How_To_Influence_More_Customers_Using_YouTube

Pop quiz: What social media platform has the most influence on consumers as they make purchase decisions? What’s your guess? Facebook, with its billions of likes and massive user base? Twitter, with its immediacy and concise messaging? Maybe Pinterest, with its emphasis on the visual? The answer (if the title didn’t give it away) is…

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Responsive_Brands_Drive_Sales

Consumer reviews pack a punch. And it’s no wonder—word of mouth has long been one of the most effective and reliable forms of advertising. Online consumer reviews? Well, those can deliver a knockout punch. The internet, combined with social media, can blast consumer comments into the “social-sphere” more widely and rapidly than ever before. Every…

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Right_Person_Right_Place_Right_Time

Finding and keeping the right people is critical to your business’s success and ability to grow. To do so, you must have the ability to effectively recruit, hire, train, and develop talent, as well as assess, coach, and retain skilled employees. Recently, I shared 10 steps to follow when building a culture of accountability. But…

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Unique_Selling_Proposition

When you start your business, you will probably be competing with a number of other companies. Why should customers come to you instead of them? The trick to setting your business apart is creating a Unique Selling Proposition. The Unique Selling Proposition, or USP, informs your entire marketing and operational strategy, and is key to…

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Nurture_Your_Leads

A business doesn’t exist until someone sells something. And sustainable sales can’t happen without a qualified lead. Generating and nurturing sales leads are the lifeblood of every company. As a small business, marketing dollars can be scarce. And when you spend those dollars to acquire new leads, it’s vital that you convert a high percentage…

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An_Everything_Communicates_Audit

When you’re building a business, a key factor is building your brand. How do people think about your business, and what do they associate with you? A brand is a lot more than a name, logo, or slogan. It is built by everything you do. The “Everything Communicates” audit is a good step for making…

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Being a part of the GoSmallBiz team has been (and continues to be!) a great experience for me these past few years, working with small business owners to help solve their problems and run their businesses successfully. It’s the most exciting mission I’ve ever been a part of, and it really inspires me every day. But…

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The elevator doors slide open. A few people pile in. We assess our surroundings and then act decisively. We press the buttons of our respective floors; heads drop and phones light-up. The doors shut and the awkward ride begins. A ride in an elevator is such an odd but predictable social experience. And for many…

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James_Bond

Bond. James Bond. Who out there has never thought about being part of the exciting, glamorous world of espionage and spy-craft? While Bond has spent the last 50 years fighting against terrorists, enemy nations, and Victorian morality, today’s small business person can use some spy-work of their own to take on their competition. True, the…

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