Small Business Trends

Marketer Mark Brimm hates when gurus tell entrepreneurs and other marketers they’re “doing it wrong.” Though there are certainly right ways and wrong ways to handle almost every facet of business, the fact remains that many small businesses may come up with a great innovative approach that deviates from the norm. Small business is, after all, about stepping out on your own. Sure you want to be getting things right. But entrepreneurship is also about finding the way that works for your business.

Self-development

Want to ruin your business reputation? Of course not. As a small business person or entrepreneur, you must realize by now that your reputation in the business community and among those with whom you do business is paramount. But could you be ruining your reputation without even knowing it by, say, trying to hard sell someone who hasn’t even asked about your service or by engaging in other questionable behavior? Read David Siteman Garland’s account of an interaction with someone he guarantees he’ll never do business with again. The Rise to the Top

Social Media

Is there a right way to do marketing? OK, first of all, Mark Brimm is talking specifically about social media here. The big buzz in marketing these days, social media is something new In fact, Mark argues it’s too new a field to have so many gurus professing such absolute knowledge of the right and wrong way to do anything or to claim such absolute knowledge of every facet. But look, let’s face it. This same thing can be said about any innovative marketing plan you’ve got for your company. Marcana

Customer Care

How central is your customer to your business. Dave Brock worries “customer centric” has become a buzz word. With really poor understanding on the part of some small businesses about what the buzz word means, how can we be more focused on truly putting the customer at the center of everything we do? Do you talk to your customers, engage with them, learn more about what they want and need? If not, how can you put their needs first? Partners in Excellence

Branding

How social media and e-mail define brand. Think it isn’t important what you tweet, Facebook or e-mail to people, whether from your business or personal account? How about what your employees tweet, Facebook or e-mail from work or from their personal accounts? Well think again. Social media and e-mails can affect your brand and how others perceive your business. Entrepreneur and Self-Employed Business Journal

Human Resources

Hiring and keeping the best. If small businesses are about the people involved and the talent they bring to the organization, right down to the products and services you provide, then you can clearly understand the importance of getting the right people and keeping them once you’ve found them. See the 10 tips at the link above. Winning Workplaces

More on good hiring and retention. Susan Fronk has more on the importance of having the right employees. Sure, there are lots of factors that make a small business succeed or fail and an entrepreneur should be conscious of them all. But great employees, Fronk says, are that “one thing” that can make the difference. America’s Best Business Practices

Operations

Want to spread the word about your product? fast? Try doing something unusual, something unexpected, something ground breaking. Try giving, as in giving away some part of what you do in return for the exposure it can give your business. And let’s not forget the positive effect giving has on the recipient and what it can return to the giver. Open Forum Innovation

Improving your business through negotiating skills. A combination of negotiating skills can assist any small business owner, but an aggressive negotiating style should not be mistaken for great negotiating skills, says Terry H. Hill. In the above post he gives some ideas that will help optimize your business by fine tuning your negotiating talents. Training for Entrepreneurs

Marketing

Hunting for clients and customers. Amelia Champion gives her latest in a series of small business marketing lessons, this one on how to bring in customers or clients, arguably the most important thing your business must do to survive. Key questions involve determining who your client is, what they need and where to locate them. Happy hunting. Website Marketing Services

The outside marketing firm. If you need to market your small business online and are perplexed with the technology, why not outsource the job? Of course, when hiring an outside marketing firm for your online marketing efforts, it’s important to make sure the company you choose has the proper skills. Here’s a primer to point you in the right direction. Catalyst Marketers