Small Business Internet Marketing Blog

A little bit of common sense from the Yahoo Search Marketing team.

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During a television commercial break of the new American Gladiators, I saw a commercial for Chase bank’s instant mobile device credit approval. It got the lucky guy a bigger better television. I hope my cell phone can do the same for me.

Seriously, small businesses need local search optimization! The future is now.

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Andrew Shotland

Local search engine optimization - guide, has been asked to judge the to judge the Small Business category of the 2008 SEMMY Awards. The SEMMYS are awarded for the best blog posts and articles in search marketing. Regardless of who wins, this blog post offers some great information for any small business internet marketing effort.

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When: January 15 to February 5, 2008

Where: Online, of course.

What:

• Introduction to Your Account Interface, Key Terms and Structure
• Key Terms, Account Interface - Overview and Structure
• Creating a New Campaign
• Keyword and Ad Tips and Best Practices
• Quality Index and Bidding
• Reporting

To learn more about this free webinar, go here.

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So Dan Perry is having a contest where he is giving away a Google refrigerator. To enter the giveaway, you need to write a post saying what you would do with the fridge if you were the winner. I think the answer is simple.

Spam!

I would fill it with Spam.

You can read all about it here.

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Search Engine Guide will be hosting their small business marketing conference in Houston on April 21 and 22 at the Northwest Forest Conference Center. You can read more about the event here.

On day one of the event, online marketing, web site architecture, keywords, web site content,  community building, paid search advertising, business blogging, link building and web site analytics will all be covered. Day two offers a series of workshops on link building, local search, keywords and content, paid search, viral marketing, community building, usability and conversions, and a general web site clinic.

Any small business that is currently doing or considering doing any form of web based business would definitely benefit from this excellent event. Unfortunately I will not be available for those dates but I do hope to hear from anyone who attends for a complete review.

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January is typically the time when everyone organizes the receipts and papers that are needed for the year end taxes. I don’t know about you, but I hate to do taxes. Not that my taxes are all that complicated. But still, taxes are a pain.

Do you have a full understanding of small business taxes? Many business owners have little or no real understanding of taxes and enter the tax season on a wing and a prayer. To ease the burden on small businesses, the Washington DC Economic Partnership will be hosting a Business Premier event to aide small business owners in better understanding tax preparation.

Financial experts will discuss the benefits of proper tax preparation and cover the large number of financial tools available to small business. The event is free but registration is required and you must register by Friday, January 11th, 2008. You can register at www.wdcep.com . Click on “Economic Partnership Events or you can call call 202-661-8670. and seating is limited.

So, if you are a small business owner who is facing another tax season unprepared and confused about the whole process and you are within reach of Washington DC, looks like the Washington DC Economic Partnership has a date set with you.

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According to Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, small business was booming in 2007.

“Throughout the year, small businesses have been the main driver of employment growth, adding a total 716,000 jobs during 2007. In eleven of the past twelve months, small businesses added more jobs than medium- and large-size businesses combined.”

This is great news for those hard working small business owners who we encounter everyday. Without the small business owners in every community across this country, the economic outlook for many people and the US at large would be quite different.

Is your small business booming or are you just limping along doing what you have been doing for years? Guess what? In 2007, I spoke with more small business owners who admitted that the Internet was the main driving force behind their growth. If your business is not growing at a record pace, you have no one else to blame. Your competition may already be targeting consumers in your market and taking sales and revenue that could be yours.

Internet marketing is going mainstream with small business and will soon take more ad dollars from traditional marketing venues than those industries would like to admit. Are radio spots, display ads, classified ads, cable ads or mailers still doing the trick for your business? If you are not marketing on the Internet, you are missing the boat.

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After a conversation with a woman who is obviously in charge of her future where business is concerned, I went to the YMCA and spent almost an hour on the Elliptical machine. This machine is good for burning calories and is good for soaking clothing in sweat. It also induces deep thoughts as you must take your mind off of the task at hand to get to the end. Loud music from the 80’s and 90’s helps also.

During this time I had the chance to reflect on what drives me and what drives so many who find themselves actively involved in a business and all of the ways to make it successful. My thoughts are always on my business and ways to make it better, more profitable, more successful and more of everything that it takes to provide for my family. For me, that is most important.

You see. My dreams of having a successful business initially were derived from a desire to be financially independent. Yes, I wanted to be rich. When there is no real perspective to compare, the simple minded person falls back on the basic needs we all hope to attain. Being rich is a need that starts at the youngest of ages and for some is a never ending pursuit.

However,  somewhere between age 20 and 40 my priorities changed. Financial success was not as important as meeting the basic every day  needs. Rent, car payments, food, Christmas presents for the kids, birthday parties and presents. Life can put a real focus on what is really important. Sometimes a dream is just a dream and reality sets the agenda.

But, dreams never die. You may give up on them, but a dream is like a real place that you have not yet reached.

Do you have a dream? What is your business idea? I believe every person who reads this has the potential to turn a dream into a reality. All it takes is a little effort and some communication with  someone who has been there. Don’t chase a could have been or should have been only to reach the end of the line with nothing but memories and vague remembrances of what might have been.

Some chase a dream. Others grasp a dream and hold on for the ride.

The ride is much more fun no matter how the dream unfolds.

Chase your dream!

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I just got a news alert for this and had to post it. I think I may have have found my next Television!

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