-than-ready app might get submitted. Thankfully, the service reviews the app and won’t submit it if it appears incomplete. But a few more warnings or cautions or “heads up” flags would be appreciated. If your app meets all the requirements, you can expect it will be published in 14 to 21 business days according to the followup email you receive when you hit the submit button.

With the growing Amazon Android Marketplace, I’m eager to see appsbar expand and submit apps to that major service.

If you’ve wanted to create a simple mobile phone or smartphone application, appsbar offers a very easy way to do it at a price point that everyone can afford. Free. Plus, they keep it simple and pain-free. If you’ve had a great experience developing an iPhone or Android application, please let me know in the comments.

Learn more about appsbar.

About the Author

TJ publishes Tech Biz Talk, a site that reviews business apps of all types and provides how-to posts and tutorials. Share your application or service at his Facebook page and share details about your company/app in the comments below. TJ actively studies all searching for new apps to write about. Learn more about TJ.

 

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The Best Small Business Advice

It’s a big promise to live up to, but when we picked the title for this roundup we looked at some of the great small business advice we’ve found recently and decided to share it all in one place. Remember, though, to always be learning. This roundup shouldn’t be the end of that education, only the beginning.

Trends & Tips

Why execs turn to grandma for business advice. In these times of economic uncertainty and an ever changing business climate, why are some business executives going back to the lessons they learned from their grandparents? Among other business common sense, they credit their grandparents with giving them confidence, teaching them principles and ethical standards, and giving them the perseverance to push forward and not give up. CNNMoney

Retweeting rules you should follow. Sure they exist. And if you want to get the most out of the most popular microblogging platform on the planet, you’ll pay attention to them. Here are some tips from Laura Fitton, founder of OneForty.com (recently acquired by HubSpot) using a tweet from our own Anita Campbell as an example. HubSpot Blog

Building Influence

How to turn Facebook friends into investors. You may have friends in your network who believe in your idea, but, up until now, allowing them to become investors has been difficult due to government regulations. A proposed law might change all that soon. WSJ

Klout and your social media strategy. What is your Klout score? How important is it to your social media strategy? Some changes have been made to Klout recently. How do these figure in? Here’s a post to help you sort out the details. Keep Up with the Web

Sales Advice

Great sales are like a Hollywood blockbuster. Like it or not, in small business, success comes down to sales. So understanding how to improve your sales technique, or the technique of those working with you, is critical. Here’s an approach straight out of Hollywood. GrowthUniversity

Tips for improving holiday e-commerce results. If you have an online store, then you should be just as concerned about capturing holiday purchases as your bricks and mortar brethren. After all, more people are shopping online these days and the holiday season is no exception. ClickZ

Growth & Development

How to create a business model for your blog. The most important advice when developing your small business blog is to have a business model. In this interview with blogger Jonathan Mead, we hear more about how and why business models are important from the beginning but also about the importance of doing what you love. The Rise to the Top

Creating time for spontaneity. If scheduling time for spontaneous activity seems like a crazy idea, just imagine what will happen if you don’t. Small business owners and entrepreneurs need time to be creative too. Where is that next great idea of yours coming from? Jonathan Fields

Training & Tech

Tips for improving as a virtual assistant…or in any business. Getting better at what you do takes time and investment. The energy spent, however, will improve your business and the perception of the value you provide. How can you improve the quality of what you do? GrowMap

How to build your own mobile app. In case you haven’t heard, the future is mobile, and, if you’re not there yet, you want to get your small business into this space. A new product makes joining the mobile app revolution easier for everyone. Here is our review. Small Business Trends

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Convert Website Visitors to Buyers With Landing Pages

A customer walks into your office. You give your sales pitch. The customer listens intently. She looks around at the photos on the wall and the condition of the office. She evaluates the benefits you are providing. She then makes a decision in her head to either accept your message, or not.

If she buys, it’s a conversion.

Now imagine 1,000 customers walk into your office over a year’s time, and 10 percent of those customers end up buying from you. You just converted 100 customers at a 10 percent conversion rate! That’s a good thing!

Those customers obviously appreciated your sales message, how your office looks and your overall presentation, which is why they bought from you. Now imagine if you could increase that 10 percent conversion rate to 11 percent, or 15 percent, or even 20 percent?

Wow! How much more money would you be making every year with those numbers? So you would do your best to make sure that your office was professional and clean, and your sales pitch was practiced, right?

If you’re doing it offline in sales meetings and with your printed materials, why wouldn’t you take the same care and preparation online with your website, your blog and your landing pages?

For your small business, the same sales process that happens in your office is happening online, but you may not give it as much attention as you need to.

You may be trying to sell your product or service, or get more email newsletter signups, or get more downloads of your new ebook or white paper. But if you’re not doing it the right way with high-quality landing pages, you’ll never get the conversions you need to see your conversion rate increase.

So what is a landing page? A landing page is a single Web page that appears in response to clicking on an advertisement. The landing page will usually display directed sales copy that is a logical extension of the advertisement or link.

• A landing page is not your website.
• A landing page should not have website navigation.
• A landing page should not try to offer more than one main focus.

Effective landing pages work because they focus the potential customer on the direct benefits of one specific offer. This allows the customer to decide to take an action, or to not take an action. Either way, you win. It’s when a potential customer gets distracted that you lose, because they haven’t been forced to decide either way. Indecision is the enemy of a great sales pitch.

So How Do I Create High-Quality Landing Pages?

Here are some resources that can help you create effective landing pages.

Premise is a plugin that works with WordPress. It allows you to create landing pages off of your website or blog. You can download a set of free landing page templates for Premise to get an easy jump start on landing page creation.

Unbounce offers a set of Web-based landing page tools that you can use to build your landing pages online quickly and easily.

Invesp offers a white paper entitled “30 Principles of Landing Page Design” where you can pick up even more tips on great landing page design and implementation.

The bottom line is that until you seriously focus your online efforts with good landing page design, you’ll never be able to reach the pinnacle of high conversion rates that can explode your company’s bottom line.

About the Author

Jim Kukral is a professional speaker, blogger and Web business consultant who has helped small businesses and large companies like Fedex, Sherwin Williams, Ernst & Young and Progressive Auto Insurance understand how find success on the Web. His latest book is "Internet Marketing for Business Answers."

 

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House Republicans Hope to Remove Obstacles for Small Businesses

According to a recent Gallup poll, more than one quarter of small business owners said an increase in revenues what would be what stimulates them to hire new employees in the coming year. One in five said an overall improvement in the economy would lead them to hire, while 17 percent reported that expansion plans would cause them to create new jobs.

In essence, if the economy picks up and people start spending, small businesses will create new jobs. Consumer demand is crucial.

This week, House Republican leaders plan to vote on several bills that seek to remove obstacles to small businesses seeking capital. The proposals aim to help small businesses by lifting regulations that make it difficult for entrepreneurs for to obtain investment financing.

One bill would lift a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulation that discourages small companies from using advertising and direct mail to solicit private funding from wealthy investors. Another measure would enable investors to fund startups up to $10,000 via the Internet without requiring the firm to register with the SEC. (This would benefit companies seeking to raise capital through crowdsourcing.)

A third proposal would double the number of shareholders that firms could have before requiring that they register with the SEC. A fourth bill would boost the number of shareholders allowed for small banks to 2,000.

While these proposals aren’t enough to kick-start the economy on their own, they are a good sign that government leaders are looking at innovative ways to help small business growth. Since companies that employ 500 people or fewer create the lion’s share of new private sector jobs in the U.S. economy, the measures also may help lessen the U.S. unemployment rate.

About the Author

A frequently quoted expert on small business lending and recently named the “Top Entrepreneur of 2011” by Crain’s New York Business, Rohit Arora is CEO of Biz2Credit, which connects small business owners with 400 lenders, credit rating agencies and service providers. Since 2007, Biz2Credit has secured $400 million in funding for small businesses across the U.S. via its safe, efficient online platform.

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How Software Certified Partners Help Small Businesses

If you’ve added new software to your daily operations, you know how frustrating it is to stop everything to learn the system. Who has time to spend hours setting it up and learning all of its intricacies? Companies like Infusionsoft, HubSpot and even Google AdWords understand the pain point this causes small business owners, and they’re doing something about it.

Companies like these train and partner with consultants who can assist small businesses in ramping up on the software quickly. Infusionsoft recently launched its Certified Consultants directory, a list of partners that Infusionsoft has trained on its marketing/CRM platform.

While Infusionsoft provides substantial training and support, sometimes small businesses want more.  Kara Barney, Program Manager for the Certified Consultants program at Infusionsoft, says:

“What happens is that we just hit the tip of the iceberg in this time frame and many of our customers are super excited about the capabilities of the software and elect for more advanced ‘Done for You’ help or customizing of the software. Again, we can refer with confidence to this group of experts we consider an extension of the Infusionsoft family.”

Google recently announced its new AdWords Premier SMB Partner Program, which connects small business owners with certified AdWords partners. It’s clear that these companies see benefit to working more intimately with small business owners.

Do You Need a Certified Consultant?

If you have the time or initiative, you certainly can learn the ins and outs of any software program, but the point is: do you want to? Working with someone who has been trained in the minute details of a program may help you find new ways to use the software that you wouldn’t have found on your own.

Travis Campbell is one of the Certified Consultants for Infusionsoft. After working with different contact management software programs as a marketing consultant, he was pleased with Infusionsoft’s ability to streamline marketing and CRM functions, and now he helps small business owners implement the software. He knows his clients are strapped for time and don’t have the ability to explore all of Infusionsoft’s features on their own:  

“…some marketers have held off on moving forward with Infusionsoft because they didn’t want to implement themselves. This program solves that problem.”

For the consultants, the benefit of being trained and certified is exposure to thousands of small business clients who may be looking for extra help. Infusionsoft’s directory allows clients to rate and comment on a consultant’s profile, which can help them get more exposure. And having “certified partner” on your resume never hurts!

Many of the consultants for Infusionsoft and other platforms are entrepreneurs themselves, so they appreciate what small business owners are looking for when it comes to software solutions.

Where to Look

If you’re looking for a new software provider, check to see if the company has a network of certified consultants. Look for reviews of the provider, either on that site or others, and make sure they have the knowledge you’re looking for.

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Interview With Ilana Eberson of NYC Business Networking Group: Wishing for a Clone

The problem for many entrepreneurs is that there’s only one of them. Ilana Eberson, founder of The New York City Business Networking Group, wishes she had a clone to help her host the ever-growing number of networking groups she runs:

“I have really become the brand of my own business, which is a double-edged sword.”

Eberson really could use a few copies of herself. She travels to the cities where she’s launched new groups, including Sydney, Australia, Los Angeles and Philadelphia. The Business Networking Group is doing so well, it plans to continue developing branches in the U.S. and Australia during 2012, and over the next five years, Eberson hopes to develop a presence in Southeast Asia, Israel and Europe. It’s this global domination that earned Eberson the title of Small Business Influencer Champion this year.

What’s Worked and What Hasn’t

Eberson may not have enough hours in the day to get it all done, but she strives to be hands-on at all of her events:

“I try to help all our members make great connections, and they realize that I do my best to give them value for working with us, and that I’m helping them make money and be more successful.”

Along her journey, she’s learned a few lessons the hard way. Like many networking group founders, Eberson put her group on Meetup, a mistake she now regrets:

“It has been the biggest hindrance to my business growth and has had more negative impact on my business than anything else in the last four years.”

The spammers, she says, are the downside to using the free meeting site. She has a global website in the works that will bring all the groups under one umbrella, something she wished she had done years ago.

Another lesson Eberson has learned is to value her worth. Her mentor, Inc. Magazine Senior Editor Norm Brodsky, has encouraged her to get paid what she’s worth and understand that, in his words, “if you’re not making money, you’re not in business.”

If she’s not sure what to charge a client, she thinks to herself, “What would Norm say?”

“It’s been a sobering experience to struggle to put a number on the value of what I bring to business,” Eberson relates. “We take many of our own talents for granted, and most people can’t easily put a dollar amount on what we are worth.”

She’s certainly not alone in that!

Ilana Eberson was recognized as a Small Business Influencer Champion for 2011. Read more of our Small Business Influencer Champion interviews.

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5 Loose Ends to Tie Up Before 2012

We’ve reached the home stretch of 2011. All too soon, fall will give way to winter, and holiday music and merchandise will be all around us. For the small business owner, this is the time of year to make sure you have everything squared away for 2012–because when it comes to some of these decisions, waiting until you write your 2012 New Year’s resolutions will be too late.

Here are five things to consider for your small business while it’s still 2011.

1. Do you need to file an annual report for your corporation?

If you’ve incorporated your business, you need to keep it in good standing by following your state’s requirements. Most states require some form of an annual report filing (either every year or every two years). The specific due date for this filing will also depend on your state — in some cases, it’s on the anniversary of your business’ incorporation date; in other cases, it’s when your annual tax statements are due; and in some cases, it’s at the end of the calendar year.

Check with your state’s secretary of state office to learn your specific filing deadline and get your paperwork in on time. Missing this deadline can result in penalties and late fees; in the worst-case scenario, your company can be subject to suspension or dissolution.

2. Do you need to file an “Articles of Amendment” for any changes to your corporation?

Let’s say you made some changes to your business in 2011. Maybe you changed your business address or dropped the .com from your official company name. Maybe a board officer left or you authorized more shares. In most cases, you’ll need to file an official notification with your state of incorporation (known as Articles of Amendment).

Like your annual aeport, filing an Articles of Amendment is a critical step to making sure your LLC or corporation remains in good standing. The implications can be significant. If your business happens to be sued, the plaintiff can try to show that you have not maintained your LLC or corporation to the letter of the law. And if this suit is successful, your “corporate shield” is pierced and the plaintiff can seek recovery against your personal assets.

3. Did you start a new business in 2011? Think about incorporating  before 2012.

If you started a new business in 2011 and still haven’t gotten around to incorporating or forming an LLC, you might want to do so before 2012.

But bear in mind that the “start date” of your corporation isn’t retroactive. So, if your corporation forms on November 1, you’ll still need to file your taxes as a sole proprietor/partnership for January 1 to October 31, 2011 (and then as a corporation for November and December). For this reason, many business owners want to wait until January to incorporate or form their LLC. However, January is the absolute busiest time of the year at your secretary of state’s office. In short, waiting to file until January puts you at the mercy of whatever backlog exists.

There’s another option, and that’s selecting a “Delayed Filing” with a document filing company. With this option, you can get all your paperwork submitted now, and it will be held and filed on the first business day of 2011 (so you’ll be at the front of the line).

4. Do you have an inactive business to close before 2012?

Did you start a venture a few years ago, but have since turned your focus elsewhere? Even if you’re not actively promoting the business and it’s made no revenue for 2011, you still need to file a formal termination of that LLC or corporation. Otherwise, you can still be charged fees associated with the business, you’ll still be expected to file an annual report, and you’ll still need to submit tax returns to the IRS and your state.

If you have an inactive business, you can file “Articles of Dissolution” or “Certificate of Termination” paperwork with the Secretary of State within the state where your corporation or LLC was formed. Keep in mind that in most cases, you’ll need to settle any owed taxes before you can close the business.

You should also cancel any kinds of permits or licenses you hold with the state or county. And if you’ve been using a fictitious business name, you’ll need to file an abandonment form. Make sure to take care of these matters while it’s still 2011. There’s simply no reason to pay an extra cent in fees toward a business you’re not working on. Put that money towards your next venture instead!

5. Are there any other legal loose ends to tie up before 2012?

The last few months of the year offer a perfect opportunity to tie up any loose ends you’ve been putting off. For example: Did you file a DBA (Doing Business As) for your business name? Do you need to file for a trademark? Did you get a Tax ID number (or Employer ID Number)? Are all your necessary licenses and permits in order?

No matter how busy your fourth quarter and holiday schedule get, set aside some time to address your business administrative obligations. By taking care of certain issues in 2011, you can save money in fees and penalties. And in other cases, you can cross a few more things off your list to start fresh in the New Year.

Image from Albert Lozano/Shutterstock

About the Author

Nellie Akalp is CEO of CorpNet, her second incorporation filing service based on her strong passion to assist small business owners and entrepreneurs in starting their business. Free guides, advice and videos on small business legal topics are available at her Small Biz Corner.

Connect with Nellie Akalp:

 

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18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction and Get the Right Things Done

This is the third day in a row where I’ve started no less than three activities within 10 minutes and made little progress on any of them.  I am distracted,  I am frustrated and I am falling behind.

That’s the moment that I glance at my nightstand and see the book 18 Minutes: Find Your Focus, Master Distraction, and Get the Right Things Done buried under a pile of books.  ”A-ha!” I think, “This is exactly what I need to get back on track!”

As I rifle through the book, it becomes clear to me that I’ve gotten trapped in the detailed tasks that make up my day instead of keeping my eye on the overall goals that I’ve set out to accomplish through the year.  I quickly realize that I have been the thief of my own time and the main obstacle to not achieving what I’d set out to do.

If that sounds like you, then read on, my friend, and let’s see how we can transform our daily to-do list monster in 18 minutes.

18 Minutes is a brand new book written by Harvard Business Review’s most popular online columnist, Peter Bregman (@peterbregman). It offers a plan for getting the right things done in business and in life.

There are four primary sections to the book:

Section 1 – Pause – The examples in this section will prepare you for the rest of the book.  You will get into a mind-set that will help you to see the possibilities of getting the most out of your time.

Section 2 – What is this year about? I’m a big fan of Chris Brogan’s “three words for the year” exercise where you pick three words that will symbolize your priorities and efforts in the new year.  This is very much the same idea.  In 18 Minutes, Bregman shows you four elements around which you should focus your efforts over the year:

1. Leverage your strengths
2. Embrace your weaknesses
3. Assert your difference
4. Pursue your passion

Part 3 – What is this day about? – this is where you learn how to translate what your year is about into a daily 18-minute plan.  This isn’t really a new concept.  The Franklin Planner folks had this figured out, as do most people who are on a mission to achieve something.

I have a friend who likes to say that most people know more about what they want on a pastrami sandwich than what they want out of life.  Bregman is saying the same thing.  Figuring out what your year is about is huge, but keeping that goal in focus day in and day out is even more challenging for most people.

In this section, Bregman delves deeper into how to combine those four elements of who you are into a more powerful, more fully self-expressed version of you.  He relates a wonderfully telling story of how he repeatedly fell during a mountain biking trip because he found himself slowing down at a rock instead of plowing over it.  I could immediately see his point and thought of how I become sidetracked by certain events in the day because I didn’t plan ahead and acknowledge potential obstacles and how I would handle them.

There is a terrific list outline in this section that you can use immediately.  Just use those four or five things that your year is about as list categories; then put your tasks underneath.  Bregman also recommends creating a category called “The other 5%- Mine.”

When I saw this, I had an epiphany!  I’ve been using Google Tasks to keep track of my to-do lists and had created lists by Clients.  Now I see that I can create my lists by these four categories.

In fact, if you read my review on Karmic Management, you’ll find Bregman’s system works just as well with the 6 time lists mentioned there.

An interesting benefit you’ll get from this arrangement of your lists is the ability to quickly see which categories have an abundance of tasks and which ones are a little thin.  This is a terrific visual barometer that you can use to see if your day is the way you’d like it to be.  If it isn’t, you can quickly make a change.

Part 4- What is this moment about? I’m sure you see a pattern unfolding in this book.  Focus on who you are, what your year, day and moments are about, and keep your tasks focused in those areas–then you will certainly get where you want to go.

This section is all about being present moment by moment and noticing when you are about to get distracted.  Bregman discusses tactics for managing distractions – those shiny objects that clutter our day, those siren songs that ultimately steal us away from our mission in life.

18 Minutes: advice that’s easy to adopt

Granted, my current situation motivated me to read 18 Minutes out of frustration.  But I found the book to be engaging and Bregman to be a likable narrator.  He didn’t come off as better or holier than thou.  In fact, quite the opposite.

In the Mastering Distractions section he talks about going on an bike ride in the pouring rain because that was his exercise time and if his focus was on exercise, this was the only time he could do it.  He shares his constant inner voice trying to convince him that he should retreat to the warmth and comfort of his apartment, and then he tells us how he stepped out into the rain and even then was thinking bout turning back, but only five minutes into the ride, the rain that seemed like an irritant turned refreshing.

I was inspired more by his “weakness” than his determination in this story.  It showed me that I get to choose how the day goes and those choices determine how my life goes.  That was a powerful moment for me.

Integrity about who you are in the world trumps distractions

Chapter 33 is titled “Am I the Kind of Person Who…” This is an incredibly powerful chapter  because it brings to light that who we are in the world drives what we do, what we focus on and ultimately what we achieve.

Create a good story about yourself, and the actions you take throughout the day will flow easily and naturally.

Things I loved about 18 Minutes

18 Minutes is really well written.  Bregman is so engaging, real and open that his time-saving and life-managing techniques are like that spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down.  He uses personal stories, many of which are somewhat self-deprecating, to show you that he’s struggled with the principles he is writing about.

After giving it more thought I realize that 18 Minutes has the magic combination of qualities I like in a book:

• Fun to read
• Short
• Practical
• Immediately implementable

Who will benefit most from reading 18 Minutes?

If you’re a type A personality who wants to squeeze the most out of your day, this is a book that will feed your fire.  And if you find yourself ending each day tired and feeling like you didn’t get to where you wanted be, then reading this book will help you pinpoint the time  takers that leaves your days and spirit unfulfilled.

This book is an ideal holiday gift for business owners who don’t want to make New Year’s resolutions because they know that nothing ever happens as planned.

If you’re dedicated to living your life and running your business in a way that makes a difference n the world, then this is a terrific, easy and fulfilling read.

About the Author

Ivana Taylor is the publisher of DIYMarketers.com , where she shares daily do-it-yourself marketing tips, and is the President of Third Force, Inc., a marketing firm that specializes in getting your ideal customer to choose you. Ivana is the book editor for Small Business Trends and a contributor to AMEX Open Forum. She is co-author of the book "Excel for Marketing Managers."

Connect with Ivana Taylor:

 

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More Small Business Contests and Awards For You!

This list of contests, competitions and awards for small businesses is brought to you every other week as a community service by Small Business Trends and Smallbiztechnology.com.

If you’ve entered and won a contest or award listed here, let us know so we can share your news.

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Get the Exposure You Deserve Sweepstakes
Enter through October 31, 2011

Alpha Pixel Media is giving away three great digital marketing prizes for small businesses to boost their traffic and increase their Facebook “likes” and Twitter “follows.” The Grand Prize is a custom Facebook Landing Page Tab design for their Page. Second place wins a custom Twitter background. Third place wins a brief search engine optimization plan for their current site.

Holiday Sales Tip Contest: $100 Amazon Gift Certificate
Enter through November 4, 2011

The BizSugar Blog is giving away a $100 Amazon gift certificate for the best Holiday sales tip presented in the comments of “Holiday Sales Tip Contest: $100 Amazon Gift Certificate.” Leave your Holiday sales tip (and your Twitter username) by the end of day on November 4, 2011, and the team of moderators will pick the best tip.

Hiscox $10,000 “MyStartUpStory” Contest
Enter by November 7, 2011

Hiscox is looking for entrepreneurs, consultants and other small business owners to share their startup stories and advice for a chance to win $10,000 and other prizes. The Hiscox “MyStartUpStory” Contest will run through November 7, 2011, and is open to all U.S. small business owners on the Hiscox Small Business Insurance Facebook page.

Entrants need to submit a two- to five-minute video or a written summary of up to 500 words describing their startup story and small business advice for a chance to win. All submissions will be featured on the Hiscox Small Business Insurance Facebook page during the contest.

U.S. Bank “Look Up with US” $15,000 Challenge
Enter by November 15, 2011

U.S. Bank is asking the question: “Why is your business looking up?” Reply via the app at Facebook.com/usbank, and you’ll be entered to win up to $15,000. Your company also gets free publicity. Your entry will be displayed on the Facebook page along with your logo/photo and contact information.

Tweet-to-Win Contest With Brother and Startup Nation
Enter through December 9, 2011

StartupNation has partnered with Brother to bring you the Tweet To Win contest, in which you can respond to a burning small business question for the chance to win a Brother P-touch labeler, absolutely free!

Small business owners/workers are encouraged to participate and tweet their responses (using #brothersun). Then every other Friday, a winner is selected at random and wins a Brother P-touch labeler. See website for details and the latest question.

2012 Business Excellence Awards
Enter by December 15, 2011

The Business Excellence Awards serve as a conclusion to the two-day Business Excellence Forum, and honors those business owners and their companies who have taken their companies, teams and results to “the next level” of success. The award will recognize businesses for outstanding results in any service category. Any service business is eligible for this award, provided their results were outstanding and measurable. Sponsored by ActionCOACH.

2012 DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award
Enter by January 6, 2012

Nominate an outstanding business from your community or submit your own application for the 2012 DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year Award, sponsored by Sam’s Club.

All award winners will be honored during America’s Small Business Summit on May 22 in Washington, DC. Blue Ribbon Award® winners will receive one complimentary registration to attend the Summit, courtesy of Sam’s Club. Nominations are due January 6, and applications are due January 13. The winner will receive a $10,000 cash prize, courtesy of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

To find more small business events, contests and awards, visit our Small Business Events Calendar.
If you are putting on a small business contest, award or competition, and want to get the word out to the community, please submit it through our Small Business Event and Contests Form (it’s free).

Please note: The descriptions provided here are for convenience only and are NOT the official rules. ALWAYS read official rules carefully at the site holding the competition, contest or award.

About the Author

Laura Leites is managing editor of SmallBizTechnology. In addition to writing about technology tools for SMBs, Laura manages the day-to-day operations of Smallbiztechnology.com. She also produces their live and virtual events, including the Taste of Technology Small Business Series.

Connect with Laura Leites:

 

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Effective Marketing: 3 Questions to Get You There

Marketing that makes a difference doesn’t just happen. It takes planning and effort. Here are three questions that help get you to the heart of effective marketing:

1. What do I get for promoting your product?

In “The Cost of Free Publicity: How Much Is Too Little?,” Yvonne DiVita addresses the idea of large corporations paying bloggers for their time and advice.  Yvonne says:

“Smart brands will recognize that every blogger is connected not only to their readers, but to their readers’ audience. Networks connected to other networks—there is nothing more powerful than that.”

Since bloggers put a lot of time and energy into establishing their brand, other brands should approach bloggers with a compensation strategy that demonstrates that they mean business because, as Yvonne puts it, “every blogger is worth something.” In the small business world, that could translate into affiliate sales, where the blogger receives a percentage of the items sold as a result of participation in your marketing campaign.

Whether you agree or not, Yvonne makes you think about finding ways to make your message relevant to your marketing partners. Because if the blogger doesn’t care, then they will not share your message. And marketing is about getting the message out…but not just anywhere.

2. Does your outlet reach your market?

“Marketing is only good when it is targeted to your audience,” says Diane Helbig in “When Is Marketing a Bad Idea?” She pushes you to think about your strategy before you spend a dime.

Who is your target market? Before you buy that ad, billboard or air time, you need to know. Do they read that paper? Do they drive in that neighborhood? Do they listen to that radio station at that time of day? You need to know for yourself, not just buy the marketing hype of the person selling the ad.

Since your money has limits, then your marketing needs to be targeted. This way you maximize your efforts. But it doesn’t stop with choosing the right outlet.

3. What are you trying to say?

Now that you know who and where your audience is, what is your message? In “How to Keep Your Marketing Message Clear,” Diane Helbig gives you three tips to help get to the heart of your message, including advice and examples of what not to do.

It’s not enough to get clear and know your audience. You also have to master the act of telling the stories that matter to them — stories that resonate and drive an action. This has less to do with features and more to do with benefits. What does it feel like to use your product? What does it feel like to work with you? What problem can you solve?

Marketing takes effort and planning, but done right, it pays for itself.

About the Author

Jamillah Warner (Ms.J), a poet with a passion for business, is a Georgia-based writer and speaker and the Marketing Coordinator at Nobuko Solutions. She also provides marketing and communication quick tips in her getCLEAR! MicroNewsletter.

Connect with Jamillah Warner:

 

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10 Marketing Books You Can’t Live Without

If you were marooned on a desert island, with only marketing books to read, which would you want with you?

Our Book Editorial Team here at Small Business Trends recently reflected on that very question.

If you had room for just 10 marketing books in your survival kit for that desert island, the 10 books below would be a good start.  Inside these choices you will come to understand how prospects and customers think, and what influences them. You will be able to find and identify a profitable niche, create a product mix, price it and ultimately promote it profitably.  Check out our picks of the top books about marketing below (in no particular order):–

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“Brandwashed: Tricks Companies Use to Manipulate our Minds and Persuade Us to Buy”by Martin Lindstrom

If you read Lindstrom’s first book, Buyology then Brandwashed will give you more inspirational examples that you’ll be able to adapt and implement even if you’re a small business without a multi-million dollar budget to test your customers’ brains. Lindstrom takes us behind-the-scenes of big brands’ war rooms and shows how they use nostalgia, fear, peer pressure, celebrity, and the inclusion of magical ingredients and elixirs to influence what we buy.

Read our review of “Brandwashed.” (Or get at Amazon)

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“Riches in Niches: How to Get Rich in Your Niche” by Susan A. Friedman

Finding a tight market niche where you and your business stand out is, by far, the most challenging aspect of marketing for most people. You may not have heard of Riches in Niches, but it’s the go-to book that marketing experts give their clients when the subject turns to how to find a profitable market niche.

Susan Friedman coins the terms “nichepreneur” and guides business owners through her GEL formula Friedmann’s proven technique that shows service professionals how to find the professional niche that makes the best use of their skills while yielding maximum profit.

Get “Riches in Niches” at Amazon.

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“Neuromarketing: Understanding the Buy Buttons in Your Customer’s Brain” by Patrick Renvoise , Christophe Morin

Now that it’s scientifically proven that we make our buying decisions using our primitive brain, this marketing book will help you put that knowledge to use and start writing better sales and marketing ads and copy. Renvoise and Morin cover big picture communication principles and tips on details as small as leaving a voice mail message.

In short, the marketing advice covered says to appeal to emotion, present information in a variety of media, be brief, tell stories and approach your marketing from a buyers point of view.

Get “Neuromarketing” at Amazon

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“Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Image and Design” by David Langton and Anita Campbell

If you’ve ever found yourself without a good marketing idea or concept for your small business, this is the marketing book for you. Langton and Campbell (CEO of Small Business Trends) waded through thousands of examples and chose 99 for any small business to use as an example or brainstorm starting point.

You’ll find thought-provoking marketing and PR tips, ideas, and creative “stunts” that you can easily adapt to fit your marketing objectives. This marketing idea book doesn’t stop with direct marketing or advertising. It also includes creative ways to use new technology and social media.

Read our interview on “Visual Marketing.” (Or get at Amazon)

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“Constant Contact Guide to Email Marketing” by Eric Groves.
Email marketing and Constant Contact have been synonymous for years. Eric Groves has taken all the lessons learned from the thousands of customers who have successfully used the Constant Contact email marketing system and combined them into this set of collective best email marketing strategies.

If you currently use Constant Contact as your email marketing system, this book is a must-read so that you can get the most out of it. This marketing book isn’t just for Constant Contact customers, though.  It’s for any business that wants to do email marketing right.

Read our review of “Constant Contact Guide to Email Marketing.” (Or get at Amazon)

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“Referral Engine: Teaching Your Business to Market Itself” by John Jantsch

John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing, has interviewed hundreds of entrepreneurs and used their stories as a best-practices collection of dozens of referral strategies as actually implemented by real business owners like YOU.

This marketing book shows you hundreds of different ways to develop a referral system that will pay off. Referral Engine is unique because it gives you dozens of referral systems ideas based on different types of businesses – instead of just one system that you have to adapt to your business. You’ll find many creative ideas to jump start a killer referral strategy.

Read our review of “Referral Engine.” (Or get at Amazon)

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“Attention! This Book Will Make You Money: How to Use Attention-Getting Online Marketing to Increase Your Revenue” by Jim Kukral

Attention marketing is all about attracting attention to your business and your brand — in such a way that you turn that attention into revenue. This marketing book gives marketers, entrepreneurs and sales people an educational and motivational guide to using creative and attention-getting strategies to market your brand or business stand out from the crowd.

Attention! This Book Will Make You Money is filled with case studies, references, and proven examples of what works in the world of online and offline marketing.

Read our review of “Attention!” (Or get at Amazon)

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“Found Money: Simple Strategies for Uncovering the Hidden Cash Flow in Your Business” by Steve Wilkinghoff

You don’t often see the words marketing and accounting used together. Found Money will remind you that one of the “four Ps” of marketing is “product” and managing a profitable product mix. In this marketing book you will learn how to look at and analyze your product mix for profitability.

Business owners and managers who have P&L responsibility will learn about the critical profit drivers that affect their business. You also will learn how to get your employees excited and engaged about the financial drivers that impact profitability.

Read our review of “Found Money.” (Or get at Amazon)

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“Art of Pricing: How to Find Hidden Pricing to Grow Your Business” by Rafi Mohammed
Pricing is often overlooked by business owners and marketers as a powerful differentiator and profit builder. In this marketing book, pricing will transform from a financial conversation revolving around margins and costs to a fun and intriguing marketing conversation about influencing choices and buying decisions by simply manipulating your price.

You will learn about the psychology of pricing and how to attract the largest number of customers in your market segment by simply creating a pricing structure that makes it easy for them to choose you.

Read our review of “Art of Pricing.” (Or get at Amazon)

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“Outrageous Advertising That’s Outrageously Successful: Created for the 99% of Small Business Owners Who are Dissatisfied with the Results They Get From Their Current Advertising” by Bill Glazer

Bill Glazer has built a multi-million dollar business and reputation by using outrageous direct marketing strategies to attract and retain an insanely loyal and profitable customer base. Don’t dismiss his techniques for being exclusively for business to consumer businesses like retail. They are equally effective for every type of business – including industrial and high-tech products.

This marketing book is practical and hands-on. Readers will get examples and templates that they can use to build your own outrageous advertising program. The most valuable parts of the book are the worksheets that guide you through creating your own campaigns.

Read our review of “Outrageous Advertising.” (Or get at Amazon)

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“POP!: Create the Perfect Pitch, Title, and Tagline for Anything” by Sam Horn

This marketing book outlines those special aspects that make an idea, message, or product stand out, and gives readers a simple and proven process—POP! (Purposeful, Original, Pithy)—to create one-of-a-kind ideas, products, and messages that pop through the noise of today’s crowded marketplace.

This is a quick and practical marketing book filled with great ideas that anyone can use to come up with tag lines and titles like a pro. In one example, Horn recommends using a cliché database on the web to search out and adapt for your tag lines.

Read more about “POP!”

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Wondering why there are no social media marketing books on this list? That’s because there are so many excellent ones that we’ve created a separate Guide to Best Social Media Books.  And don’t forget to check our Guide to Top Sales Books.

Finally… be sure to browse through the 225+ small business book reviews here on Small Business Trends.  All reviews are written  by our Book Editorial Team.

About the Author

Ivana Taylor is the publisher of DIYMarketers.com , where she shares daily do-it-yourself marketing tips, and is the President of Third Force, Inc., a marketing firm that specializes in getting your ideal customer to choose you. Ivana is the book editor for Small Business Trends and a contributor to AMEX Open Forum. She is co-author of the book "Excel for Marketing Managers."

Connect with Ivana Taylor:

 

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