We’ve often heard, “it’s not WHAT you know, it’s WHO you know.” And for the most part, it’s true. When you’re a small business owner, contacts play a very large role in the development and maintenance of your enterprise. From forming customer relationships to getting the best deals from wholesalers, it’s important to keep in touch with the right people. This is essentially what B2B (business to business) communication is. B2B is the relationship between two businesses that trade products, information, or services via the internet, whether it is a regular transaction or a one-time-only occurrence. With the advent of…

Managing a small business is fraught with issues. There’s the going concern of financing growth, managing payroll, paying vendors and creditors, proper invoicing and bill payments, as well as the constant issues of managing cash flow. All of these can become a source of great frustration and a continuous drain on the company’s resources. Thus, small businesses must be proactive in managing their operations. To this extent, purchasing the right accounting software is more than just another business expense. It’s an investment that allows small businesses to better manage all aspects of their finances, and an essential tool that empowers…

You have great expectations for your business. Your product is super and you’ve sold a few but customers aren’t returning like they should and what’s more, they aren’t giving you feedback. You’ve already checked to see if adjustments need to be made to the sales page, price, emails and promotions but they aren’t the problem. What on earth is wrong? I can hear you groaning now. Here’s a question for you. Does your customer service stink? Let’s face it; you probably get more feedback from customers when there is a problem than when everything is going smoothly. If you really…

In today’s global economy, you may be missing out on multiple market segments by not using a professional translation service. You might think targeting an international audience is only essential to big businesses. In fact, it’s even more important for smaller companies to break into the global marketplace. If you wish to expand your business, you’ll need to ensure that your branding efforts reach beyond local and national boundaries. Spreading your message to the rest of the world requires clear communication in a multitude of languages. This is where a professional translation service comes in. Don’t be tempted to rely…

Getting web traffic to your site isn’t what it used to be anymore. Especially free tactics. We can lament all we want but the smart thing to do really is to adapt and keep forging ahead. Sadly though, there are tons and tons of really bad tools out there that could give you a temporary traffic boost at best. There’s also a lot of people still dishing out old advice.

A brand is one of the most amazing phenomenons in business. A great brand is a living, breathing specimen that must be cared for. Even in businesses that aren’t “brand-heavy,” such as non-chain restaurants; graphic design can play an important role in brand perception. A great graphic designer will be fully aligned with your businesses future, as well as your target demographics’ needs. However, what many businesses don’t understand is how fragile a brand can be. Poorly planned graphic design, whether it is a website, promotional material, or marketing collateral can tarnish a brand image. Not Designing Around a Target…

Recently when the Vancouver Canucks lost the Stanley Cup to the Boston Bruins, several thousand “fans” went nuts in Vancouver’s downtown outside the stadium. It shocked the entire country, and has led many to ask the question, “Will this hurt Vancouver and by extension – Canada’s pristine brand’s world image.” Depending on how they handle this, I don’t think it will. Like any of us know in business, brand damage from an unfortunate event has everything to do with with how you handle the problem. Done correctly and swiftly, this event will be brushed aside. Running and hiding will exasperate…

Illegal software has many tempting features. Fully purchased programmes, particularly those in specialist niches, can cost an incendiary fee and licensing agreements may not cater for the amount of IT equipment a purchaser may have wished to install the software on. However, the cost of being caught far outweighs this; the result could be civil or even criminal proceedings from the company who owns the software’s copyrights. This is worrying as, a lot of the time, a company may not be aware if they are in accidental breach of their software license and may accidentally, and perhaps unjustly, end up…

Only a few years ago small business owners with a website were ahead of the pack. If they had a CMS that ran the website they were seriously ‘out there’. Trust me, I’ve been building CMS-based sites for 5 years and in the early days we didn’t even tell people they were able to update their own sites because they didn’t want to know about it. A lot has changed since those days. Systems like Joomla and WordPress are now mainstream, business owners are pretty tech savvy and most serious business owners know that its easy (and cheap) to have…

One of the most interesting and powerful branding exercises that I facilitate with small businesses is to develop a positioning strategy. A positioning strategy is what differentiates any brand. It is where you prove your leadership role. Sometimes it involves going out on a limb to prove your difference. A powerful positioning strategy can help a new business gain immediate market share if it is bold enough. Take the case of Domino’s Pizza. Years ago when they entered the marketplace, it seemed as if the pizza market was all about selling a pie that was essentially just like everybody else.…