While first introduced to the market over a decade ago, geofencing, a form of location-based marketing (LBM) is relatively new territory for small businesses. It works by creating “virtual barriers” that trigger promotional text messages, email alerts, or app notifications when a mobile device enters (or exits) a specified area. Joshua Markham, ReachLocal I've asked Joshua...
Despite the rise of e-commerce and on-demand delivery services, research has shown that 90 percent of consumer purchases are made in-store. That’s great news for local small businesses, but only for those with a strong online presence. Consumers use the Internet and search engines to find out what is available close to them, and for...
[content field="callout1" format="true" class="calloutwide"] Its a well known fact that your next customer is going to come from a source you know very well - your existing customer. This is not a coincidence. You worked hard, created a successful business and made sure you provided the best service and satisfied your customers. Your customers did...
[content field="callout1" format="true" class="calloutwide"] Local Brick and Mortar Retail Locations Everyday consumers fire up their mobile or desktop browsers and search for local businesses, restaurants, hours if operation, nearby stores with products in stock, entertainment. The findings of this Google, Ipsos MediaCT and Purchased® study of local consumer search behavior indicate that consumers who conduct local searches show...
[content field="callout1" format="true" class="calloutwide"] Local SEO isn’t a new thing, but updates to local search rankings factors from the Google Pigeon update make it simpler and worth your time. National SEO is becoming more competitive each year, more and more businesses are turning to local tactics to gain organized search traffic for their businesses. Locally there’s...
[content field="callout1" format="true" class="calloutwide"]Finding new customers is a huge task for any small business, but it’s especially difficult if you run a local business that requires local marketing to customers from a limited geographic area. There are many specific marketing techniques you can try (and we do encourage you to explore your options!) But having...
Starting a business can be overwhelming. There’s filing for licenses and permits; figuring out how to classify both the business and employees; writing a business plan and more. It’s enough to make an entrepreneur’s head spin. What does the new generation of business owners need to know about starting a business? Submitted by Doug Ludlow,...
Laura Spaulding, is the owner of Spaulding Decon. She's a former Kansas City Police Officer, who transitioned to entrepreneurship through a series of tough lessons, school of hard knocks and the joys of the freedom of business ownership. Today Spaulding Decon cleans up messy, toxic, and at times emotionally traumatic crime scenes. But that's only...
Some people believe that launching a business is stressful. Uncertainty exists no matter how well you plan your to-do list or schedule your time. However, there are two sides to a coin. Most businesses collapse due to financial factors such as the entrepreneur running out of cash, being incapable of paying workers, or not...
The media can be an incredibly useful resource for your business — providing opportunities to gain exposure, get in front of your target audience, drive traffic to your website, and connect with potential customers. Yet taking advantage of publicity opportunities often seems more easily said than done when you’re first starting a business. True, getting...
