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‘Unretirement’ Fuels Growth of Small Business, Creates Jobs

February 27, 2013

Baby Boomers — nearly 80 million of them in the U.S. – will redefine traditional retirement. The first boomers turned 65 in 2011, and year after year for the next 18 years, masses of them will choose to work beyond the ages of 62 to 65, the range long thought of as retirement time.

There’s been a lot of conversation lately about boomers and the ‘unretirement’ movement. In fact, AARP predicts that a whopping 80% of boomers will have to work into their retirement years. The vast majority of them will move away from high-pressure corporate positions to reshape their professional lives as small business owners, consultants, part-time workers or “giving back” careers such as teaching or non-profit management.

And what we’re seeing right now is the tip of the iceberg. The baby boomers are fueling the movement as many live longer, fuller, happier lives — and are seeking ways to make their investments last with them. Armed with a career’s worth of business experience, one of the options some boomers are turning to is self-employment through business ownership. That’s not only good for the boomers, but also good for a still-struggling economy. (more…)

5 Online Legal Mistakes You’ve Probably Already Made

February 26, 2013

Eric Spellmann continues to be one of the highest rated speakers at our national ASBDC conferences. His unique view that small business websites should “do” something pushes against the standard “online pamphlet” view of most web design companies. He believes your customer’s websites should be driving qualified leads and sales on a weekly basis. Eric speaks at a number of other national and state conferences nationwide, but enjoys running one of the most successful web design companies in the country. He truly believes in the SBDC mission as it helped him start his own company many years ago. To contact him, visit his website at EricSpellmann.com.

6 Steps to the Perfect PR Pitch

February 25, 2013

News coverage can be a big boost to your company’s success. No matter what you want the public to know about—be it a product, a service, or an agenda—press coverage not only gets your message out, but lends credibility to your business. Sometimes getting coverage is a matter of being in the right place at the right time. Rather than rely on luck, some companies hire a public relations firm to represent them. But that investment is not always necessary. Here are six steps you can take to get your company in the news on a regular basis:

1. Define your goal. Why do you want news coverage? What is it you want people to know, buy, or believe about your company? The more definitive you can be, the more you’ll be able to target the proper audience. The more you know about who you’re trying to reach, the better. Then you can determine the right media outlets to contact. Are you targeting well-educated customers with disposable income? The New York Times and business journals are two good matches. Are you looking for a younger audience who lives in New York City? WPIX is a possibility for you. Do you want to impress your fellow engineers? Look for trade publications. (more…)

How Great Webinars Can Grow Your Business

February 22, 2013

Webinars allow people throughout the world learn and communicate. Particularly in the past two years, webinars have rapidly gained prominence as an important component of many marketing plans. No longer considered an afterthought, a well-crafted and successful webinar can greatly enhance a company’s reputation and sales.

One of the reasons for this rapid growth is the lowered costs of both creating and attending a webinar. Without requiring the expenditure of significant amounts of time, energy, and money traveling to in-person events, webinars allow attendees and presenters to easily attend events via the internet. These savings in time and money for the presenters are significant, ranging between 60 to 90 percent when compared to the cost of live events and depending on the event.

Social media is a very powerful medium for meeting people and doing business. This industry has rapidly matured in the past ten years. However, one of its biggest hurdles is the amount of time and effort required to build and maintain a loyal following. In most cases, sales that are done through or as a result of social media are one-to-one. Though effective, it’s not time efficient. Conversely, webinars utilize a one-to-many approach, making them highly effective and providing them with the ability to reach a worldwide audience through a single online presentation. (more…)

Create a 2013 Email Marketing Plan

February 21, 2013

There in no better time than the beginning of a year to get strategic about your marketing efforts… and no better way to do it that by creating a plan for the year ahead.

If you’re like most small business owners, email marketing is just one part of what you’re doing while running your business. By creating a plan now, you can make your life easier when trying to juggle everything that come along with running your business—filling orders, waiting on customers, and the million other things that demand your attention.

Think about your approach to email marketing. When you sit down to create an email, are you as prepared as you’d like to be? Do have a clear understanding of what you’re looking to achieve, how you’re going to achieve it, and how you’re going to measure your results? (more…)