T’is the season to be social

Women Inventorz Network

Have a great product you don’t know what to do with? May is National Inventors Month, and the Women Inventorz Network (W.I.N.) wants to help women inventors make their ideas a reality by providing the practical steps and know-how to do it. W.I.N., which is the only independent organization for women inventors in the U.S. and Canada, evaluates submitted products based on 10 criteria such as retail readiness, marketing, logo design, website effectiveness, etc., and provides guidance in making necessary improvements. Founders and inventing experts Dhana Cohen and Melinda Knight wants W.I.N. to be a launch pad for women inventors to get their products found.

By Rieva Lesonsky

If you own a restaurant, specialty food business or even a grocery store, you’ll want to know about some of the food trends spotted at the Fancy Food Show earlier this year. PizzaMarketplace recently reported on some trends that small business owners can make their own:

Gluten-free foods: Gluten-free product offerings were plentiful at the show, and today’s gluten-free products taste better than those of years past. One reason gluten-free is a growth industry is that people with Celiac disease (an allergy to wheat-based products) have a lifelong reason to commit to a gluten-free diet, so this is a trend with staying power. Of course, plenty of other consumers are going gluten-free either to show support for family members who need to, or because they believe it helps with weight loss, bloating or other health and beauty issues.

Coconut: Coconut is a hot ingredient in all types of food (including on pizza!). Think of how you can use coconut milk in alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, in sauces and in desserts. Of course, traditional coconut also has a role in menu items.

Vegetable and fruit oils: Gourmet and flavored olive oils have shown their staying power and have even inspired olive-oil-only stores. Now, the passion for oils is expanding to include fruit and vegetable oils such as walnut oil, truffle oil, pumpkin seed, chili oil, cherry pit oil or tomato seed oil.

Beer as an ingredient: Craft beers are here to stay, and the latest iteration is using microbrews as ingredients in recipes. Beer Flats Crackers (in porter and pilsner flavors), beer candy and even beer jelly were spotted at the Fancy Food Show. In addition to prepared, packaged foods, restaurant owners can also feature meats cooked in beer, breads made with beer or beer-infused sauces. Of course, don’t forget to offer suggestions for pairing beers with foods on your menu or providing a beer tasting menu.

Salty and sweet combinations: Sea salt caramels, chocolate with bacon—salty-sweet combinations continue to be popular. Think about new ways you could mix salty and sweet flavors to break customers out of their familiar flavor combinations.

Image by Flickr user Sing Chan (Creative Commons)

Business.com

Check out the relaunch of an oldie, but goodie: Business.com. Since 1999, when the site first appeared on the scene, it has gone through many changes and owners. The makeover of the marketplace site is a reflection of the new developers, digital marketing experts, designers and a Ph.D. in human-computer interaction researching how active buyers use the Web to make purchasing decisions. Business.com still helps its visitors discover, compare and purchase the products and services they need. Start by selecting a category, from 401(k) plans to Web design services, and then answer a few questions to help the site narrow down your choices. Also, check out the helpful guides and articles to offer you advice with your decision.

In this four-part series on online marketing, I have taken inspiration from The Happiness Project. Instead of improving your life one month at a time, I am breaking down the essential pieces of marketing so you can stay organized and focused as you tackle each element.

You can read my first blog post on updating your website, putting together a mobile site, and listening to what people are saying online and my second, on putting together an editorial calendar, improving social media engagement, and blogging. Let’s move on to steps 7 – 9.

Step 7: Share Images and Videos

When you look at the rapid growth and success of YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram, there is no doubt that people respond to and connect with images and videos.

• Become a shutterbug – Get in the habit of taking photos during the day-to-day and of new products, employees, customers, and events. Share them on social media.
• Have a goal for videos – Before you spend time on making a video, decide whether you’re making it to build awareness around your business, increase sales, or strengthen your brand. Once you have a goal in mind, your video will be more focused and relevant for your audience.
• Hold contests – If you really want to engage your audience, hold a photo or video contest. Choose a theme and prize, and consider making the contest open to community voting to really up the social sharing quotient.
• Use YouTube, Pinterest, and Instagram – You can create your own channel on YouTube for videos, and, if you’re not using them yet, share your photos on Pinterest and Instagram to reach new audiences.

Step 8: Start a Monthly Newsletter

Because newsletters arrive via email and require the recipient to at least read the subject line, newsletters are a great way to reach your audience and stay top-of-mind with them.

• Keep it focused – Skip the introduction, focus on one to three short and relevant articles, and put your best information at the very top.
• Make it worthwhile –Include something special in each issue to reward your audience for reading it, whether it’s a coupon or early access to a new product or service.
• Get creative with the subject line – As I mentioned above, your subject line can make or break how many people read your newsletter. Get creative to pull people in, whether it’s through humor or irreverence.
• Include images – People are drawn to photos in newsletters, especially ones that include people, so try to include relevant images in each newsletter.

Step 9: Put Together an Ebook or SlideShare Presentation

Bundling blog posts on one topic into an ebook or SlideShare presentation is a smart strategy to employ, as it lets you reuse content you’ve already created. While your ebook is great to share with your audience, SlideShare comes with a built-in audience: It is the world’s largest content-sharing community for professionals, with 60 million visitors a month who view 3 billion slides.

• Think like a children’s book author – Make it fun, visual, and interactive with videos, games, or surveys.
• Use stories – Stories are highly engaging, and the more success stories you can weave in, the more you will position yourself as a go-to expert and problem solver.
• Teach your readers – Add tips, tricks, helpful hints, or other actionable information to make your content more usable.
• Focus each page/slide – Stick to one point per page to keep the layout clean and uncluttered.
• Include a strong call-to-action – Tie it back to the subject of your ebook or SlideShare, and explain the benefit of working with you.
• Add contact info – And not just a phone number! Include your website address, email address, and social media follow buttons.

Stay tuned for the fourth and final blog post in this series, where I’ll cover advertising, hosting an event, and content centers.

Of the above marketing steps, which do you find easy to do – and which do you find hardest?

Image by Flickr user Capt’ Gorgeous (Creative Commons)

By Maria Valdez Haubrich

How are small businesses across the country feeling about their financial futures? According to the latest Capital One Small Business Barometer, not too positive. The study asked small business owners about their opinion of the current economy and their financial and business projections for the next six months.

In the most recent survey, conducted at the end of 2012, small businesses’ concerns about the future had risen, with more than one-fourth (26 percent) of small businesses polled saying they believe economic conditions will decline over the next six months. That’s a 12-point increase from Q3 2012. In addition, more than one-fourth (27 percent) of small business owners said their company’s financial position was worse than a year ago, up 11 points from the same time in 2011 and up 4 points from Q3 2012.

Given these concerns, it’s not surprising that just one-fourth of small businesses say they plan to hire in the next six months. “Among the small businesses we’ve surveyed, we are still seeing significant caution about prospects for growth, as well as hesitancy about making investments,” said Jon Witter, President of Direct, Consumer and Small Business Banking at Capital One, in announcing the survey. “Looking ahead, confidence in the economic environment will be key.”

As to the overall economy, the outlook isn’t great. While 44 percent of the small businesses surveyed believe economic conditions are holding steady, that’s a drop of 7 points from the same time in 2011. Fewer than one- third (28 percent) expect economic conditions to improve in the next six months, and the same percentage expect conditions to get worse.

The national Small Business Outlook index, which ranks business prospects for the next six months on a scale of significantly worse (1) to significantly better (10), continued its downward trend throughout 2012, hitting 5.6 in the most recent survey. What factors matter most to small business owners’ outlooks? Price margins and profitability topped the list, followed by cash flow and fuel prices.

Small business owners are keeping a firm grip on their budgets, with just 13 percent planning to increase spending in the next six months—down from 20 percent who planned to increase spending at the end of 2011. In addition, the number planning to cut spending hit 25 percent—the highest it’s been in two years, and up 8 points from the Q3 2012 survey.

With limited plans to increase spending, it’s not surprising that more than two-thirds (68 percent) of entrepreneurs polled don’t plan to hire in the next six months, either.

How do these opinions relate to your own outlook, both for your business and for the economy as a whole?  

Image by Flickr user Michael David Pedersen (Creative Commons)