Small businesses seem to be optimistic about business prospects in 2010, according to the third annual Signs of the Times Business Survey conducted by FedEx Office. When asked if there were any areas where they were considering increasing spending in 2010, 42% of the survey respondents selected marketing/advertising. Almost 90% of those surveyed found that printed marketing/advertising tools are either somewhat or very effective at driving customers to business. In terms of increasing communication, 44% plan on increasing communication with exisitng and potential customers via newsletters, direct mail, etc. More than 60% of those surveyed think that traditional marketing and advertising (e.g. newspapers, ...

Many small businesses are still not using basic online marketing tools to help them grow their business. According to a survey from Citibank, 37% of small businesses had not used a website for marketing or expanding their business in the last year. Also, 84% had not used ecommerce to sell products, and 62% have not used email marketing. Of those businesses that do have a website, 74% say their website has been effective at generating business. The survey also found that while many small businesses placed an importance on word-of-mouth marketing to market themselves and find new customers, they did not view social ...

Website, e-mail, and search spending made up the top of the list in changes business-to-business marketers would make in their online spending in 2010, according to BtoB magazine. More than half of B2B marketers would also increase their spending in social media and video marketing. However, more than half wanted to use social media for thought leadership while 49% wanted to use it to generate leads. On the other hand, 13% of B2B marketers would decrease their spending on online banners and 10% would decrease their spending on sponsorship. Want more information on how to increase your company’s reach online? The experts at ...

If you are looking for simple ways to increase sales for your business, whether it is a small business or big business, there few steps can help you. Focus on your sales team and your customer based to build on customer loyalty. Create a sales incentives program If your sales staff has extra encouragement to drive sales, then you'll quickly see an uptick. Offer your sales staff trips or free stuff for a certain amount of sales work. Keep the rewards sweet, simple, and attainable. Encourage upselling Upselling is adding related products and services to your line and making it convenient and needed ...

The holiday season is upon us and now is a great time to establish new relationships as well as build on existing ones. Holiday sales can also help boost your business. Send out holiday cards or ecards. Small businesses can help build relationships with their existing clientele by sending out holiday cards. It could help remind clients about your business if they haven't worked with you in some time. It can also add a personal touch to your company. Show reviews and ratings for products and services. When people are shopping online, they do take into account what other poeple have to ...

Many small businesses have decided to cut their marketing budget, however this can end up hurting your company more than you realize. Spending more money on marketing during an economic downturn can help your company get ahead when the economy turns around. There is a direct relationship between the success of a small business and its marketing spending, according to the “Small Business Marketing Health Check” report from Hurwitz & Associates. About 65% of small businesses that expected increased revenues had raised or planned to raise marketing spending, compared with just 32% to 36% of businesses with flat or declining ...