Sales & Marketing

Referral Madness

August 14, 2008 | Small and midsize businesses can gain referrals by marketing their business to customers every step of the way. Here are the seven steps you need customers to take toward making referrals and the tools you should use to get them going.
By John Jantsch

Yelp Controversy Exposes Dark Side of Web 2.0

August 14, 2008 | Web 2.0 and user-generated content are great news for growing companies, offering them the ability to harness the wisdom of crowds and stand out even without the benefit of huge marketing budgets. But what happens when the social networks turn mean or try to take advantage of their power?
By Fredric Paul

Mind Your Blogging Manners

August 7, 2008 | Bloggers can provide your smaller business with lots of great, free buzz. But if you want to take advantage of no-cost publicity, make sure to follow the bloggers' code of conduct.
By Guy Kawasaki

Filtering the Hype on New Web Tools

August 1, 2008 | It pays for small and midsize businesses to employ best practices -- and keep customers in mind -- before implementing the latest Web technologies.
By Peter Alexander, Courtesy of Cisco

Getting Close to Customers, Online

July 17, 2008 | New tech tools now let online retailers get to know their customers -- wherever they are. The result is more effective marketing and, ultimately, increased sales.
By Heather Clancy

The 411 on Web 2.0 Marketing

July 7, 2008 | Using Web 2.0 technologies, small and midsize businesses can now reach large audiences directly: The emergence of social networking, blogging, and virtual worlds has enabled a single individual to reach an unprecedented number of people without depending on traditional mass media channels.
By Timothy Hickernell, Courtesy of Info-Tech Research Group

Tell It to Me Straight: Customer Feedback in the Web 2.0 World

July 3, 2008 | What better way to get feedback on your business than through your customers? A Web 2.0 tool enables your online business to get instant, effective, and credible customer feedback so you can respond to complaints and resolve disputes in a flash
By Heather Clancy

Online Video: Show and Tell For Smaller Businesses

June 19, 2008 | With its ability to let customers do the talking, online video testimonials are one of the most effective ways for smaller businesses to get the word out about what they do. And with the recent spate of digital video products that have hit the market, it is now even easier -- and more affordable
By Heather Clancy

Midmarket Heroes: Scuba Toys -- Scuba Community Dives into Web 2.0

June 10, 2008 | Founding a scuba gear company in a landlocked part of Texas might not seem like the best idea. But Scuba Toy's founder Larry Dague has used Web 2.0 to reach scuba divers around the world -- and create a community of divers that keep coming back for more
By Naomi Grossman

Smaller Businesses Get Sold on eBay

June 5, 2008 | eBay is one of the few ways that anyone can launch a smaller business in minutes. With hundreds of resources at your fingertips, starting a business on eBay can be fast, easy, and nearly investment free. Here are nine steps to get you started
By Marcia Layton Turner

Q&A With Thomas Harpointner: E-Mail Marketing vs. Snail Mail for Smaller Businesses

June 2, 2008 | Rising stamp costs may make smaller businesses think twice about going to the post office. Online advertising expert Thomas Harpointner explains when it's still necessary to make the trip and when to avoid it at all costs
By Naomi Grossman

Midmarket Heroes: A Rocker Girl's Journey to Tech CEO

May 27, 2008 | Cyndee Sugra took a chance developing technology that no one else wanted. That leap of faith paved the way for her evolution from indie rock musician to CEO of a tech development and design firm. Now she's singing all the way to the bank
By Naomi Grossman

The Future of Customer Service

May 22, 2008 | Mobile technology is changing the way consumers search for answers. Here's how to make sure your smaller business is up to the task
By Sarah Pierce

SLIDESHOW: bMighty Q&A Gallery: Leaders Talk IT for Smaller Business

May 21, 2008 | Leading executives, managers, and experts share their insights and perspectives with bMighty on a host of issues, challenges, and opportunities important to smaller businesses
By Benjamin Tomkins

Strategy Matters: Eight Great PowerPoint Myths

May 15, 2008 | PowerPoint presentations that flood the audience with glittering graphics, brazen bulleted lists, and endless animations may look great, but they often drown out the message. Just because you can use every PowerPoint feature doesn't mean you should
By Nilofer Merchant, CEO of Rubicon Consulting

Blog-a-Thon

May 15, 2008 | Your company's blog could be one of your strongest marketing tools. Guy Kawasaki, a serial entrepreneur, blogger, and venture capitalist, has eight ways to get you talking
By Guy Kawasaki

A Method to Their Madness: How Smaller Businesses Make it to the Top

May 8, 2008 | It's hard to remember now, but companies like Netflix and Meebo started out as smaller businesses. But by blazing their own trails, they managed to take on their much larger-sized competitors -- and win
By Justin Petruccelli

Q&A With Douglas Shuman: Domain Names are the Web's Great Equalizer

May 7, 2008 | For smaller businesses, a good domain name is crucial to attracting Web traffic. From choosing a domain name to buying one, expert Douglas Shuman tells bMighty everything smaller businesses should know to get noticed
By Naomi Grossman

SLIDESHOW: Interop for Smaller Businesses

May 6, 2008 | Interop Las Vegas was bristling with product announcements, new services, innovative solutions, and lively debate about the next hot technology. Back from the show, bMighty delivers a selection of show snapshots for smaller businesses
By Fredric Paul, Naomi Grossman, and Benjamin Tomkins

Strategy Matters: Killer E-Mail Marketing -- Make Them an Offer They Can't Refuse

May 1, 2008 | Knowing your audience is critical to successful e-mail marketing. Smaller businesses that take the time to know who they're communicating with do better than those that quickly push out messages just because they can
By Nilofer Merchant, CEO of Rubicon Consulting

The New Rules of E-Branding

April 24, 2008 | Revamp your online brand and increase site traffic with these six guidelines
By John Williams

Q&A with Russell Rothstein of Sales Spider: Social Networking for Smaller Businesses

April 14, 2008 | Smaller businesses must utilize every avenue to compete; that includes adopting new technologies such as social networking. Russell Rothstein, CEO and founder of Sales Spider discusses how smaller businesses can use social networking to grow sales and extend their reach
By Benjamin Tomkins

Q&A With Scott Huegerich: Become the Key(word) Master

April 10, 2008 | For smaller businesses, the press release is often the best way to get customers to visit their Web sites. Including the right keywords in those press releases is crucial to getting that revenue-generating attention. Keyword expert Scott Huegerich has advice on how to get noticed for your news
By Rachel Meranus

Q&A With Ben Wayne: Web-Based Video Solutions Smaller Businesses Can Afford

April 8, 2008 | Putting videos on your Web site is one of the most effective ways to communicate with your customers. Most of the solutions have been too expensive for smaller businesses to consider -- until now. An expert tells bMighty how smaller businesses can finally join the video age
By Naomi Grossman

10 Cheap Ways to Build Your Smaller Business' Brand

April 3, 2008 | From enhancing customer loyalty to leveling the playing field with larger size competitors, branding can be the key to your smaller business' success. There are lots of ways to effectively -- and inexpensively -- reinforce your company's brand
By John Williams