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Small Business Success Index 5

Index Score*   Grade
SBSI INDEX 73 C- marginal
Capital Access 67 D+
Marketing & Innovation 65 D
Workforce 76 C
Customer Service 88 B+
Computer Technology 75 C
Compliance 92 A-
*Index score is calculated on a 1-100 scale.
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Mobile Marketing’s Hottest Audience

February 20th, 2012 ::

By Rieva Lesonsky

If you think mobile marketing is all about reaching out to teenagers, techies or Gen Y hipsters, think again. One of the hottest markets for mobile purchasing is one you may not expect: moms.

It’s no secret that moms are major decision makers when it comes to household purchases. And if you know any moms, you know how much they rely on smartphones to stay connected, whether at the office, at home or on the go with the family. Now the advent of tablets is changing the game even more by giving moms a new way to access information and shop wherever they are.

Over the holidays, tablet computer ownership surged, with many of them given as gifts. Pew Internet and American Life data shows nearly 20 percent of Americans now own tablet or ereader devices. And a Nielsen study late last year found almost half (43 percent) of tablet owners are female.

The Kindle Fire and the latest iteration of Barnes & Noble’s Nook are also changing the game because they compete more directly with the top-selling tablet, the iPad, and are heavily marketed to women.

Tablet users are desirable customers: Many studies have found tablet users spend more time browsing online, are more likely to buy online and spend more when they do buy than smartphone users. Simply put, the tablet shopping experience is a lot more enjoyable than shopping on a tiny phone.

So what do you need to do to grab tablet-toting moms’ business? First, make sure your business website is optimized for tablet use. This means focusing on visuals, so be sure you have outstanding photos of your products. Think of tablet shopping like a digital catalog. The phrase “couch shopping” has been coined to reflect where most tablet use takes place—while relaxing at home—so your tablet experience should be fun, easy to use and engaging.

Of course, moms aren’t mindlessly flipping the pages of your digital catalog. They’re hunting for information and bargains, so be sure your tablet shopping experience is packed with product details, including reviews and comparisons to help Mom make the right decision.

While research so far seems to indicate tablet shoppers prefer browsers to apps, you shouldn’t discount apps altogether. If you can create an app to make shopping more fun, faster or simpler, do so. Also keep in mind that many moms share tablets with kids or use them to keep the kids entertained. If relevant to your business, an app targeting kids (such as the ability to create a “wish list” that Mom can access later) could be a great marketing tool.

Take the time to explore how tablets can help you reach moms, and your business will reap the benefits.

Image by Flickr user anurag adrihoti (Creative Commons)

 

 

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Posted in Marketing, Small Business, small business, Technology, Web Design | 1 Comment »

Small Biz Resource Tip: Get Smart Content

February 17th, 2012 ::

Get Smart Content

You can’t be all things to all visitors on your website, but you can try to give each visitor a little individual attention by adding Smart Content. Smart Content lets you customize text, images or calls to action to different audiences simply by embedding code directly into your Web pages. The application lets you set rules, such as where the visitor is from, and then leads the visitor to their customized content. You can get Smart Content analytics to see how your new content is doing, and the app also works with your current analytics program such as Google Analytics.

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Posted in Marketing, Resources, Small Business, small business, Technology, Web Design | No Comments »

Businesses Plan to Spend More on IT This Year

February 15th, 2012 ::

By Rieva Lesonsky

Is your small business getting ready to spend on IT in the next six months? If not, you may want to change your plans. The latest CDW IT Monitor survey found that IT decision-makers’ optimism—and plans to invest in their businesses’ IT—have reached their highest point since the survey began in late 2007.

Almost every sector in the survey was planning to spend on IT in the coming months, including state and federal governments, and small, midsize and large companies in the private sector. The biggest increases were in midsized businesses, with the percentage planning to spend on IT up 7 percent since the last Monitor in October, and in state and federal governments, with the percentage planning to spend up 11 and 10 percent, respectively, since October.

In addition, plans for increased spending were found in almost every industry, including healthcare, manufacturing, IT, professional services, retailing and manufacturing.

Overall, 80 percent of respondents plan to spend on new hardware, with small business hardware spending plans up by 9 percent since October—the largest jump among groups surveyed. An overall 82 percent of respondents plan to spend on new software, with small business IT departments again leading the pack—the percentage planning to spend on software was up 10 percent since October. (Tied with small businesses, local governments’ planned investment in software was up 10 percent, too.)

Midsized businesses and state governments were the most likely groups planning sizable investments in IT. And midsized businesses and federal governments were most likely to be hiring new IT staff. (Overall, projected IT hiring for the next six months is down from last October’s poll.)

What are IT decision-makers’ highest priorities in the next six months? Among those planning to spend on IT, networking (58 percent), security (57 percent), virtualization (56 percent) and cloud computing (47 percent) topped the list.

“The IT spending outlook has reached a significant milestone. More IT decision-makers are feeling optimistic about the prospects of their IT budgets increasing, and they are anticipating significant IT investments in the next six months, especially on the hardware and software fronts,” said Neal Campbell, senior vice president and chief marketing officer at CDW. “We believe that organizations will continue to look at technology investments as ways to boost efficiencies, increase productivity and gain new competitive advantages in 2012.”

What’s the upshot? Even if your business won’t be spending more on IT this year, chances are some of your key clients will—and that could spell opportunity for you.

Image by Flickr user Martin Terber (Creative Commons)

 

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Posted in small business, Small Business Success Index, Technology | No Comments »

Small Biz Resource Tip: McAfee Mobile Security

February 14th, 2012 ::

McAfee Mobile Security

Computer security solution provider McAfee recently announced its mobile security app for BlackBerry, Android and Symbian OS platforms. The app not only gives your mobile device automatic backup and restore capabilities, it also scans all new apps and downloads for viruses and blocks against risky websites—things you think about when you’re on your computer, but may not always stop to consider when you’re using your smartphone. In case your mobile device is lost or stolen, the Mobile Security app also contains a location and locking device so you can remotely find your smartphone and protect it against unauthorized access until it is returned to you.

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Posted in Resources, Small Business, small business, Technology | No Comments »

Retailers Go Mobile

February 13th, 2012 ::

By Rieva Lesonsky

Whether in-store or in the consumer’s hand, mobile retailing is hot and getting hotter, according to the 13th Annual POS Survey from Boston Retail Partners. The study of the nation’s top retailers found rapid growth in both in-store use of mobile POS options and mobile marketing and sales.

For example, more than 33 percent of respondents have a mobile channel, up substantially from 12 percent last year. In addition, 7 percent had already launched a mobile POS system in-store; 52 percent plan to do so within two years; and 19 percent say they will do so in more than two years. Just 22 percent said they do not currently plan to add mobile POS. Some stores are adding mobile POS to their current POS systems; others are getting rid of standard POS terminals and going all-mobile.

Here’s what else retailers are doing:

8 percent of respondents allow customers to check out using their own smartphones and 38 percent plan to do so in the next two years.

20 percent of respondents let shoppers use mobile devices to share their shopping experience with a friend; 16 percent offer this service but say there are still kinks to work out; and 40 percent plan to add this option within the next two years.

8 percent of respondents send consumers mobile coupons and special offers on their devices and say it works well; 12 percent offer this service but say it still needs improvement; 28 percent plan to offer mobile coupons and deals within the next two years.

Over 25 percent of the respondents described their companies as being “early adopters” when it comes to using technology to provide a better customer experience.

The next step for retailers is making sure that all aspects of the mobile experience—in-store checkout, shopping from the mobile device, and mobile marketing—are integrated and convey the same brand and user experience.

“As we talk to retailers about their technology plans it is refreshing to see the shift as they realize that to succeed they need to think about the point-of-sale differently,” said Ken Morris, Principal of Boston Retail Partners, in announcing the survey results. “The POS is not just located at the checkout in the store – customers want to be able to shop from multiple touchpoints, whether it is online, a mobile POS, or their own smartphone – and retailers need to be able to accommodate this new, technology-savvy customer with an omni-channel strategy.”

Image by Flickr user Pink Sherbet Photography (Creative Commons)

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Posted in Business Development, Marketing, Sales Process, sales process, Small Business, small business, Technology, Web Design | 2 Comments »

Are You Using QR Codes in Your Advertising?

February 10th, 2012 ::

By Rieva Lesonsky

What’s the deal with QR codes? The little black-and-white codes that users scan with smartphones to visit a Web page have been alternately praised and criticized by marketing experts in the past year. But one thing is for sure: QR codes are rapidly becoming ubiquitous in magazine advertising.

A survey by mobile marketing company Nellymoser of the top 100 U.S. magazines (based on circulation) found that the number of QR codes used in both advertisements and editorial content surged in 2011–from 352 uses in the first quarter issues to 1,899 in the fourth quarter.

The percentage of pages with codes climbed steadily, from 3.55 percent in March to 8.36 percent in December. And the average number of codes per issues rose from 2.3 in the first quarter to 6.5 by the fourth.

The bulk of QR codes in magazines were advertisement-based. The number of QR codes in ads outweighed those in editorial content by a ratio of 25:1 by September 2011.

So what are advertisers doing with their codes? When QR codes first came out, most companies were using them to drive customers to their websites. That has since been found to be less than effective. As social media use has increased, along with mobile phone and tablet use, the way QR codes are being used has changed, too. Today, most QR campaigns link to product demonstrations, social media tools, contests or sweepstakes, and m-commerce.

Here are some popular uses for QR codes:

  • 54 percent feature video to demonstrate products, provide a glimpse behind-the-scenes or explain how to do something.
  • 30 percent were used for list-building (i.e. capturing consumer information).
  • 23 percent allow users to share a video or product information with social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter.
  • 19 percent link to an e-commerce store.

The biggest users of QR codes, both in magazines and in retail store displays or windows, are beauty, home, fashion and electronics companies. QR codes are also predominantly targeting women; the top 10 magazines on the list, which accounted for 28 percent of all codes in 2011, primarily targeted women.

The way advertisers explain QR codes is also changing. In the second quarter of 2011, almost half of the codes had instructions for downloading a QR code reader. By the end of 2011, just 23 percent did—indicating that users are becoming comfortable with the technology and don’t need it explained to them anymore. Instead, by the end of 2011, 70 percent of codes were accompanied by information that explained what would happen when users scanned the code. Nellymoser says this type of call to action is a “best practice” for using QR codes.

Image by Flickr user Orangeadnan (Creative Commons)

 

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Posted in Branding, Marketing, sales process, Small Business, small business, Technology, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Small Biz Resource Tip: PayLane

February 9th, 2012 ::

PayLane

If your website is not set up to take payments online, you could be missing out on a multitude of sales opportunities. But getting a merchant account can be costly and time-consuming.  PayLane is a customer-focused online payments provider that processes payments in currencies from over 50 countries and can simplify the merchant account process for your business. Customers can pay by Visa, MasterCard, American Express and PayPal, and your business pays lower fees than with traditional merchant accounts. Check out the PayLane Blog to see what insiders are saying about the features before you sign up.

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Posted in Accounting and Taxes, Compliance, Resources, Small Business, small business, Technology | No Comments »

Small Biz Resource Tip: Instant Flipbook

February 8th, 2012 ::

Instant Flipbook

With sales of tablets reaching 72.7 million last year and expected to surge over the next five years, marketers are rethinking the way they showcase products and services to their customers. Instant Flipbook can help you transform your paper brochures into things of digitized beauty. Simply upload your pdf file, and Instant Flipbook will convert your brochure to a Flash flipbook that can be uploaded to your website. The whole conversion process is automated and only takes a few minutes. You can also add links, plus readers will be able to do a keyword search if they’re looking for something specific in your publication.

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Posted in Marketing, Resources, Small Business, small business, Technology, Web Design | No Comments »

When It Comes to Mobile Shopping, Businesses Fall Short of Customers’ Expectations

February 6th, 2012 ::

By Rieva Lesonsky

It’s no secret that mobile shopping is hot, hot, hot. In fact, eMarketer estimates there will be 72.8 million mobile shoppers in the U.S. this year, of whom 94.3 percent will use a smartphone to research products and browse the Web. More than half (53 percent) of those users will make purchases on their phones, pushing m-commerce (mobile commerce) sales to $11.6 billion overall for 2012.

M-commerce is still a small part of the retail pie, but it’s growing in importance. Unfortunately, though more users are turning to smartphones to access retail brands, they’re often disappointed in the functionality they find from retailers’ mobile offerings.

December 2011 research by L2 Think Tank cited by eMarketer surveyed beauty/skincare, fashion, hospitality, retail and watch/jewelry brands about their activities online and found that, when it comes to mobile, these companies are falling far short of what customers expect.

The most popular feature for retailers to offer on their mobile sites was ecommerce capability (67 percent) and store locator features (67 percent). When it came to other tools that users might expect to find on retailers’ mobile sites, however, the numbers declined significantly.

Just 44 percent offered mobile product search—which could be a key competitive feature when consumers are out and about looking for a particular product. And only 23 percent of companies had video on their mobile sites, compared to 82 percent who offered video on their regular websites.

Retailers aren’t doing much better when it comes to mobile optimization of email. Although 78 percent of the companies surveyed were using email marketing, the majority (53 percent) sent emails with links to their standard website, which might not be mobile-friendly. Only 24 percent sent users an email message that was optimized for mobile viewing, and even fewer used mobile-friendly links (such as links to mobile apps or mobile-optimized websites).

Although eMarketer doesn’t specify, I’m assuming this survey focused on big-name retail brands. If even these companies aren’t yet taking advantage of the mobile market, the situation for small businesses is probably even worse. But that doesn’t give you an excuse. In fact, it should spark your competitive energies. If big companies are ignoring the mobile niche, you’ve got a chance to gain ground. So if you’re not taking steps to capture these customers, what are you waiting for?

Image by Flickr user rayand (Creative Commons)

 

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Posted in Branding, Email Marketing, Marketing, sales process, Small Business, small business, Technology, Web Design | 2 Comments »

Small Biz Resource Tip: e-SignLive.com

February 2nd, 2012 ::

e-SignLive.com

No one likes to wait for the signed document to show up in the mail, but a live signature is still required for many business contracts and forms. e-SignLive.com offers a free high-tech solution and an alternative to the pen-on-paper signature. Signers can sign from any device, and there’s no software to download. You can even have multiple signers, and everything is customized to the authentication level you require. If your business requires similar documents be signed over and over, you can create a template to use multiple times. Also, set a due date so signers know when the signature deadline is coming up.

 

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Posted in Business Law, Compliance, Resources, Small Business, small business, Technology | No Comments »

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