Small Business Trends

Don’t worry about the future outlook of small business as 2011 dawns. Sure there are some challenges but just look at the opportunities. We’ve cobbled together an end of the year roundup with some tips to inspire you. Happy New Year!

What’s Really New?

First a questionaire. OK, this is a weird way to start a small business news roundup, but here’s a post that caught our eye from Jackie Purnell on her great business and branding blog. Instead of waxing philosophic about what we’ve learned and gazing into her crystal ball, Jackie turns the question on her readers. What have you learned from your business and what are your goals. Take a minute and give your own answers below. Building Businesses Creating Brands

Nine major things to watch for in SEO this year? They’re really some of the same things you’ve been hearing really: content, site speed, link building and maybe some new stuff thrown in. Only more so and with some new twists. Mostly, small businesses that rely on online marketing and networking for any part of what they do will need to focus on their online presence more than ever. What’s your online media plan? B2C Marketing Insider

Online

Website design trends for 2011. We’re going to assume you no longer have one of those old fashioned static Websites thrown up as your only online presence. If that’s the case, you’ve got a lot more problems than we can possibly cover here. However, we can talk about some of the important new trends you should already be thinking about. Rest assured, your competition is thinking about their Website. What do you need to do differently in the coming year? Small Business Trends

Small business advertising: Some future predictions. The Internet has made it easier to measure data on advertising effectiveness than ever before. This post looks at what that data tells us about online advertising thus far, but also a bit more about what all of this could mean for the future. How will all of this impact the way your small business advertises? Read on and see. Small Business Advertising Strategies

Finance

More money for small business financing after New Year? Well, we’ve heard this one before and, while you probably shouldn’t hang your hopes on this particular prediction, the fact is that small business financing continues to evolve. Want to know more about how money could or should be flowing toward small businesses in the New Year? Than have a look. Avenue B Blog

For 2011, diversify! Though Miranda Marquit’s post may be about boosting personal supplemental income in the New Year, the fact is that whether you are self-employed in a small business of your own or own a small business with employees and assets to consider as well, it’s always a good time to think about diversifying your income. A key to surviving hard times for small business owners is to learn how to make the necessary financial adjustments and not rely on only one core revenue model for their business. We hope this post will get you thinking on lots of levels! MoneyedUp

Social Media

Social media sites to watch for in the New Year. Of course, Facebook is on small business advisor Jason Kienbaum’s list as are some other less familiar sites. And, hey, we were surprised and pleased to see Small Business Trends’own BizSugar.com mentioned in the list. Surprised, however, not see Twitter which many small businesses continue to see as a viable tool. Who do you think will be the big players in 2011? Business Done Now

What is social media value and why will it be even more important in 2011? You’ve probably heard this question more than once in small business circles recently. Does social media really work as a tool. Hey, we’ve heard the question too but it may be the wrong one entirely. Perhaps a better question would be how much is the social media you’re doing worth to your brand? But how can that be measured? B2C Marketing Insider

New Directions

New year/new business model. Mike Clough tells us about a new kind of chamber of commerce offering free membership and services to its small business members. Read about the new business model for a new era. (Full disclosure: Mike is currently a representative for the Minnesota chapter of the organization.) Read more and get inspired about what other small business services may represent important business models and tools for the New Year. America’s Best Business Practices

How to make a New Year’s resolution that sticks. You could make a New Year’s resolution to change just about anything in your life. Inclusion of this post here assumes one of the big things you may want to improve in 2011 is your business, though the specifics of what shape that change should take vary. Regardless what kind of change you wish to make in the New Year, these steps should help you accomplish it. Thanks Chris, and to all our small business friends, Happy 2011! Corporate Group Coach