Last week I was in Atlanta at Brent Leary’s Social Biz Atlanta I was mobbed (well in my dreams) by people wanting to buy The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing. Thankfully I had a mobile credit card reader with me and was able to swipe cards and manually enter cards from my phone - not losing a sale.
Fabian Saide  a partner and Commercial Director of Red Efectiva , a fast-growing transaction processing company based in Monterrey, Mexico,
Here’s three reasons he feels every business should consider mobile credit card processing:
Additional sales. Mobile credit card payments can be accepted anywhere at any time. This is exceptionally beneficial for businesses that are out in the field and traveling to trade shows, craft fairs, sporting events and more.
Convenience. Most people have their mobile phones with them 24/7. Consumers and businesses can use applications to accept and make credit card payments as long as they have their phones.
No Capital Costs. Businesses do not need to invest in expensive technology equipment for mobile credit card transactions. All they need isa tiny credit card reader that attaches to a compatible mobile device.
Last week I was in Atlanta at Brent Leary’s Social Biz Atlanta I was mobbed (well in my dreams) by people wanting to buy The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing. Thankfully I had a mobile credit card reader with me and was able to swipe cards and manually enter cards from my phone - not losing a sale.
Fabian Saide  a partner and Commercial Director of Red Efectiva , a fast-growing transaction processing company based in Monterrey, Mexico,
Here’s three reasons he feels every business should consider mobile credit card processing:
Additional sales. Mobile credit card payments can be accepted anywhere at any time. This is exceptionally beneficial for businesses that are out in the field and traveling to trade shows, craft fairs, sporting events and more.
Convenience. Most people have their mobile phones with them 24/7. Consumers and businesses can use applications to accept and make credit card payments as long as they have their phones.
No Capital Costs. Businesses do not need to invest in expensive technology equipment for mobile credit card transactions. All they need isa tiny credit card reader that attaches to a compatible mobile device.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Like the rest of the world, the day-to-day function of the Internet relies on trust, according to author and security luminary Bruce Schneier. However, that trust is being frequently and seriously violated by many of companies that dominate the Internet.
In this video interview, Schneier, chief technology security officer with BT Counterpane, discusses the ways in which trust -- and, in turn, data privacy -- is threatened on the Internet, and explains how Google, Apple and others have adopted a feudal model of security, in which their customers have little, if any, recourse to ever reclaim data that rightfully belongs to them.
There are hundreds of viable online applications that a business owner can choose from, file sharing from Dropbox or Box, hosted security solutions from Symantec and many other options.
While many of us are comfortable picking our own online applications, it can be  bit daunting for new users to know which online software to pick and use.
Comcast Corporation, recently  announced the Upware™ marketplace, a suite of cloud-based business solutions that can be purchased through one integrated web portal. The Upware marketplace contains a carefully selected list of third-party, cloud-based business applications from industry-leading companies in key categories such as data backup, data security, and collaboration. With Upware, according to the press release, Comcast has chosen a select group of top-tier vendors that meet a strict set of security, redundancy and customer service requirements and can provide both the best performance as well as ease of use for businesses. Organized on the online portal in “aisles†by technology, the vendors include:
“We know small business owners and we know what tools they need to grow their businesses,†said Kevin O’Toole, Senior Vice President and General Manager, New Business Solutions at Comcast Business Services. “Upware simplifies what can be a complex world of choices when evaluating cloud-based services. With the choice of these top vendors, business owners can quickly choose what tools they need to run their businesses and keep their focus on their number one priority - serving their customers.â€
For larger small businesses, it’s great to have a company, like Comcast backing your hosted application if something goes wrong.
Comcast provides, single sign on for the business owner to add/remove employees. So gives the business owner better control and management of employee usernames and passwords. This is very helpful for when your business grows and you have to scale. It makes it easier to manage when an employee leaves the company.
Also, one phone number to call for support. Call Comcast and they’ll troubleshoot and manage everything from the customer’s Business Class Internet, Upware marketplace and even the software applications themselves.
Another U.S. Presidential election campaign has come to a close and the political analysts and statisticians have sifted through the results and the data. Many interesting trends and facts have shaped our understanding of why Americans voted the way they did.
This analysis is already being used for the next election in 2014. For those of us in the sales business, the presidential election can teach us a lot about how to motivate people, how to close the deal and how to make the most efficient use of customer data to help nurture sales leads.
Below are a few lessons from the U.S. presidential election that sales people should take to heart
Reward Your Most Loyal and Enthusiastic Customers
Every presidential campaign is an exercise in “rallying the base†- presidential campaigns don’t usually try to persuade voters from the other party. Instead, they focus much of their resources on trying to motivate and inspire the voters from their own party who were already likely to vote.
The reason is simple: By rallying the base, political campaigns can get their most dedicated supporters to give money, volunteer and spread the message of the campaign on social media in a way that will hopefully reach more voters than television ads could.
In the same way, sales people need to constantly build relationships with existing customers. Who are your most loyal customers These are your organization’s “base,†those more likely to refer you to their friends and colleagues. Instead of trying to constantly introduce your company to new sales leads, who might not know anything about you and might be hesitant to take your call, you might get better sales results by “rallying the base.â€
Reach out to loyal customers who have bought from you before (and who have referred you to others).
Back to Basics Tactics Often Bring the Biggest Results
There is a new book about the surprisingly successful tactics of presidential campaigns called “The Victory Lab,†which discusses how some of the most “old fashioned†and mundane campaign tactics can have the biggest results.
For example, two of the ways that have proven most effective at boosting voter turnout are personal door knocking and phone calls from volunteers. Not robo-calls or television ads. There are many parallels like this between the worlds of politics and sales. Many sales people get caught up in technology and rely too heavily on their customer relationship management system and other tools.
While technology is important, one of the biggest ways to ensure sales success is to keep doing the mundane. The less exciting work of dialing prospects and setting up appointments and working through the sales cycle.
Know Your Customers
In the 2012 presidential election, both the Obama campaign and Romney campaign were trying to reach a narrow sliver of undecided voters. These two “brands†were basically competing for the same tiny pool of “customers,†trying to close the deal on election day.
One of the most important tasks for each campaign was to conduct internal polling and tracking to make sure they were targeting the right voters. It does no good for a campaign to spend money and time talking to voters who were already going to vote for the other candidate. Accuracy in the collection and analysis of this “customer data†is one of the most underrated aspects of the modern presidential campaign.
In the same way, sales people need to make sure they understand their own customer data by focusing on the right metrics and analytics. Just like a campaign has internal polling that helps them focus attention on the right voters, your company needs to identify the most promising prospects at each stage of the sales cycle. So you don’t waste time, effort and resources trying to sell to people who aren’t ready to buy or who aren’t the right fit.
In many ways, sales is a more forgiving business than presidential politics. There is not just one “winner†in sales. Even if you fail to close the deal with a customer today, you can make up for it tomorrow.
But there are many lessons that sales people can learn from the results and process of the 2012 presidential election: rally the base, get back to basics on your sales tactics and use technology and data analysis to focus your efforts on the right sales prospects at each stage of the sales cycle.
There are hundreds of viable online applications that a business owner can choose from, file sharing from Dropbox or Box, hosted security solutions from Symantec and many other options.
While many of us are comfortable picking our own online applications, it can be  bit daunting for new users to know which online software to pick and use.
Comcast Corporation, recently  announced the Upware™ marketplace, a suite of cloud-based business solutions that can be purchased through one integrated web portal. The Upware marketplace contains a carefully selected list of third-party, cloud-based business applications from industry-leading companies in key categories such as data backup, data security, and collaboration. With Upware, according to the press release, Comcast has chosen a select group of top-tier vendors that meet a strict set of security, redundancy and customer service requirements and can provide both the best performance as well as ease of use for businesses. Organized on the online portal in “aisles†by technology, the vendors include:
“We know small business owners and we know what tools they need to grow their businesses,†said Kevin O’Toole, Senior Vice President and General Manager, New Business Solutions at Comcast Business Services. “Upware simplifies what can be a complex world of choices when evaluating cloud-based services. With the choice of these top vendors, business owners can quickly choose what tools they need to run their businesses and keep their focus on their number one priority - serving their customers.â€
For larger small businesses, it’s great to have a company, like Comcast backing your hosted application if something goes wrong.
Comcast provides, single sign on for the business owner to add/remove employees. So gives the business owner better control and management of employee usernames and passwords. This is very helpful for when your business grows and you have to scale. It makes it easier to manage when an employee leaves the company.
Also, one phone number to call for support. Call Comcast and they’ll troubleshoot and manage everything from the customer’s Business Class Internet, Upware marketplace and even the software applications themselves.
Another U.S. Presidential election campaign has come to a close and the political analysts and statisticians have sifted through the results and the data. Many interesting trends and facts have shaped our understanding of why Americans voted the way they did.
This analysis is already being used for the next election in 2014. For those of us in the sales business, the presidential election can teach us a lot about how to motivate people, how to close the deal and how to make the most efficient use of customer data to help nurture sales leads.
Below are a few lessons from the U.S. presidential election that sales people should take to heart
Reward Your Most Loyal and Enthusiastic Customers
Every presidential campaign is an exercise in “rallying the base†- presidential campaigns don’t usually try to persuade voters from the other party. Instead, they focus much of their resources on trying to motivate and inspire the voters from their own party who were already likely to vote.
The reason is simple: By rallying the base, political campaigns can get their most dedicated supporters to give money, volunteer and spread the message of the campaign on social media in a way that will hopefully reach more voters than television ads could.
In the same way, sales people need to constantly build relationships with existing customers. Who are your most loyal customers These are your organization’s “base,†those more likely to refer you to their friends and colleagues. Instead of trying to constantly introduce your company to new sales leads, who might not know anything about you and might be hesitant to take your call, you might get better sales results by “rallying the base.â€
Reach out to loyal customers who have bought from you before (and who have referred you to others).
Back to Basics Tactics Often Bring the Biggest Results
There is a new book about the surprisingly successful tactics of presidential campaigns called “The Victory Lab,†which discusses how some of the most “old fashioned†and mundane campaign tactics can have the biggest results.
For example, two of the ways that have proven most effective at boosting voter turnout are personal door knocking and phone calls from volunteers. Not robo-calls or television ads. There are many parallels like this between the worlds of politics and sales. Many sales people get caught up in technology and rely too heavily on their customer relationship management system and other tools.
While technology is important, one of the biggest ways to ensure sales success is to keep doing the mundane. The less exciting work of dialing prospects and setting up appointments and working through the sales cycle.
Know Your Customers
In the 2012 presidential election, both the Obama campaign and Romney campaign were trying to reach a narrow sliver of undecided voters. These two “brands†were basically competing for the same tiny pool of “customers,†trying to close the deal on election day.
One of the most important tasks for each campaign was to conduct internal polling and tracking to make sure they were targeting the right voters. It does no good for a campaign to spend money and time talking to voters who were already going to vote for the other candidate. Accuracy in the collection and analysis of this “customer data†is one of the most underrated aspects of the modern presidential campaign.
In the same way, sales people need to make sure they understand their own customer data by focusing on the right metrics and analytics. Just like a campaign has internal polling that helps them focus attention on the right voters, your company needs to identify the most promising prospects at each stage of the sales cycle. So you don’t waste time, effort and resources trying to sell to people who aren’t ready to buy or who aren’t the right fit.
In many ways, sales is a more forgiving business than presidential politics. There is not just one “winner†in sales. Even if you fail to close the deal with a customer today, you can make up for it tomorrow.
But there are many lessons that sales people can learn from the results and process of the 2012 presidential election: rally the base, get back to basics on your sales tactics and use technology and data analysis to focus your efforts on the right sales prospects at each stage of the sales cycle.
There are hundreds of viable online applications that a business owner can choose from, file sharing from Dropbox or Box, hosted security solutions from Symantec and many other options.
While many of us are comfortable picking our own online applications, it can be  bit daunting for new users to know which online software to pick and use.
Comcast Corporation, recently  announced the Upware™ marketplace, a suite of cloud-based business solutions that can be purchased through one integrated web portal. The Upware marketplace contains a carefully selected list of third-party, cloud-based business applications from industry-leading companies in key categories such as data backup, data security, and collaboration. With Upware, according to the press release, Comcast has chosen a select group of top-tier vendors that meet a strict set of security, redundancy and customer service requirements and can provide both the best performance as well as ease of use for businesses. Organized on the online portal in “aisles†by technology, the vendors include:
“We know small business owners and we know what tools they need to grow their businesses,†said Kevin O’Toole, Senior Vice President and General Manager, New Business Solutions at Comcast Business Services. “Upware simplifies what can be a complex world of choices when evaluating cloud-based services. With the choice of these top vendors, business owners can quickly choose what tools they need to run their businesses and keep their focus on their number one priority - serving their customers.â€
For larger small businesses, it’s great to have a company, like Comcast backing your hosted application if something goes wrong.
Comcast provides, single sign on for the business owner to add/remove employees. So gives the business owner better control and management of employee usernames and passwords. This is very helpful for when your business grows and you have to scale. It makes it easier to manage when an employee leaves the company.
Also, one phone number to call for support. Call Comcast and they’ll troubleshoot and manage everything from the customer’s Business Class Internet, Upware marketplace and even the software applications themselves.
There is good news for small businesses across the globe. World renowned mobile application development pioneer App Direct has partnered with The Small Business Web, the trade association for cloud-based software for small businesses, to launch the Small Business Web Directory. This partnership creates the most comprehensive source of cloud applications for businesses.
So what do you get from the Small Business Web Directory
The Small Business Web Directory offers almost 200 applications in a range of categoriesâ€"including accounting, human resources, email marketing, and moreâ€"to help small businesses manage their operations more effectively. The idea behind this joint venture was to allow small business enterprises to make use of the latest technological advancements for the benefit of their business, with lower costs and less hassle. This would allow them to penetrate the market even further, thereby increasing sales volume as well.
This ideology was made crystal clear by Daniel Saks, President and Co-CEO of App Direct, who stated “a company’s size should never be a barrier to its success, especially when it comes to technology. Through our partnership with the Small Business Web, we’re able to help small businesses find, try and buy the best applications for their companiesâ€.
The Small Business Web Directory benefits not just the small business community. There are tons of app developers who are struggling to persuade takers for their apps which may have great business value but are ignored on the basis of lack of exposure to a global level. With this joint venture, App Direct and Small Business Web have opened up a whole new world for developers to interact with potential business clients and help garner investments for their products.
The reason behind so many experts believing that this venture is going to be highly successful is because of the utilization of Open API’s in the directory during development of apps which enables creation of Open Programs that can be customized later which improves flexibility as well.
According to Pamela O’Hara, Chair of The Small Business Web and CEO of Batchbook, “the enterprise software can be rather restrictive that make it more difficult for small businesses to manage their companies. With open development standards, it’s believed that these small businesses will have the flexibility they need to grow without the software hassleâ€.
Why the cloud element
The answer to this is obviously known to everyone. When you have a service like cloud integrated with a revolutionary business platform like the Small Business Web Directory, then the combination can become a deadly force to help businesses tackle the obstacles that they face especially small and medium business enterprises. When cloud computing service delivery is possible on demand, it cuts down on costs, which will ultimately benefit your business enterprise. The only obstacle you’ll face is choosing which cloud applications are the right ones for your business.
So as far as small and medium business enterprises are concerned, having a new solution to find cloud-based open source software is a huge benefit, from both a cost and operational perspective. Hopefully we’ll see more partnerships, such as this one, popping up in the near future to help small businesses reach greater success and sustainability.
There is good news for small businesses across the globe. World renowned mobile application development pioneer App Direct has partnered with The Small Business Web, the trade association for cloud-based software for small businesses, to launch the Small Business Web Directory. This partnership creates the most comprehensive source of cloud applications for businesses.
So what do you get from the Small Business Web Directory
The Small Business Web Directory offers almost 200 applications in a range of categoriesâ€"including accounting, human resources, email marketing, and moreâ€"to help small businesses manage their operations more effectively. The idea behind this joint venture was to allow small business enterprises to make use of the latest technological advancements for the benefit of their business, with lower costs and less hassle. This would allow them to penetrate the market even further, thereby increasing sales volume as well.
This ideology was made crystal clear by Daniel Saks, President and Co-CEO of App Direct, who stated “a company’s size should never be a barrier to its success, especially when it comes to technology. Through our partnership with the Small Business Web, we’re able to help small businesses find, try and buy the best applications for their companiesâ€.
The Small Business Web Directory benefits not just the small business community. There are tons of app developers who are struggling to persuade takers for their apps which may have great business value but are ignored on the basis of lack of exposure to a global level. With this joint venture, App Direct and Small Business Web have opened up a whole new world for developers to interact with potential business clients and help garner investments for their products.
The reason behind so many experts believing that this venture is going to be highly successful is because of the utilization of Open API’s in the directory during development of apps which enables creation of Open Programs that can be customized later which improves flexibility as well.
According to Pamela O’Hara, Chair of The Small Business Web and CEO of Batchbook, “the enterprise software can be rather restrictive that make it more difficult for small businesses to manage their companies. With open development standards, it’s believed that these small businesses will have the flexibility they need to grow without the software hassleâ€.
Why the cloud element
The answer to this is obviously known to everyone. When you have a service like cloud integrated with a revolutionary business platform like the Small Business Web Directory, then the combination can become a deadly force to help businesses tackle the obstacles that they face especially small and medium business enterprises. When cloud computing service delivery is possible on demand, it cuts down on costs, which will ultimately benefit your business enterprise. The only obstacle you’ll face is choosing which cloud applications are the right ones for your business.
So as far as small and medium business enterprises are concerned, having a new solution to find cloud-based open source software is a huge benefit, from both a cost and operational perspective. Hopefully we’ll see more partnerships, such as this one, popping up in the near future to help small businesses reach greater success and sustainability.
Ramon Ray, editor of Smallbiztechnology.com, is putting together the very first ‘Small Business Meetup‘ at SXSW 2013.
The Small Business Meetup is a chance to get together with other small business experts for an hour of brainstorming, idea building, networking, friend-making and career enhancement.  It’s also a chance for those not in the small business or technology space to learn more about this segment of the industry.
The Small Business Meetup will take place on March 9th from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm (CST) at the Proof Annex, 711 E. 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701. Â You can register for the free event here, or use the registration link below:
If you are at SXSW this year, please stop by and take advantage of this great opportunity to mingle with some great professionals…and don’t forget to say hello to Ramon!
Most would agree that Facebook is a valuable marketing venue for small businesses. Tune in as Ramon Ray, Editor and Technology Evangelist for SmallBizTechnology, joins Brent Leary to discuss his timely new book, “The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing.†Ramon shares Facebook tips he learned while researching the book.
* * * * *
Small Business Trends: Why did you write the book, “The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketingâ€
Ramon Ray: Small businesses need help marketing. I think that many of them are highly confused by marketing overall. Facebook is one of the biggest platforms out there. There’s Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Plus and more.
I had to research and study it. I found that it is a great platform for small businesses for testing. I would dare say it is the new Google AdWords. Adwords was really hot and it is still is. But Facebook is now the place where many small businesses are.
Small Business Trends: How successful are small businesses with marketing and how successful have they been when integrating Facebook into their marketing strategy
Ramon Ray: For some, it is wildly successful. But I think, in general, marketing overall is still a challenge.
I think the benefits small businesses are having with Facebook, the smart ones, the successful ones, are not trying to sell so much. Â They are just trying to be your friend, trying to be my friend, trying to just be friends - and over time, sell to you.
Small Business Trends: What are some of the surprising misconceptions that you see small business have when it comes to Facebook marketing
Ramon Ray: Some don’t realize how easy it is. If you don’t type well, you know what You can you pull out your phone and click a button. Do a five to 10 word subject line and do it twice a day, or whatever the time frame is. I think that is the most surprising thing. That it is easy to do and the barrier to interest people is so low, you can make mistakes.
Unlike doing a test on a $10,0000 radio ad. Â You can do a $50 test on Facebook and innovate to make it better and better.
Small Business Trends: Are you thinking that people feel it is too complex
Ramon Ray: I think complexity is still a bit worrisome for some. You have to track this stuff. You have to do analysis on it to know, my first ad was blue and I got 550 clicks. I made changed it to yellow and I got 75 clicks. It takes a bit of time to do that and get it right. But you do have to do it.
Small Business Trends: How are companies measuring success Is it just dollars Is it new customers or is it keeping the customers longer
Ramon Ray:PetFlow is one. I talked to their founder and he told me the best lesson he learned for using Facebook was:
“I have stopped trying to advertise to the people that I want to buy my products. I don’t do that on Facebook anymore. What I do is, engage with those who are interested in what I am selling, if you get the difference. I am not worrying about if you want to buy it.â€
In his case, he is not trying to find out if you want dog food. Instead, he puts a photo up and asks which dog picture you like better. He can find people who love dogs and then he can go a little deeper if you follow what I am saying
Small Business Trends: You are tying into their emotions a bit more.
Ramon Ray: That is absolutely correct. Very few of us go to Facebook and say, “What can I buy†We are chatting and we are having a good time. Therefore, those companies who want us to buy there are going to have to have a good time with us in that environment.
Small Business Trends: You’ve devoted a whole chapter to using Facebook to generate local store foot traffic.
Ramon Ray: You know that is one of my favorite sections. I think what I like about Facebook, going back to the central tenant of it, is that it’s about relationships. I go into my local store, I shake the hand of the owner, here is my little bag of candy sweets, bread or whatever it is. Maybe now they will take a photo of me and say, “Here is our newest customer.† And then post it to their Facebook page.
Or maybe they will say, “When you stop by, check in on Facebook and we will give you a discount.†Other companies are doing that. So what I like about Facebook is, it keeps that warm Laura Ingalls like, you know that. . .
Small Business Trends: Little house on the prairie. . .
Ramon Ray: Right. That main street aspect of. “I like you, you like me.† Human connectivity with a song. I think that is where Facebook has an edge.
Small Business Trends: What are some important tools businesses need to be aware of that help them leverage Facebook for marketing
Ramon Ray: One is Facebook Analytics. I think whether you have a page or a profile or whatever it is you are analyzing, just go to Facebook Insights and know what’s there. You can go down to gender level, male, female and where they are coming from - all of that.
When you want to go to the higher level, there are a number of different third party tools out there that help you to add customize tabs or apps to your Facebook page. As you know, I have worked for Infusionsoft. They just bought a company called GroSocial so that is one app. There are many others.
I think that once you get to that level it’s not even tools so much. Just check your page and respond back to people. If someone says, “Dear sir, I bought your cookies for my grandmother, I like them a lot.†Please reply back and say, “Thank you.â€
Small Business Trends: What are the top 2 or 3 things you want people to walk away with after reading the book
Ramon Ray: I hope this book helps you with social media, overall. I would also say to take pictures. I can go deep, but I think that is the biggest thing.
Small Business Trends: Where can people learn more about the book,“The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketing†Â
This interview is part of our One on One series of conversations with some of the most thought-provoking entrepreneurs, authors and experts in business today. This interview has been edited for publication. To hear audio of the full interview, click the right arrow on the gray player below. You can also see more interviews in our interview series.
Ramon Ray, editor of Smallbiztechnology.com, is putting together the very first ‘Small Business Meetup‘ at SXSW 2013.
The Small Business Meetup is a chance to get together with other small business experts for an hour of brainstorming, idea building, networking, friend-making and career enhancement.  It’s also a chance for those not in the small business or technology space to learn more about this segment of the industry.
The Small Business Meetup will take place on March 9th from 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm (CST) at the Proof Annex, 711 E. 6th Street, Austin, TX 78701. Â You can register for the free event here, or use the registration link below:
If you are at SXSW this year, please stop by and take advantage of this great opportunity to mingle with some great professionals…and don’t forget to say hello to Ramon!
Small businesses often need only reach customers within a small radius. Until recently, these businesses simply placed ads in local newspapers and through local TV and radio stations to reach those customers. But with the rapid growth of social media marketing and online advertising services, local businesses are left looking for ways to narrow marketing to local customers.
Several exciting tools provide local businesses with the ability to target ads to only those people in the immediate area. By maximizing marketing efforts, businesses can save time while maximizing ROI.
Facebook Advertising-Facebook advertisers are required to at least specify a target country for ads. Experts recommend shifting ads for various zip codes to maximize success. If your business services areas with very set demographics, you can create a different ad for each area, specifying zip codes for each one. Since Facebook is still the most popular social media site, it’s a great way to reach local customers as they’re connecting with friends. Don’t forget traditional Facebook marketing. Your business likely has a largely local following, so posting current specials and new products or services can be a great way to reach local customers without spending a dime.
Google Local-Through Google Plus Local, local businesses can set up a presence to get the attention of local customers. With Google Adwords’ Express, ads are presented based on where the Google user is located when he or she initiates a search, ensuring ads are seen only by those in the immediate area.
Yelp-For small businesses, a presence on Yelp is a must. Yelp provides local businesses targeted ads through ads on its search engine and on pages for related businesses. This locally-targeted ad placement is especially important in the mobile age, since Yelp’s users are increasingly searching for businesses on mobile devices.
Manta-Manta specializes in spotlighting businesses, so the site is naturally accommodating to local businesses. Manta offers several ways for businesses to pay for better exposure on local business pages on the site. Businesses have the option of paying for premium business listings on the site, as well as building pages that will show up more prominently in Google search rankings. Manta also offers more widespread ad placement, but the site’s small business feature lets small businesses create pages that will help them network with other businesses and reach customers.
edo Marketplace-edo Interactive recently unveiled edo Marketplace, an advertising initiative that allows businesses to extend offers to specific local customers. Offers are specifically tailored to individual customers’ shopping habits, with businesses able to measure ROI using real-time analytics. edo Marketplace will be rolled into 2Go Media, but businesses can use the service as a standalone application.
As small businesses investigate new ways to reach local customers in the electronic age, popular sites will continue to find ways to target ads to a narrow group of customers. With today’s advanced analytics, it’s possible to not only target to users in a certain area, but also to customize ads to a customer’s buying history, browsing and web search behaviors, and specific demographics.
Small businesses often need only reach customers within a small radius. Until recently, these businesses simply placed ads in local newspapers and through local TV and radio stations to reach those customers. But with the rapid growth of social media marketing and online advertising services, local businesses are left looking for ways to narrow marketing to local customers.
Several exciting tools provide local businesses with the ability to target ads to only those people in the immediate area. By maximizing marketing efforts, businesses can save time while maximizing ROI.
Facebook Advertising-Facebook advertisers are required to at least specify a target country for ads. Experts recommend shifting ads for various zip codes to maximize success. If your business services areas with very set demographics, you can create a different ad for each area, specifying zip codes for each one. Since Facebook is still the most popular social media site, it’s a great way to reach local customers as they’re connecting with friends. Don’t forget traditional Facebook marketing. Your business likely has a largely local following, so posting current specials and new products or services can be a great way to reach local customers without spending a dime.
Google Local-Through Google Plus Local, local businesses can set up a presence to get the attention of local customers. With Google Adwords’ Express, ads are presented based on where the Google user is located when he or she initiates a search, ensuring ads are seen only by those in the immediate area.
Yelp-For small businesses, a presence on Yelp is a must. Yelp provides local businesses targeted ads through ads on its search engine and on pages for related businesses. This locally-targeted ad placement is especially important in the mobile age, since Yelp’s users are increasingly searching for businesses on mobile devices.
Manta-Manta specializes in spotlighting businesses, so the site is naturally accommodating to local businesses. Manta offers several ways for businesses to pay for better exposure on local business pages on the site. Businesses have the option of paying for premium business listings on the site, as well as building pages that will show up more prominently in Google search rankings. Manta also offers more widespread ad placement, but the site’s small business feature lets small businesses create pages that will help them network with other businesses and reach customers.
edo Marketplace-edo Interactive recently unveiled edo Marketplace, an advertising initiative that allows businesses to extend offers to specific local customers. Offers are specifically tailored to individual customers’ shopping habits, with businesses able to measure ROI using real-time analytics. edo Marketplace will be rolled into 2Go Media, but businesses can use the service as a standalone application.
As small businesses investigate new ways to reach local customers in the electronic age, popular sites will continue to find ways to target ads to a narrow group of customers. With today’s advanced analytics, it’s possible to not only target to users in a certain area, but also to customize ads to a customer’s buying history, browsing and web search behaviors, and specific demographics.
Small businesses often need only reach customers within a small radius. Until recently, these businesses simply placed ads in local newspapers and through local TV and radio stations to reach those customers. But with the rapid growth of social media marketing and online advertising services, local businesses are left looking for ways to narrow marketing to local customers.
Several exciting tools provide local businesses with the ability to target ads to only those people in the immediate area. By maximizing marketing efforts, businesses can save time while maximizing ROI.
Facebook Advertising-Facebook advertisers are required to at least specify a target country for ads. Experts recommend shifting ads for various zip codes to maximize success. If your business services areas with very set demographics, you can create a different ad for each area, specifying zip codes for each one. Since Facebook is still the most popular social media site, it’s a great way to reach local customers as they’re connecting with friends. Don’t forget traditional Facebook marketing. Your business likely has a largely local following, so posting current specials and new products or services can be a great way to reach local customers without spending a dime.
Google Local-Through Google Plus Local, local businesses can set up a presence to get the attention of local customers. With Google Adwords’ Express, ads are presented based on where the Google user is located when he or she initiates a search, ensuring ads are seen only by those in the immediate area.
Yelp-For small businesses, a presence on Yelp is a must. Yelp provides local businesses targeted ads through ads on its search engine and on pages for related businesses. This locally-targeted ad placement is especially important in the mobile age, since Yelp’s users are increasingly searching for businesses on mobile devices.
Manta-Manta specializes in spotlighting businesses, so the site is naturally accommodating to local businesses. Manta offers several ways for businesses to pay for better exposure on local business pages on the site. Businesses have the option of paying for premium business listings on the site, as well as building pages that will show up more prominently in Google search rankings. Manta also offers more widespread ad placement, but the site’s small business feature lets small businesses create pages that will help them network with other businesses and reach customers.
edo Marketplace-edo Interactive recently unveiled edo Marketplace, an advertising initiative that allows businesses to extend offers to specific local customers. Offers are specifically tailored to individual customers’ shopping habits, with businesses able to measure ROI using real-time analytics. edo Marketplace will be rolled into 2Go Media, but businesses can use the service as a standalone application.
As small businesses investigate new ways to reach local customers in the electronic age, popular sites will continue to find ways to target ads to a narrow group of customers. With today’s advanced analytics, it’s possible to not only target to users in a certain area, but also to customize ads to a customer’s buying history, browsing and web search behaviors, and specific demographics.
I love the noon business report on my local radio station. Every day they talk about the economy, interesting companies and the financial markets. It’s good stuff, but my favorite part is the jargon.
Prices are mixed, growth is negative, triggers are pulled - it’s like a cartoonist’s candy store.
So when a guest complained of “sales flattening†during a recent interview, my ears perked up and this business cartoon wasn’t far behind.
Logging and monitoring technologies have been described as dead, as security needs to become more Big Data aware.
Speaking to SC Magazine RSA chief information security officer Eddie Schwartz, who was head of NetWitness at the time of its acquisition by RSA and has recently overseen its solutions developed into RSA's Security Analytics technology, said that security incident and event management (SIEM) technology is now effectively dead.
He said: “SIEM and logging are a dead space. What has happened recently is you need more people to manage the data in the enterprise and focus intelligence from all sources in your infrastructure into the backend data manager.
“SIEM will continue to be important for organisations at some level of log management, such as the small-to-medium enterprise who are looking at it for compliance. But to deal with advanced threats and focus on the network and go by reputation, you have to go beyond the SIEM. You can build your own system with a data warehouse or you can use a managed partner, but who builds their own technology SIEM has limited visibility.â€
Schwartz said that incidents are often logged after the event, and you need to look inside and that is what comes from intelligence-driven security. He said: “You cannot live on an island and see things separately. We wonder why we fail at security, intelligence-driven security will continue to help towards better security management and now Big Data transforms security.â€
Schwartz echoed comments made by Art Coviello, executive vice president of EMC and executive chairman of RSA, who in his opening keynote at the RSA Conference said that the limits of SIEM have been reached. He said: “Fundamentally, Big Data is about the ability to extract meaning, to sort through the masses of data elements and find the hidden patterns, the unexpected correlation, the surprising connection.
“It's about analysing vast and complex unstructured data sets at high speed, to solve innumerable problems across a wide spectrum of industrial, non-commercial and governmental organisations. Big Data has the potential to transform our lives for the better, our health, environment, our livelihoods, and almost every facet of our daily lives. Yet, we are only at the dawn of Big Data.â€
Asked if there is a need for technology that looks deeper, Schwartz welcomed recent comments about context-aware security, saying that was what NetWitness was talking about in 2006. He said: “It is about visibility, traditional anti-virus has known for ten years that it needs to be more context-aware as anti-virus solutions are shifting to detect and mitigate and if you look at anti-virus and intrusion detection systems (IDS), you need to move to solutions that offer advanced analysis.
“You can use our tools and third party tools and know what the effectiveness of the tool is in a campaign. It really is more and more a change in the effectiveness of anti-virus and IDS and any CISO will tell you they agree, as they need more deep inspection and third-party intelligence.
Asked about how Big Data is changing RSA's business model, Schwartz said that it will take time to get there, but it will help understand what the business is doing. “The train really has left the station and we should have been on it a whole [long time] ago as we need visibility into the data centre and to call it secure,†he said.
“Big Data won't be fixed in 2013, but we will see it explode in the enterprise as some will say they are not ready yet, but more vendors will take on Big Data and it is a world of innovation and the good news is we are leading the pack.â€
Small businesses are seeking ways to tighten their belts and cut business costs without sacrificing growth. As a small business owner, you can cut costs simply by reducing incidental spending.
For example, some businesses are buying less paper, staplers, snacks and coffee machines to tighten their budgets, according to a recent report from Sam’s Club where many small companies buy these items for their offices at a discount.
However, making choices that lead to a more efficient and effective organization is a better way to cut your business costs while boosting profits. Here are 10 approaches you can try:
Don’t let your budget be a static one, created at the beginning of the year and almost never consulted again. Small business consultant Brad Farris explains how a dynamic budget checked regularly and adjusted as your business evolves can tell you when it’s time to invest more in marketing and when to cut business costs by waiting on that bigger office. He also shares an e-book on how to create a dynamic budget of your own. Initiative for a Competitive Inner City
At first this might seem like a marketing tip, but behind it lurks a question about the efficient use of your company’s resources. Claiborne Yarbough, the business development manager for North Carolina-based inbound marketing agency Paveya, explains the dangers of scrimping on Internet marketing and suggests moving more of your resources to the Web for better, more consistent results. Resource Nation
You may think market research is just for huge corporations. Not so, writes Maryalene LaPonsie. First, market research can be done cost effectively without devoting much budget to the effort. Second, research is a first step to developing specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely goals for your business, giving you the best results at the least cost. Small Business Computing
Focusing on a few key areas will maximize your profits while cutting business costs, suggests Steve Greenbaum. Improve your brand’s image, identify website objectives, optimize your Web presence, practice good accounting, and be disciplined about customer acquisition. Following these tips can increase your chance of success while cutting unnecessary costs. Fox Small Business Center
Software entrepreneur Russ Warner has simple but effective advice for making your business perform like a much larger company without the big budget. Simply borrow best practices from other organizations and add instant sophistication to your own while you cut business costs. Warner runs down some basic ideas that have served him well when improving his sales team. Huffington Post
Okay, this may seem like just more sales or marketing advice. But remember, time is money. Building a unique business message allows you to articulate your value proposition, explains Michael Bowers. This will decrease the time it takes you to close new sales, saving you money while increasing revenue. Bowers discusses a few simple ways to create your unique message today. Ideas to Deals
Greg Taylor lists six reasons your business should consider flexible content management System WordPress when developing your online presence. In addition to all of its other great features, WordPress may be one of the most affordable resources in its class, helping you cut business costs. It’s an option Taylor insists is good for any budget. Business 2 Community
Of course, guest blogger Miranda Marquit insists you should also be sure you don’t pay too little. Marquit gives a guide on how to find reasonably priced developers for your Website as a way to cut business costs. Pay too much and you’ll deplete your funds. Pay too little and you may find the cost of countless errors too much for your budget to bear. Don’t Do It Yourself
Cloud-based accounting is a way to cut business costs on expensive software you need to maintain your ledger. These solutions will save you money in another way too: They’re a more efficient way of keeping an eye on your budget and identifying other places you can cut costs. Here are five inexpensive cloud-based solutions to meet your needs. CIO
Well, maybe not everything. One way that technology cuts business costs is by letting us cheaply and easily outsource tasks we don’t have time or talent to take on. Hiring employees to do some of this work would be costly and impractical. Gina Rushton shares these suggestions about jobs that might be easier to outsource. Dynamic Business
Response times to incidents can often take a week or even longer.
According to the (ISC)² 2013 Global Information Security Workforce Study, 41 per cent of its 12,000+ respondents said that it can take a week to respond to security incidents, while 28 per cent said that they could respond in a day.
John Colley, managing director of (ISC)2 for EMEA, told SC Magazine that this is something that is very difficult to assess, as businesses are either very good or they do not know. “If you know what is going on you report it, but this is still a significant percentage for a week,†he said.
Speaking at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Art Gillland, senior vice president and general manager of HP enterprise security products, said that its research shows that the average time to detect a breach is 416 days, while 96 per cent of breaches were identified by a third party and four per cent were detected internally.
Last year's Verizon data breach investigations report (DBIR) found that in 54 per cent of cases, the time to discover an attack was often months, and it was weeks for 29 per cent of companies. Only two per cent of those attacked discovered the breach within a matter of hours. Within larger organisations, 39 per cent discovered in months, 27 per cent in days and 24 per cent in weeks.
Speaking to SC Magazine, Verizon Business principal Jay Jacobs said that there is a difference between the time to remediate and the discovery of an attack, as remediation is about how fast things can be done. “Mid-sized companies will be best here as they are not too big or too small,†he said.
“When you learn of something new, this is what affects the response time. If you have an extended business then it will not be quick, but it is more about the response of the organisation and the time they take to do a better reflection of their security, threats and environment. If you focus on the time element, then the discovery method is quicker.â€
The (ISC)2 report also discovered that 31 per cent of smaller companies (fewer than 500 employees) believe they can remediate in one day and 44 per cent within a week. Very larger companies (10,000 or more employees) said that 28 per cent can remediate in one day, while 29 per cent could remediate within a week. Also, respondents in very large organisations chose 'don't know' to a greater extent (18 per cent) than smaller companies (12 per cent).
Verizon also announced that its DBIR for 2013 will contain reports from 18 partners, a rise from five for last year, including data from computer emergency readiness teams (Certs), auditors and private organisations.
Jacobs said: “We wanted to broaden it and get a perception of everything out there so we could collect and it could be more complex.â€
Wade Baker, managing principal of the risk team and principal author of the DBIR, said: “The additional contributing security organisations will enable us to paint an even clearer picture of the threat landscape facing businesses today. This added insight will make a difference in helping organisations around the globe put the right defence in place. Today's cyber landscape remains a tough one to navigate, and unfortunately, we believe it will continue to remain challenging in 2013.â€
Response times to incidents can often take a week or even longer.
According to the (ISC)² 2013 Global Information Security Workforce Study, 41 per cent of its 12,000+ respondents said that it can take a week to respond to security incidents, while 28 per cent said that they could respond in a day.
John Colley, managing director of (ISC)2 for EMEA, told SC Magazine that this is something that is very difficult to assess, as businesses are either very good or they do not know. “If you know what is going on you report it, but this is still a significant percentage for a week,†he said.
Speaking at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Art Gillland, senior vice president and general manager of HP enterprise security products, said that its research shows that the average time to detect a breach is 416 days, while 96 per cent of breaches were identified by a third party and four per cent were detected internally.
Last year's Verizon data breach investigations report (DBIR) found that in 54 per cent of cases, the time to discover an attack was often months, and it was weeks for 29 per cent of companies. Only two per cent of those attacked discovered the breach within a matter of hours. Within larger organisations, 39 per cent discovered in months, 27 per cent in days and 24 per cent in weeks.
Speaking to SC Magazine, Verizon Business principal Jay Jacobs said that there is a difference between the time to remediate and the discovery of an attack, as remediation is about how fast things can be done. “Mid-sized companies will be best here as they are not too big or too small,†he said.
“When you learn of something new, this is what affects the response time. If you have an extended business then it will not be quick, but it is more about the response of the organisation and the time they take to do a better reflection of their security, threats and environment. If you focus on the time element, then the discovery method is quicker.â€
The (ISC)2 report also discovered that 31 per cent of smaller companies (fewer than 500 employees) believe they can remediate in one day and 44 per cent within a week. Very larger companies (10,000 or more employees) said that 28 per cent can remediate in one day, while 29 per cent could remediate within a week. Also, respondents in very large organisations chose 'don't know' to a greater extent (18 per cent) than smaller companies (12 per cent).
Verizon also announced that its DBIR for 2013 will contain reports from 18 partners, a rise from five for last year, including data from computer emergency readiness teams (Certs), auditors and private organisations.
Jacobs said: “We wanted to broaden it and get a perception of everything out there so we could collect and it could be more complex.â€
Wade Baker, managing principal of the risk team and principal author of the DBIR, said: “The additional contributing security organisations will enable us to paint an even clearer picture of the threat landscape facing businesses today. This added insight will make a difference in helping organisations around the globe put the right defence in place. Today's cyber landscape remains a tough one to navigate, and unfortunately, we believe it will continue to remain challenging in 2013.â€
Knowing when to react and doing it without drama and effectiveness should be the key to a prepared government when it comes to cyber security.
Speaking at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Michael Daniel, cyber security coordinator at the White House, said that response to cyber incidents can usually sound like a trailer for a Hollywood blockbuster, and that can be a good way to get attention, but while they are not like the real world, threats remain to be broad and dangerous.
He said: “What is government's role in managing the new normal It is our job to prepare for the worst. Not like movie traffic pile-ups, but stuff which are much less flashy but still troubling - like intrusions that are going on for years, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) for businesses and persistent DDoS attacks that are going on with some reaching multiple gigabits per second, but otherwise which are overwhelming systems and often limiting impact.
“Often DDoS is primarily annoying, and it doesn't seem like a scenario to despatch Bruce Willis to deal with, but this is what the new normal looks like. Can it come from overseas The short answer is yes - accept security in cyber space to try and figure out what it entails and what we try to answer is what follows, especially in the area of prevention.â€
He said that President Obama's executive order as part of the State of the Union address has led to better preparations for cyber incidents, and it has shared hundreds of thousands of signatures in the past six months and it is "preparing to double its efforts". However there needs to be more capabilities to share signatures and information, as well as capabilities to work with the private sector to create baseline and information sharing standards for prevention.
“There are no easy answers here, it is more complicated when it comes to responding,†he said.
“Computers and wires all exist somewhere; near and far, fast and slow, big and small, it is all different meanings and they may not follow the same format so there is an entire burden of network defence. To talk about incident response is about having time to prepare for it, such as with the weather report - in cyber space it is information sharing.
“The federal government works hard to make capabilities as easy as possible and no CISO should be caught off guard. Firms should participate in a sharing organisation and test plans against the real world, use modern network defence technologies and monitor under the assumption that you have been breached, and develop strong capabilities.â€
Daniel also admitted that it is hard to know when a cyber incident warrants a federal response, and this needs to be debated in government and society, but there were still broad actions to take with multiple government department involvement.
When it comes to response, he said although any response should not be to not do anything, the government should be careful to not do any harm to relations with other countries or do "something warranting a military response".
He said: “The answer is we have a lot of work to do to achieve the aims of the executive order, that is only a down payment and we continue to support action to incorporate these aspects into our civil liberty, enable information sharing and update laws guiding security and the questions will be fully answered.
“We cannot be movie pilots but we will get there in the long run. We need to keep the conversation going to get to the answer, and get a wide set of tools to deal with the cyber threat and build tools to get to that aim.â€
Sharing information, working with the private sector and ensuring US government departments work together are key to thwarting future attacks.
Speaking at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Robert Mueller, director of the FBI, said that while delegates are aware of the threats to the country and economy, there must be a way to defend together and find a unified approach.
He identified four important areas of work: understand the lanes in the road and how to define roles; understand the crucial role that the private sector must play; get over the obstacles to collaboration; and focus on the criminal sitting behind the keyboard.
Mueller said that it was vital for the White House, National Security Agency (NSA), US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and FBI to get over the public's confusion of what they all do and show that they are united. “In meetings we have ensured that we are on the same page with regard to our roles, and the FBI role domestically is to investigate, attribute and disrupt,†he said.
He said that the FBI is often the first point of response because of its nationwide coverage, but that this should include NSA and DHS expertise, while an understanding should be made on intrusion and notification to all three.
He said: “Also, the private sector has a key role to play in cyber security, I am reminded of the challenge in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, and there collaboration was key to response and the integration of task forces. The future will include a different array of partners from the private sector to identify the pattern of primary victims of intrusions. That is the key to defeating this threat, as we have ideas and can build components, networks and software and drive future technology.â€
Mueller admitted that there is a perception that the FBI only cares about prosecuting those who are responsible for intrusions, and cited the case of former LulzSec leader turned FBI informant Hector Xavier Monsegur (aka 'Sabu'). He said that there are often legal obstacles to getting the job done, and also often so much jargon to understand, but by sharing information with the private sector, this was "essential to address the state of discord to exchange information".
“We must resolve these issues before the damage is done, and you must build in channels for information sharing and collaboration. Consider distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, they move fast and are efficient, but if you have expertise with government and the private sector and have experts working on both and specific sectors, the sooner you can deal with this," he said.
“We don't want you to report one off intrusions from the private sector, although they are important, we want you to deal with anomalies or highlight vulnerabilities for an attack. From our part, we must do more to provide information in real-time. We also must put in a mechanism to disclose vulnerabilities without revealing precise details. We don't need to know each detail of your intellectual property, clients or customers, but we need information on the size and detail of the attack to address the threat.
“Only by established channels can we report attacks, put it into detail and with the intelligence of the attack, and only with the common picture can we effectively disrupt threats.
“Behind every illegal intrusion, a person is responsible for that intrusion and cyber security is not just about defending the ones and zeros, it should focus on reducing vulnerabilities. You cannot fully remove your vulnerabilities and once you have identified those groups or hackers, you must devise a response that is effective not just against a specific attack, but against all activity.â€
He concluded by calling on abandonment on the thought that current models for information sharing are sufficient, and instead focus on better defence and build better relationships "and anything that prevents us from collaborating".
“If we do this, I am confident we can and will defeat threats now and in the future.â€
Another U.S. Presidential election campaign has come to a close and the political analysts and statisticians have sifted through the results and the data. Many interesting trends and facts have shaped our understanding of why Americans voted the way they did.
There is good news for small businesses across the globe. World renowned mobile application development pioneer 
Small Business Trends: Why did you write the book, “The Facebook Guide to Small Business Marketingâ€
Small businesses are seeking ways to tighten their belts and cut business costs without sacrificing growth. As a small business owner, you can cut costs simply by reducing incidental spending.