Archive for September, 2008
Need Promotional Ideas?
Recently, we’ve come across an interesting blog entitled Matt’s Creative Advertising Blog. Comprised of contributions by a number of marketing professionals, this site provides insight on variety of promotional tools, from business cards to toll-free business phone numbers. If you’re shopping for ideas, this is a good place to look.
2 comments September 30, 2008
Do You Have a Disaster Recovery Plan?
Recently, a MySolutionSpot™ article, How to Prepare Your Small Business for a Disaster, was mentioned by CEO blogger Zane Safrit in a post entitled Small Business…Build an Ark. According to Safrit, all small business owners should prepare for natural disasters by backing up their system resources and critical data and creating disaster recovery plans for their businesses.
Many small business owners are not prepared to handle interruptions caused by catastrophes like Hurricane Ike and the Midwest floods because they’ve failed to recognize the fact that every business is vulnerable to natural disasters. These business owners should heed Safrit’s warning and take the proper steps to minimize their risks.
Add comment September 24, 2008
MySolutionSpot™ Is Getting Better & Better!
MySolutionSpot has just added some features we think you will enjoy. The list below highlights some of these improvements:
1) We’ve recreated our welcome page.
The new welcome page provides a more thorough introduction to our services and our benefits.
2) Our users can now import their Web mail contacts.
(e.g., Gmail™, Yahoo!® Mail, and Windows Live™ Hotmail)
By importing their address books, users can easily identify which of their current contacts are already MySolutionSpot members. They can also conveniently invite multiple non-members – all at once – to join their MySolutionSpot network.
3) We’ve added an Industries tab.
The Industries tab, located in the top navigation menu, provides access to a number of specialized articles, solutions and tools. Therefore, dentists, business consultants and restaurateurs, alike, can find the information they need to improve their businesses.
4) We’ve expanded our tools section.
Previously, our tools section provided a wide selection of industry-specific tools (e.g., a construction cost estimator, a retail assessment tool, a volunteer recruitment tool, etc.). Now, it also includes a General Business category, which is comprised of tools than can be used across a variety of industries.
5) We’ve become more tag-friendly.
Users can now easily tag, or categorize, their forum and article postings, using three to five descriptive keywords. By tagging their postings, users can improve the likelihood that their postings will appear when relevant searches are made.
Go to www.MySolutionSpot.com today to check out our updates!
Add comment September 20, 2008
Startups: Choosing the Right Advertising Mix
Small startup businesses are sometimes at a disadvantage when it comes to choosing their advertising mix. They often lack the background knowledge that typically comes from experience and/or market research. Without access to such information, many of them mistakenly invest in costly advertising strategies that produce little or no benefit to their business.
Luckily for these businesses, the advertising world is changing dramatically. Studies have indicated that proximity plays a large role in patronage. This means that a business’s prime prospects – those who are most likely to purchase their products or services – typically reside within a short drive of its facility. As a result, some businesses can reduce or resign their high-priced mass media campaigns and place more emphasis on less expensive advertising methods that target the smaller, more segmented local audience.
Local Marketing Strategies
Many businesses continue to rely on traditional marketing strategies to reach their local market. They distribute catalogs and purchase radio, newspaper and Yellow Page® advertisements. While traditional strategies are effective, they are more powerful when supported by newer strategies like pay-per-click advertising, local search marketing and online classifieds. By employing online marketing strategies, businesses can enhance their visibility and deliver their messages directly to consumers who are searching for their products or services.
There are numerous online business resources available that will help owners of small startup businesses decide whether they need to embrace or avoid costly mass media campaigns. These resources will also help them stay abreast of new online marketing strategies. With the information they acquire, startup owners will be able to create the appropriate advertising mix for their business.
Add comment September 15, 2008
More Than a Professional Networking Site
Professional networking Web sites are not just about networking. Some sites, like MySolutionSpot™, offer additional benefits to further engage their users.
When Network Solutions® envisioned MySolutionSpot, the company wanted to provide small business owners with a reliable resource where they could connect with other small business owners and find the information they need to establish and strengthen their businesses. To carry out its mission, Network Solutions gathered and produced numerous articles and tools, and gradually pieced together the educational facet of MySolutionSpot.
Now launched, MySolutionSpot™ is as much of an educational Web site as it is a professional networking site. It provides its users with a library of industry-specific articles contributed by their peers. It also enables them to find answers to their questions and communicate through forums, comment posts and emails. The site even features a tools section, which make it possible for users to better understand their businesses and identify areas that need work.
Take a look at MySolutionSpot today and let us know what you think!
Add comment September 3, 2008
