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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Design Advice From Visual Marketing Book

Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market With Images and Design, is the new book written by Anita Campbell, Publisher and CEO here at Small Business Trends, along with award winning communications strategist David Langton.

In part 1 of our interview, Anita talked about the process of writing the book.  Here in part 2, Anita and David answer questions on specific design examples covered in the book.  David also shares some advice for small businesses about designing logos and marketing campaigns.

Tell us a bit about Nothing.org’s campaign (p. 138). What caught your attention about it?

Anita Campbell: Nothing.org is a regional bank food and a small nonprofit. “Nothing” refers to having nothing to eat.

The marketing campaign depicting a can of nothing (i.e., a food can with the label “Nothing” on it) has meaning on several levels.

First, there’s an obvious play on words with a can of “nothing.”  You expect a can to hold something.  This one held … nothing.

Then you also have the wit involved with how do you visually convey “nothing”? I mean, how do you draw “nothing”?  It’s hard. You need more than words to make an impact — you need an image.  So there needed to be a way to make “nothing” seem tangible, to get people to donate. And since it is a food bank where people donate cans of food, the food can of nothing had double meaning.

It seems many of the selected examples found ways to gain interest from items we think are declining in popularity, like GGRP’s using 45 records (p. 86). Do you think these choices makes for a great long-term strategy?

Anita Campbell: GGRP is a recording studio. For a marketing campaign they created a mailer made of cardboard that you assembled into a 45 record player. They included a vinyl 45-rpm record showcasing their recording capabilities. What’s a 45-rpm record, you ask? It’s how people used to listen to music before iPods. Really old technology.

The takeaway from GGRP’s strategy is not that it uses out-of-date technology.  It was intentionally retro to get attention.  And the retro technology related specifically to the business GGRP is in, so it was relevant.

No, the real learning is that when doing direct mail, send out interactive “lumpy mail.”  You may quickly forget a letter or postcard, no matter how well written.  But aren’t you likely to remember a 45-rpm record player that you had to take a few minutes to assemble, and the message you heard using it?

Creativity like that never goes out of date.

Creative Advice From David Langton

Speaking of creativity, we wanted to get David Langton’s advice on using visuals in marketing.

What advice would you give small business owners who want to embark on a marketing project, but don’t know where to begin?

David Langton: I always tell businesspeople, “Get professional help!”  And I don’t mean therapy.  Yet, creating a brand for your company is a lot like therapy. You must get in touch with the core reasons your business exists and create a brand that encompasses the core values and services you offer in ways that are attractive and distinctive to your primary audience

Gretchen Ditto is an image consultant — but just because she is an expert in establishing style and presentation for her clients does not mean she is a marketing or communication designer. She turned to professional designer Katrina Hase of Mix Creative to produce a new brand that has the right balance between casual and professional for Ditto & Co. Her brand provides a communication positioning that has increased her status as a speaker and a consultant.

What are pitfalls marketers should avoid when they are thinking of doing a visual marketing campaign?

David: The biggest pitfall I see is that small businesses try to be everything to everybody. Focus on what you do best. Your business is defined by what you do — and by what you choose not to do. Success comes when you define what you do best and then deliver that service to a specific audience.

Paula Bodnar Schmitt of the Bodnar Design Consultancy designed an abstract sign featuring the musical symbol for “quarter note” for the Quarternotes Loft apartments. This targeted music students and professionals who would certainly be aware of the meaning of the quarter note symbol as well as the clever wordplay on “living quarters.” By using the musical symbols, they targeted their message to the audience they wanted to reach, and the apartments were fully rented.

What are the core design elements that have to be present for a campaign to be successful?

David: The core design elements for creating a successful campaign are:

• Style: The design or look and feel of the campaign should reflect the theme of your services and resonate with your target audience. Style elements include shapes, color, imagery and typography.
• Meaning: What does the artwork or campaign mean? Does it reflect the mission of your organization? Is copy  well-written, succinct and easy to understand?
• Function: Does the design drive business? Change behaviors? Motivate or challenge your audience to take action?

All three elements must support each other. Your style should have meaning that supports the functions or goals and objectives of your campaign.

The Renaissance Capital identity is a good example of how all three elements work together in a successful identity and marketing campaign. Renaissance Capital is a research firm that specializes in Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). They believe that the founders and innovators of new companies like eBay, Google and Facebook are the “Renaissance people” of today.

The new logo designed by my firm (Langton Cherubino Group) takes the letters I-P-O and evokes the style of a Greek Revivalist ionic column. By combining the heritage of Renaissance design with a modern style, the brand positions this research firm as the go-to source for IPO content. The new design, which also includes a streamlined and reorganized website, caught the attention of the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE), which has become a partner in offering services to a new market in Europe.

What are the biggest mistakes marketers make when they create campaigns and what’s your advice on how to fix them?

David: The biggest mistake is to think that you are your best client. Designing  a visual marketing campaign or identity should not be based on what you personally like. It should be about how your company and services are positioned for your target audience. Your visual marketing should be created to attract and persuade the people who buy your services.

Time and time again, clients think that they can design it themselves. It’s important to step back and try to think like your own clients. Present your objectives and goals to your designers and marketing experts and let them present creative visual solutions back to you. Let the creatives be creative … and perhaps you will be surprised by fresh and innovative ideas that you never would have come up with on your own.

What do you want readers to ultimately “get” from the book?

David: Visual Marketing is an “idea trigger” book.  It gives you ideas for how to spice up your marketing, using images and design.  If you walk away with just one or two new ideas, those ideas could result in tens of thousands of dollars — or more — in new business and profit.  In that case, Anita and I  have done our jobs, and thumbing through Visual Marketing will be well worth it.

You can find out more at the Visual Marketing Book website or follow on Twitter for updates at @VisualMktgBook.

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."

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Headhunters Job Search Tips and Interview Advice

Forget About What’s in It for You

What never to ask about during the first interview: salary or vacation policy.

—Tara McKernan, DHR International

Build Your Reputation

If nobody much has ever heard of you, we’re inclined to suspect there’s a good reason.

—Mark Jaffe, Wyatt & Jaffe

Be Proactive

At the end of the job interview, always ask about the next step in the process.

—Tara McKernan, DHR International

Use the Three Magic Words

“I don’t know.” Learn how to say it, when to say it, and why. Nothing could be a greater proof of your overall credibility.

—Mark Jaffe, Wyatt & Jaffe

Remember the Simplest Way to Impress

During an interview, pay attention, listen, make eye contact, and don’t fidget.

—Tara McKernan, DHR International

Stop Comparing Yourself

There will always be somebody who does it better, faster, more artfully, or for bigger profits. Does that mean you’re a loser? Define success on your own terms and live a fulfilled life.

—Mark Jaffe, Wyatt & Jaffe

Calculate Your Compensation

Remember that employers are not accountable for your financial responsibilities. Determine a reasonable salary requirement by investigating market trends in your field.

—Tara McKernan, DHR International

Lighten Up

Be respectful and sensitive to co-workers, but don’t take yourself so seriously. If you find it hard to laugh at yourself, it may be that others will wind up doing it for you.

—Mark Jaffe, Wyatt & Jaffe

Don’t Panic Over Tough Questions

Never say anything negative when asked such questions as, “What do you think of your last manager?” Answer in a way that demonstrates your respect for authority and ability to work for different types of management styles.

—Tara McKernan, DHR International

Dump the Young-Person Baggage

Are you defensive? Insecure? Always worried about how you look to others? Cut that out!

—Mark Jaffe, Wyatt & Jaffe

Ooze Confidence, Not Arrogance

Cocky is never O.K. During interviews, don’t use superlatives such as “great at” or “wonderful” when describing yourself.

—Tara McKernan, DHR International

Try This Little To-Do List

1. Let people underestimate your abilities. 2. Vastly exceed their expectations. 3. Get promoted and enjoy the last laugh.

—Mark Jaffe, Wyatt & Jaffe

Come on, Get Real

Please don’t waste your valuable time applying for jobs for which you fit none of the qualifications. This will only demoralize you when you get no response.

—Tara McKernan, DHR International

Help, Don’t Opine

Co-workers don’t value your input nearly so much as your cooperation. It’s all about how you make the other person feel about him- or herself.

—Mark Jaffe, Wyatt & Jaffe

Turn Rejection into Enlightenment

Didn’t make it past the initial phone screen? Don’t take it to heart; try to get feedback on why. Always strike a friendly, open, positive tone when probing for feedback.

—Tara McKernan, DHR International

Take the High Road

The simplest and most elegant way to stand above the crowd will always be through the virtue of your actions. It means taking individual responsibility, making good on promises, not exaggerating, always having your mouth and your heart in perfect agreement.

—Mark Jaffe, Wyatt & Jaffe

Prepare for the Big Interview Question

The most frequently asked question is, “Tell me about yourself.” The wrong answer is, “What do you want to know?” This tells the prospective employer you’re unprepared for the interview.

—Tara McKernan, DHR International

Watch Your Words—and Tone

Real life is like high school. Get ready to be judged on popularity. Recognize that how you say things is often more important than what you say. Above all, don’t tell people what’s “wrong” with them.

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