Marketing & Advertising News

For all micro-businesses, customer service and marketing no longer need to exist in separate silos: Given the high costs of finding new customers and consumers’ widespread use of digital media to both communicate with companies and spread tales of glee and woe, it’s time to make customer service a successful marketing strategy

If you're just launching a micro-business, you're likely in need of effective marketing strategies that can kick in quickly and won't decimate a limited budget.

According to a 2011 report on social media issued by research company Nielsen, Americans spend almost a quarter of their Internet time visiting social networking sites and blogs. That means potential clients are far more likely to learn about your freelance business on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn—the sites where they spend most of their time—than any other place on the Web.

Millions of American entrepreneurs are also military veterans. The overlap is hardly surprising. The demands of military service require sharp skills and steady discipline—the same qualities that business owners need to succeed.

Would it be a blessing or a business killer if the whole world knew what your customers thought of your micro-business? In the social media age, the question isn’t if, but in what format, people tell others what they think of your company.

Ten years ago a discussion of online marketing probably started with “So, do you have a website?” Today, having a website is a given even for the smallest micro-businesses and solo entrepreneurs. But having a website is just the start.

Small Business Legal Services was a name that said it all, but maybe too much. The problem: Many companies on the larger end of the small-business spectrum didn’t classify themselves as small at all.