Twitter Chat: Spring Clean Your SMB with New Ideas #SMBSpringClean

twitter chat

Just a peek out your window will let you know it’s that time of year again, time to do some spring cleaning at your business, both literally and figuratively. You should certainly get rid of some of the clutter that’s accumulated over the year, and cleaning up your work space is a great place to start.

But there’s so much more to be done, too. This can also be the time of year to shake things up and try something new, or grab those great ideas you had bubbling on the back-burner and bring them to the forefront.

Join Our Twitter Chat: Follow #SMBSpringClean

Become a part of the conversation to find out what other small business owners just like you are doing this spring to renew their companies. Get more good ideas for spring cleaning by joining us Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 8 p.m. EST for a live Twitter chat presented by FedEx Office.

We hope you’ll take the time to participate and pose any questions you may have about revitalizing your business. If you have any tips to offer other small business owners about spring cleaning or how to bring in new ideas and innovation, we’d love for you to join us.

$25 Gift Card Giveaway

Not only will you get great tips on spring cleaning, shaking things up and bringing in new ideas, we’ll also be giving away several $25 gift cards, courtesy of FedEx Office, which is presenting this Twitter chat.  Follow @FedExOffice to participate.

Twitter Chat Details

Be sure to join us for this live Twitter chat event:

TOPIC: Spring clean your SMB: Get organized, bring in fresh ideas, shake things up.

DATE: Thursday, April 11, 2013

TIME: 8 pm EST (New York time)

LOCATION: Twitter.com: Just follow the hashtag #SMBSpringClean to participate.

Be sure to follow me, Anita Campbell, at @SmallBizTrends too. If you’ve never taken part in a Twitter chat before and you need some pointers, be sure to read “How to Participate in a Twitter Chat.”

Disclosure: FedEx Office compensated me to participate as a small business expert during the FedEx Office Tweet Chat program and write this post. FedEx Office also provided the gift cards. The ideas in this blog post are mine and not ideas or advice from FedEx Office.




Twitter Chat: Spring Clean Your SMB with New Ideas #SMBSpringClean

twitter chat

Just a peek out your window will let you know it’s that time of year again, time to do some spring cleaning at your business, both literally and figuratively. You should certainly get rid of some of the clutter that’s accumulated over the year, and cleaning up your work space is a great place to start.

But there’s so much more to be done, too. This can also be the time of year to shake things up and try something new, or grab those great ideas you had bubbling on the back-burner and bring them to the forefront.

Join Our Twitter Chat: Follow #SMBSpringClean

Become a part of the conversation to find out what other small business owners just like you are doing this spring to renew their companies. Get more good ideas for spring cleaning by joining us Thursday, April 11, 2013 at 8 p.m. EST for a live Twitter chat presented by FedEx Office.

We hope you’ll take the time to participate and pose any questions you may have about revitalizing your business. If you have any tips to offer other small business owners about spring cleaning or how to bring in new ideas and innovation, we’d love for you to join us.

$25 Gift Card Giveaway

Not only will you get great tips on spring cleaning, shaking things up and bringing in new ideas, we’ll also be giving away several $25 gift cards, courtesy of FedEx Office, which is presenting this Twitter chat.  Follow @FedExOffice to participate.

Twitter Chat Details

Be sure to join us for this live Twitter chat event:

TOPIC: Spring clean your SMB: Get organized, bring in fresh ideas, shake things up.

DATE: Thursday, April 11, 2013

TIME: 8 pm EST (New York time)

LOCATION: Twitter.com: Just follow the hashtag #SMBSpringClean to participate.

Be sure to follow me, Anita Campbell, at @SmallBizTrends too. If you’ve never taken part in a Twitter chat before and you need some pointers, be sure to read “How to Participate in a Twitter Chat.”

Disclosure: FedEx Office compensated me to participate as a small business expert during the FedEx Office Tweet Chat program and write this post. FedEx Office also provided the gift cards. The ideas in this blog post are mine and not ideas or advice from FedEx Office.




Three Tools That Make Managing Your Social Media Outlets Quick and Simple

Over the last few years social media fever seems to have gripped the world, with more than 1.06 billion monthly active Facebook users, 200 million active Twitter users and 200 million LinkedIn users. Among the small business community there seems to be a growing affiliation towards social media as a tool for increasing brand visibility and customer reach.

A 2012 survey of 600 small business owners conducted in 2012 by Manta across the U.S revealed that 90 percent were using social networking sites to promote their business.  A 2013 survey by the Wall Street Journal of 835 small businesses shows that LinkedIn (with 41%), You Tube (16%) and Facebook (14%) were considered to be the most effective social media tools.

Social media tools offer a cost-effective means of promoting a business, yet many small businesses still don’t use social media simply because they either don’t have the time or the knowledge to use them . Incidentally, the same Manta survey confirmed that 58% of the businesses using Facebook, struggled with using it effectively.

Fortunately there are social media management applications that can help small businesses manage their social media efforts effectively. In essence a social media management application offers a single platform for updating and managing different social media accounts at the same time.

Here is a roundup of some popular social media management tools for small businesses. 

Hootsuite , popular with many social media professionals, offers a free plan which allows you to manage up to 5 profiles and includes services such as message scheduling, basic reports and team collaboration. Their paid packages start at $9.99/month and offer additional features like unlimited profiles, Google analytics integration, unlimited RSS feed and much more. The pro version comes with a 30 days trial period. For bigger enterprises with multiple users, check out their Enterprise plan.

VerticalResponse Social Media Marketing offers the unique feature of integrating email and social media campaigns.  The application designed specifically for small businesses includes content suggestions which can be a blessing for small business owners who either don’t have the time or are simply perplexed about choosing relevant information updates for their customers. From single posts to multi-week campaigns, the application allows posts to be scheduled up to 30 days in advance. The package costs $18 a month and is an economical choice for businesses that may be using a separate email newsletter service.

In March this year, Pagemodo launched its social media management tool, PageModo Post, with the aim making information search a whole lot easier for small businesses.  As per Haroon Mokhtarzada, Vistaprint’s vice president of global digital product and co-founder of  Webs , “Pagemodo Posts is the easiest way to post quality, relevant content to your top social networks at the best possible times throughout the day”. It enables search for content basis keywords and its +Post content allows content to be posted from any website to the social media page at the click of a button. The free package allows one fan page, one tab, one post suggestion, and one post a day. Its paid plans vary from  $6.25 to $33.25 per mont..

Sprout Social, Sendible, dvlr.it  and Postling are the other popular social media management applications.

Offering the convenience of ‘set it and forget it’, social media management  applications are a boon for small businesses foraying into multiple social media. Depending on your budget and nature of business, choose an application that is right for you. But before you do, ensure that the application is easily scalable, supports popular networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and allows posts to be scheduled well in advance



Online Payment Feature “Mozilla Wallet” Currently in Development

mozilla wallet

Mozilla plans a new way for your business to make and receive payments online. The free software community is currently working on a new online wallet feature, Mozilla Wallet, that will be released on Firefox OS that will make paying for goods and services online easier, more streamlined, and, they hope more secure.

According to a post on Mozilla’s official blog, the navigator.mozPay() function is a JavaScript API that would allow users of its Firefox OS phones and Web devices to choose how they want to pay for online purchases, including adding purchases to their mobile phone bills.

The Mozilla wallet would allow users to make a purchase through a Web app without entering a credit card number each time. For online merchants, the Mozilla wallet would help avoid payment processor setup and many processing fees, according to Kumar McMillan, a Mozilla developer.

“There are services to mitigate a lot of these complications, such as PayPal, Stripe and others, but they aren’t integrated into Web devices very well. Mozilla wants to introduce a common Web API to make payments easy and secure on Web devices, yet still as flexible as the checkout button for merchants,” McMillan writes.

McMillan says the Firefox wallet is inspired by a similar feature offered by Google. When users attempt to make a purchase, they are prompted with a window that asks for a password and processes a payment.

For merchants and developers, products are defined and price points are set in the JavaScript. JSON Web Tokens (JWT) are created for each provider from whom a merchant accepts payments.

This service is not yet live in the Firefox Marketplace, but would-be merchants who will likely take advantage of this service can test drive a simulation at the Firefox Marketplace Developer Hub. McMillan says the Firefox OS wallet is ideal for merchants who offer premium services through their Web apps, like games or news sites offering exclusive content.




Three Tools That Make Managing Your Social Media Outlets Quick and Simple

Over the last few years social media fever seems to have gripped the world, with more than 1.06 billion monthly active Facebook users, 200 million active Twitter users and 200 million LinkedIn users. Among the small business community there seems to be a growing affiliation towards social media as a tool for increasing brand visibility and customer reach.

A 2012 survey of 600 small business owners conducted in 2012 by Manta across the U.S revealed that 90 percent were using social networking sites to promote their business.  A 2013 survey by the Wall Street Journal of 835 small businesses shows that LinkedIn (with 41%), You Tube (16%) and Facebook (14%) were considered to be the most effective social media tools.

Social media tools offer a cost-effective means of promoting a business, yet many small businesses still don’t use social media simply because they either don’t have the time or the knowledge to use them . Incidentally, the same Manta survey confirmed that 58% of the businesses using Facebook, struggled with using it effectively.

Fortunately there are social media management applications that can help small businesses manage their social media efforts effectively. In essence a social media management application offers a single platform for updating and managing different social media accounts at the same time.

Here is a roundup of some popular social media management tools for small businesses. 

Hootsuite , popular with many social media professionals, offers a free plan which allows you to manage up to 5 profiles and includes services such as message scheduling, basic reports and team collaboration. Their paid packages start at $9.99/month and offer additional features like unlimited profiles, Google analytics integration, unlimited RSS feed and much more. The pro version comes with a 30 days trial period. For bigger enterprises with multiple users, check out their Enterprise plan.

VerticalResponse Social Media Marketing offers the unique feature of integrating email and social media campaigns.  The application designed specifically for small businesses includes content suggestions which can be a blessing for small business owners who either don’t have the time or are simply perplexed about choosing relevant information updates for their customers. From single posts to multi-week campaigns, the application allows posts to be scheduled up to 30 days in advance. The package costs $18 a month and is an economical choice for businesses that may be using a separate email newsletter service.

In March this year, Pagemodo launched its social media management tool, PageModo Post, with the aim making information search a whole lot easier for small businesses.  As per Haroon Mokhtarzada, Vistaprint’s vice president of global digital product and co-founder of  Webs , “Pagemodo Posts is the easiest way to post quality, relevant content to your top social networks at the best possible times throughout the day”. It enables search for content basis keywords and its +Post content allows content to be posted from any website to the social media page at the click of a button. The free package allows one fan page, one tab, one post suggestion, and one post a day. Its paid plans vary from  $6.25 to $33.25 per mont..

Sprout Social, Sendible, dvlr.it  and Postling are the other popular social media management applications.

Offering the convenience of ‘set it and forget it’, social media management  applications are a boon for small businesses foraying into multiple social media. Depending on your budget and nature of business, choose an application that is right for you. But before you do, ensure that the application is easily scalable, supports popular networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and allows posts to be scheduled well in advance



Three Tools That Make Managing Your Social Media Outlets Quick and Simple

Over the last few years social media fever seems to have gripped the world, with more than 1.06 billion monthly active Facebook users, 200 million active Twitter users and 200 million LinkedIn users. Among the small business community there seems to be a growing affiliation towards social media as a tool for increasing brand visibility and customer reach.

A 2012 survey of 600 small business owners conducted in 2012 by Manta across the U.S revealed that 90 percent were using social networking sites to promote their business.  A 2013 survey by the Wall Street Journal of 835 small businesses shows that LinkedIn (with 41%), You Tube (16%) and Facebook (14%) were considered to be the most effective social media tools.

Social media tools offer a cost-effective means of promoting a business, yet many small businesses still don’t use social media simply because they either don’t have the time or the knowledge to use them . Incidentally, the same Manta survey confirmed that 58% of the businesses using Facebook, struggled with using it effectively.

Fortunately there are social media management applications that can help small businesses manage their social media efforts effectively. In essence a social media management application offers a single platform for updating and managing different social media accounts at the same time.

Here is a roundup of some popular social media management tools for small businesses. 

Hootsuite , popular with many social media professionals, offers a free plan which allows you to manage up to 5 profiles and includes services such as message scheduling, basic reports and team collaboration. Their paid packages start at $9.99/month and offer additional features like unlimited profiles, Google analytics integration, unlimited RSS feed and much more. The pro version comes with a 30 days trial period. For bigger enterprises with multiple users, check out their Enterprise plan.

VerticalResponse Social Media Marketing offers the unique feature of integrating email and social media campaigns.  The application designed specifically for small businesses includes content suggestions which can be a blessing for small business owners who either don’t have the time or are simply perplexed about choosing relevant information updates for their customers. From single posts to multi-week campaigns, the application allows posts to be scheduled up to 30 days in advance. The package costs $18 a month and is an economical choice for businesses that may be using a separate email newsletter service.

In March this year, Pagemodo launched its social media management tool, PageModo Post, with the aim making information search a whole lot easier for small businesses.  As per Haroon Mokhtarzada, Vistaprint’s vice president of global digital product and co-founder of  Webs , “Pagemodo Posts is the easiest way to post quality, relevant content to your top social networks at the best possible times throughout the day”. It enables search for content basis keywords and its +Post content allows content to be posted from any website to the social media page at the click of a button. The free package allows one fan page, one tab, one post suggestion, and one post a day. Its paid plans vary from  $6.25 to $33.25 per mont..

Sprout Social, Sendible, dvlr.it  and Postling are the other popular social media management applications.

Offering the convenience of ‘set it and forget it’, social media management  applications are a boon for small businesses foraying into multiple social media. Depending on your budget and nature of business, choose an application that is right for you. But before you do, ensure that the application is easily scalable, supports popular networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and allows posts to be scheduled well in advance



Three Tools That Make Managing Your Social Media Outlets Quick and Simple

Over the last few years social media fever seems to have gripped the world, with more than 1.06 billion monthly active Facebook users, 200 million active Twitter users and 200 million LinkedIn users. Among the small business community there seems to be a growing affiliation towards social media as a tool for increasing brand visibility and customer reach.

A 2012 survey of 600 small business owners conducted in 2012 by Manta across the U.S revealed that 90 percent were using social networking sites to promote their business.  A 2013 survey by the Wall Street Journal of 835 small businesses shows that LinkedIn (with 41%), You Tube (16%) and Facebook (14%) were considered to be the most effective social media tools.

Social media tools offer a cost-effective means of promoting a business, yet many small businesses still don’t use social media simply because they either don’t have the time or the knowledge to use them . Incidentally, the same Manta survey confirmed that 58% of the businesses using Facebook, struggled with using it effectively.

Fortunately there are social media management applications that can help small businesses manage their social media efforts effectively. In essence a social media management application offers a single platform for updating and managing different social media accounts at the same time.

Here is a roundup of some popular social media management tools for small businesses. 

Hootsuite , popular with many social media professionals, offers a free plan which allows you to manage up to 5 profiles and includes services such as message scheduling, basic reports and team collaboration. Their paid packages start at $9.99/month and offer additional features like unlimited profiles, Google analytics integration, unlimited RSS feed and much more. The pro version comes with a 30 days trial period. For bigger enterprises with multiple users, check out their Enterprise plan.

VerticalResponse Social Media Marketing offers the unique feature of integrating email and social media campaigns.  The application designed specifically for small businesses includes content suggestions which can be a blessing for small business owners who either don’t have the time or are simply perplexed about choosing relevant information updates for their customers. From single posts to multi-week campaigns, the application allows posts to be scheduled up to 30 days in advance. The package costs $18 a month and is an economical choice for businesses that may be using a separate email newsletter service.

In March this year, Pagemodo launched its social media management tool, PageModo Post, with the aim making information search a whole lot easier for small businesses.  As per Haroon Mokhtarzada, Vistaprint’s vice president of global digital product and co-founder of  Webs , “Pagemodo Posts is the easiest way to post quality, relevant content to your top social networks at the best possible times throughout the day”. It enables search for content basis keywords and its +Post content allows content to be posted from any website to the social media page at the click of a button. The free package allows one fan page, one tab, one post suggestion, and one post a day. Its paid plans vary from  $6.25 to $33.25 per mont..

Sprout Social, Sendible, dvlr.it  and Postling are the other popular social media management applications.

Offering the convenience of ‘set it and forget it’, social media management  applications are a boon for small businesses foraying into multiple social media. Depending on your budget and nature of business, choose an application that is right for you. But before you do, ensure that the application is easily scalable, supports popular networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter and allows posts to be scheduled well in advance



Contests, Awards & Events Roundup: Entrepreneur of 2013, Minnesota Cup, Affiliate Days, Local U + More

Welcome to our curated weekly listings of small business events, awards and contests.   To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar.

Featured Events, Contests and Awards

Affiliate Management DaysAffiliate Management Days
April 16, 2013, San Francisco, CA

Whether your company already offers an affiliate program, or you are considering offering an affiliate program, Affiliate Management Days offers insights into how other online retailers are successfully implementing and managing their affiliate programs. Learn about: affiliate recruitment techniques, communication with affiliates, affiliate analytics, landing page and conversion optimization, legislative issues, and mobile affiliate marketing. Twitter hashtag: #AMDays
Discount Code
SBTAM250 (Get $250 off)

2013 Content Marketing Strategies Conference2013 Content Marketing Strategies Conference
May 09, 2013, Berkeley, CA

Marketing and PR professionals from companies of all sizes will gather at the 3rd annual Content Marketing Strategies Conference, hosted by dlvr.it and Business Wire, to gain practical “how to” advice on content marketing SEO, content distribution optimization, content ROI, and learn from case studies by brands including Red Hat, New Belgium Brewing, FOX’s hit show Glee and much more.

Local University - New OrleansLocal University - New Orleans
May 07, 2013, New Orleans, LA

A half-day search marketing conference educating small businesses about local search. Local University is a training program that travels to cities around the country. The New Orleans event is provided by the local-search practitioner experts, under the support of Google, Search Influence, The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, Greater New Orleans, Inc. and Nokia.
Discount Code
NOLAEARLY ($40 Off)

Access to Capital ChicagoAccess to Capital Chicago
May 22, 2013, Chicago, Illinois

Join us at the Navy Pier to learn how you can raise capital for your small business. Meet 1:1 with loan officers. Attend panels on traditional and alternative lending options, start-ups, crowd-funding, and more.
Discount Code
sbtrends (Get 30% off)

More Events

More Contests and Awards

This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology.



Five Must-Have Mobile Accessories for the Small Business Owner

Almost every business professional today is armed with an arsenal of mobile devices. But the true power of a mobile device lies in its accessories. As small business owners move from meeting to meeting throughout the day, there are certain accessories they rely upon to keep devices running. Below, professionals weigh in on some of their favorite mobile accessories that are must-haves for the small business owner.

Mobile 4G Hot Spot

Busy entrepreneurs, tired of the endless search for a wi-fi connection while on the road, find mobile 4G hot spots invaluable. Market Action’s Clayton Cohn recommends the Verizon MiFi 4G LTE mobile hotspot.

“Reception everywhere, extremely fast, connects up to five devices, and it doesn’t tie up my cell phone as a hot spot either,” Cohn says. “Simply a must have. You can pick one up from Verizon (they have a few models) for free with rebate, and it costs $60 per month for 5 GB of data, if I’m not mistaken.”

iPhone Battery Case

Cases like the Mophie Juice Pack can extend the battery life of a mobile device by up to 100 percent. While you’re charging your phone, you’re charging the case, as well, letting your phone last throughout your work day and beyond.

“As a busy small business owner I am always on my phone,” Anita Hodzic, owner of BA House Cleaning, says. “Whether it’s talking and emailing clients, texting employees, searching the web or scheduling appointments, I wouldn’t be able to do all of this without the iPhone battery case. My phone stays charged all day long!”

Bluetooth Keyboard

Smartphone and tablet owners can take advantage of cases with built-in bluetooth keyboards to allow easy typing while on-the-go. Some of the more popular and highly rated keyboards come from Logitech and Zagg.

“I have to have a case and a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad,” says social media and content consultant James T. Dabbagian, M.A. “I write in several places and make notes, and I much prefer it to the built-in iPad keyboard. I personally recommend a case that comes with a Bluetooth keyboard, so you don’t need to pack two separate things.”

Mobile Card Reader

Mobile card readers have become all the rage in the business world, with Square and PayPal Here leading the way. These free card readers slip into the headphone jack of your mobile device and interact with an app to transfer money from the buyer’s account to the business’s.

“By far, one of the most useful mobile accessories is the Square card reader,” Internet marketing coach Liz Theresa says. “It is indispensable if you meet a client who wants to pay right then and there! No need to PayPal it. They can just swipe their card and BOOM. And Square is a free gadget - perfect for those on a budget.”

Portable Projector

“As someone who does keynote presentations all the time I wanted to be super portable,” Robert Fishbone says. “Besides my tabletop video projector that I use with my MacBook Air, I wanted something even tinier. I kept looking at the Brookstone 85 Lumen Pocket Projector and finally took the plunge at an airport store while on a trip.”

Fishbone adds that the projector works best with the Go Universal app, allowing it to project video and presentations from an iPhone or iPad. He also adds the projector comes with an added benefit to projecting presentations during meetings. Traveling business owners can watch Netflix movies on hotel room walls after a long, busy day.

Using accessories, a small business professional can turbo-charge mobile devices, keeping them connected and working wherever they go. With 24/7 connectivity to the Cloud allowing professionals the ability to have a portable office, these accessories can be crucial to keeping devices running productively throughout the day and evening.



Three Reasons Your Business Needs Social Video Marketing

People love their online videos of cats or the latest pop sensation from South Korea. Video marketing, if you do it right, can get you a lot of business, fast. A good video will be passed around and shared many times, and with online video, your cost is minimal.

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty, with a list of reasons to try out video marketing from Viewbix.

Be Seen By More People, For Less Money

Let’s talk reach. After all, having social videos isn’t that much different from having a TV ad, right Well, we’ll talk more about the differences as we go along, but cost is one of the biggest differences. The CPM of an ad - Cost Per Impression - is one of the most important things to consider, budget-wise.

Hard numbers on the CPM of a lot of social media are difficult to find, but we have found some interesting findings. Even on the low end of the scale, if you don’t have many social media followers already, the CPM on social video marketing is roughly $10-$15 per, which is comparable to radio. If you have thousands of fans already, this number can drop to only a dollar or two per impression.

When you compare that to the $20-$30 CPM of television ads, it’s clear that social video offers a much better price point.

Make a Better Branding Message

Now let’s talk depth. Compared to “flat” mediums like text or radio, video is a much more efficient package for putting a message together, especially if you want to have a mix of factual and emotional appeal. The combination of visuals, audio, and text give you many more options in presenting your message to the public.

The key is to ensure the message is still relevant to your views in some way. It cannot be a pure pitch; the video needs to have some element that they directly respond to. This could be information, or funny stories, or even just some videos of kittens. The Internet still loves cats.

Pairing your brand with a video that people honestly find interesting on its own merits is one of the most direct ways of getting your brand in front of them. Remember: the Internet makes it much easier to not watch content the user doesn’t want to see, so even more than TV, your videos need to constantly keep the viewer interested.

Interactive Videos Build Engagement

And now, let’s talk reinforcement. The other big difference between social video marketing and other video formats is that online videos can be interactive. We said above that keeping people interested was a key to
successful social video marketing. Clickable video is that key.

A clickable video increases on-site time, and greatly extends the number of people who watch through to the end of your video. It’s pretty simple stuff, really. The Internet keeps peoples’ clicking-fingers itchy, so you give them things to click on of your own. You can send them to your website, open up virtual catalogs, encourage them to share your video, and more!

To get your videos to the broadest possible audience, you need to entertain or befuddle or astound. It’s getting harder and harder to do it, but giving viewers a reason to watch your video beyond your marketing message is what’s going to get eyeballs. You want to make your viewers endear themselves to your brand. Make them think, “Hey, these guys are all right.”

To increase your chances of turning passive viewers into action-takers, Viewbix makes videos interactive by layering apps on top. Add calls-to-action on your YouTube videos, build your mailing list, have a direct Skype link to you from Viewbix, and more.

Basic accounts with Viewbix are free, so try them out if you’re getting into the online video marketing bag.

Do you do video marketing Give us your tips and link your videos in the comments below!



Malware hits businesses 20 to 60 times an hour, say researchers

Advanced cyber attacks hit businesses 20 times an hour on average, according to researchers at security firm FireEye.

This indicates just how pervasive advanced malware capable of evading traditional security defences has become, according to the firm’s latest advanced threat report.

Data gathered from 89 million malware events, along with direct intelligence uncovered by the research team, shows that many cyber attacks routinely bypass traditional defences such as firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, anti-virus and security gateways. 

While enterprises experience a malware event up to once every three minutes on average, the report said the rate of malware activity varies acrossindustries, with technology companies experiencing the highest volume at up to one event a minute.

Spear phishing remains the most common method for initiating advanced malware campaigns, the researchers found.

Malicious malware is delivered in ZIP file format in 92% of attacks

When sending spear phishing emails, attackers opt for file names with common business terms to lure unsuspecting users into opening the malware and initiating the attack.

ZIP files remain the preferred file of choice for malware delivery. Malicious malware is delivered in ZIP file format in 92% of attacks.

Several malware innovations have appeared to better evade detection, researchers found.

Instances of malware were uncovered that execute only when users move a mouse, a tactic which could dupe current sandbox detection systems since the malware does not generate any activity.

In addition, malware writers have also incorporated virtual machine detection to bypass sandboxing.

Researchers also found that attackers are increasingly using dynamic link library (DLL) files. By avoiding the more common .exe file type, attackers use DLL files to prolong infections, the report said.

Time to modernise security strategy

“This report provides an overview of how attacks have become much more advanced and successful at penetrating networks, regardless of industry,” said FireEye founder and CTO Ashar Aziz.

“As cyber criminals invest more in advanced malware and innovations to better evade detection, enterprises must rethink their security infrastructure and reinforce their traditional defences with a new layer of security that is able to detect these dynamic, unknown threats in real time,” he said.

Zheng Bu, senior director of research at FireEye, said malware writers are investing enormous effort in developing evasion techniques that bypass legacy security systems. 

“Unless enterprises take steps to modernise their security strategy, they are sitting ducks,” he said.

Dana Tamir, director of product at security firm Trusteer, said detection-evading malware is another example of targeted attacks that exploit the biggest enterprise weakness - vulnerable endpoint applications.

“The attack exploits vulnerabilities to introduce malware, which then enables the attack progression. By blocking the exploit, the entire attack can be stopped. But that can't be done with blacklisting solutions,” he said.

“Since most targeted attacks exploit zero-day vulnerabilities, a solution should be able to block the attack without knowing anything about the vulnerability targeted or the malware used.

“It should analyse the application state when performing sensitive operations like executing a file. If the application writes a file outside a known and approved state, it is being exploited and the operation should be stopped, said Tamir.

Unless enterprises take steps to modernise their security strategy, they are sitting ducks

Ashar Aziz, FireEye

David Harley, senior research fellow at security firm ESET, pointed out that targeted attacks typically make heavy use of social engineering as an entry point. “As such, technical defences like spam filters and firewalls are less likely to pick them up,” he said.

Malicious code is also likely to be customised to a point where it is not so easily found by generic malcode detection, said Harley.

In addition, he said, there is an increasing tendency for utilities to be targeted, and the specialised always-on nature of some of the equipment at such sites makes it harder to protect using traditional defences such as security software and patching.

“The best defences are multi-layered. These involve efficient updating and patching. It also means not relying on a single layer/security solution, such as a firewall,” said Harley.

Businesses should also take steps to build up resistance to social engineering by educating staff on the ways to spot malware, he said.

Image: Hemera/Thinkstock


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American’s Economic Outlook: Eternal Winter of the Consumer Mind

economic outlook

Spring is here and just like the budding plants, by many accounts the U.S. economy shows signs of slow and steady growth. But nearly four years after the Great Recession officially ended, the sun isn’t warming the hearts of U.S. consumers, many of whom are still feeling frankly pessimistic about the economic outlook, despite indicators of brighter days.

A new study by Mintel, Consumers and The Economic Outlook, conducted in February, and reported in MediaPost, contends that the Great Recession permanently changed Americans’ economic outlook and their attitudes toward their finances and their futures. Here’s some of what Mintel discovered, and what it could mean to your business.

Consumers’ pessimism isn’t fading away. Americans are traditionally resilient and optimistic, but those attitudes aren’t showing up as much as you might expect. Nearly three-fourths (72 percent) of U.S. consumers believe the younger generation will have a harder time financially than they have had. Nearly half (49 percent) believe there are better opportunities for financial success overseas than in the U.S.

While you might expect Millennials just out of college to be struggling the hardest in today’s economy, Mintel found that the younger half of the Baby Boomer cohort and the oldest members of Gen X (aged 45-54) are actually having the most trouble financially. More than four in 10 (41 percent) describe their household as “struggling” or “just getting by,” compared to 33 percent of consumers overall.

Similarly, while you might expect high-income consumers to feel more optimistic in their economic outlook, 10 percent of households with incomes over $150,000 and 16 percent of households with incomes of $100,000-$149,900 say they are struggling or just getting by.

Wage stagnation is a big factor. Overall, 57 percent of consumers expect their incomes to stay the same this year, and 47 percent of those in the $150,000+ income bracket say the same.

The struggles of these demographic groups are bad news for the economy, since they are major drivers of consumer spending. Don’t count on a housing rebound to save things, either. While home sales are picking up in many parts of the country, the housing crash has left many consumers leery of buying homes because they no longer feel confident that home values will appreciate. If fewer home sales take place and home ownership declines, home purchasing may not recover as a primary economic driver.

The future doesn’t seem that bright either, since many consumers aren’t saving enough for retirementâ€"mostly because they barely have enough money to get by today. Although there is a focus on saving, it’s primarily on saving for the short term, rather than investing for retirement. A whopping 82 percent say creating a rainy-day fund for emergencies is a priority, and though 72 percent say they’d like to save more for retirement, the majority don’t even have adequate emergency savings yet.

More bad news for business is that consumers are focused on saving rather than spending, with 87 percent saying paying bills on time is a priority and 76 percent saying that good credit is crucial to financial success. Unable to rely on retirement savings or home equity, Mintel says consumers will focus on achieving financial security by different means. But what those means are is yet to be seen.

How can you target consumers with this mind-set Marketing messages that appeal to their need for security, certainty and savings will continue to resonate.

Make sure your business is seen as a trusted partner by offering guarantees and providing all the consultation and information customers need so they fully understand and feel confident about what they’re buying from you.

Money Photo via Shutterstock




Five Must-Have Mobile Accessories for the Small Business Owner

Almost every business professional today is armed with an arsenal of mobile devices. But the true power of a mobile device lies in its accessories. As small business owners move from meeting to meeting throughout the day, there are certain accessories they rely upon to keep devices running. Below, professionals weigh in on some of their favorite mobile accessories that are must-haves for the small business owner.

Mobile 4G Hot Spot

Busy entrepreneurs, tired of the endless search for a wi-fi connection while on the road, find mobile 4G hot spots invaluable. Market Action’s Clayton Cohn recommends the Verizon MiFi 4G LTE mobile hotspot.

“Reception everywhere, extremely fast, connects up to five devices, and it doesn’t tie up my cell phone as a hot spot either,” Cohn says. “Simply a must have. You can pick one up from Verizon (they have a few models) for free with rebate, and it costs $60 per month for 5 GB of data, if I’m not mistaken.”

iPhone Battery Case

Cases like the Mophie Juice Pack can extend the battery life of a mobile device by up to 100 percent. While you’re charging your phone, you’re charging the case, as well, letting your phone last throughout your work day and beyond.

“As a busy small business owner I am always on my phone,” Anita Hodzic, owner of BA House Cleaning, says. “Whether it’s talking and emailing clients, texting employees, searching the web or scheduling appointments, I wouldn’t be able to do all of this without the iPhone battery case. My phone stays charged all day long!”

Bluetooth Keyboard

Smartphone and tablet owners can take advantage of cases with built-in bluetooth keyboards to allow easy typing while on-the-go. Some of the more popular and highly rated keyboards come from Logitech and Zagg.

“I have to have a case and a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad,” says social media and content consultant James T. Dabbagian, M.A. “I write in several places and make notes, and I much prefer it to the built-in iPad keyboard. I personally recommend a case that comes with a Bluetooth keyboard, so you don’t need to pack two separate things.”

Mobile Card Reader

Mobile card readers have become all the rage in the business world, with Square and PayPal Here leading the way. These free card readers slip into the headphone jack of your mobile device and interact with an app to transfer money from the buyer’s account to the business’s.

“By far, one of the most useful mobile accessories is the Square card reader,” Internet marketing coach Liz Theresa says. “It is indispensable if you meet a client who wants to pay right then and there! No need to PayPal it. They can just swipe their card and BOOM. And Square is a free gadget - perfect for those on a budget.”

Portable Projector

“As someone who does keynote presentations all the time I wanted to be super portable,” Robert Fishbone says. “Besides my tabletop video projector that I use with my MacBook Air, I wanted something even tinier. I kept looking at the Brookstone 85 Lumen Pocket Projector and finally took the plunge at an airport store while on a trip.”

Fishbone adds that the projector works best with the Go Universal app, allowing it to project video and presentations from an iPhone or iPad. He also adds the projector comes with an added benefit to projecting presentations during meetings. Traveling business owners can watch Netflix movies on hotel room walls after a long, busy day.

Using accessories, a small business professional can turbo-charge mobile devices, keeping them connected and working wherever they go. With 24/7 connectivity to the Cloud allowing professionals the ability to have a portable office, these accessories can be crucial to keeping devices running productively throughout the day and evening.



Five Must-Have Mobile Accessories for the Small Business Owner

Almost every business professional today is armed with an arsenal of mobile devices. But the true power of a mobile device lies in its accessories. As small business owners move from meeting to meeting throughout the day, there are certain accessories they rely upon to keep devices running. Below, professionals weigh in on some of their favorite mobile accessories that are must-haves for the small business owner.

Mobile 4G Hot Spot

Busy entrepreneurs, tired of the endless search for a wi-fi connection while on the road, find mobile 4G hot spots invaluable. Market Action’s Clayton Cohn recommends the Verizon MiFi 4G LTE mobile hotspot.

“Reception everywhere, extremely fast, connects up to five devices, and it doesn’t tie up my cell phone as a hot spot either,” Cohn says. “Simply a must have. You can pick one up from Verizon (they have a few models) for free with rebate, and it costs $60 per month for 5 GB of data, if I’m not mistaken.”

iPhone Battery Case

Cases like the Mophie Juice Pack can extend the battery life of a mobile device by up to 100 percent. While you’re charging your phone, you’re charging the case, as well, letting your phone last throughout your work day and beyond.

“As a busy small business owner I am always on my phone,” Anita Hodzic, owner of BA House Cleaning, says. “Whether it’s talking and emailing clients, texting employees, searching the web or scheduling appointments, I wouldn’t be able to do all of this without the iPhone battery case. My phone stays charged all day long!”

Bluetooth Keyboard

Smartphone and tablet owners can take advantage of cases with built-in bluetooth keyboards to allow easy typing while on-the-go. Some of the more popular and highly rated keyboards come from Logitech and Zagg.

“I have to have a case and a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad,” says social media and content consultant James T. Dabbagian, M.A. “I write in several places and make notes, and I much prefer it to the built-in iPad keyboard. I personally recommend a case that comes with a Bluetooth keyboard, so you don’t need to pack two separate things.”

Mobile Card Reader

Mobile card readers have become all the rage in the business world, with Square and PayPal Here leading the way. These free card readers slip into the headphone jack of your mobile device and interact with an app to transfer money from the buyer’s account to the business’s.

“By far, one of the most useful mobile accessories is the Square card reader,” Internet marketing coach Liz Theresa says. “It is indispensable if you meet a client who wants to pay right then and there! No need to PayPal it. They can just swipe their card and BOOM. And Square is a free gadget - perfect for those on a budget.”

Portable Projector

“As someone who does keynote presentations all the time I wanted to be super portable,” Robert Fishbone says. “Besides my tabletop video projector that I use with my MacBook Air, I wanted something even tinier. I kept looking at the Brookstone 85 Lumen Pocket Projector and finally took the plunge at an airport store while on a trip.”

Fishbone adds that the projector works best with the Go Universal app, allowing it to project video and presentations from an iPhone or iPad. He also adds the projector comes with an added benefit to projecting presentations during meetings. Traveling business owners can watch Netflix movies on hotel room walls after a long, busy day.

Using accessories, a small business professional can turbo-charge mobile devices, keeping them connected and working wherever they go. With 24/7 connectivity to the Cloud allowing professionals the ability to have a portable office, these accessories can be crucial to keeping devices running productively throughout the day and evening.



Five Must-Have Mobile Accessories for the Small Business Owner

Almost every business professional today is armed with an arsenal of mobile devices. But the true power of a mobile device lies in its accessories. As small business owners move from meeting to meeting throughout the day, there are certain accessories they rely upon to keep devices running. Below, professionals weigh in on some of their favorite mobile accessories that are must-haves for the small business owner.

Mobile 4G Hot Spot

Busy entrepreneurs, tired of the endless search for a wi-fi connection while on the road, find mobile 4G hot spots invaluable. Market Action’s Clayton Cohn recommends the Verizon MiFi 4G LTE mobile hotspot.

“Reception everywhere, extremely fast, connects up to five devices, and it doesn’t tie up my cell phone as a hot spot either,” Cohn says. “Simply a must have. You can pick one up from Verizon (they have a few models) for free with rebate, and it costs $60 per month for 5 GB of data, if I’m not mistaken.”

iPhone Battery Case

Cases like the Mophie Juice Pack can extend the battery life of a mobile device by up to 100 percent. While you’re charging your phone, you’re charging the case, as well, letting your phone last throughout your work day and beyond.

“As a busy small business owner I am always on my phone,” Anita Hodzic, owner of BA House Cleaning, says. “Whether it’s talking and emailing clients, texting employees, searching the web or scheduling appointments, I wouldn’t be able to do all of this without the iPhone battery case. My phone stays charged all day long!”

Bluetooth Keyboard

Smartphone and tablet owners can take advantage of cases with built-in bluetooth keyboards to allow easy typing while on-the-go. Some of the more popular and highly rated keyboards come from Logitech and Zagg.

“I have to have a case and a bluetooth keyboard for my iPad,” says social media and content consultant James T. Dabbagian, M.A. “I write in several places and make notes, and I much prefer it to the built-in iPad keyboard. I personally recommend a case that comes with a Bluetooth keyboard, so you don’t need to pack two separate things.”

Mobile Card Reader

Mobile card readers have become all the rage in the business world, with Square and PayPal Here leading the way. These free card readers slip into the headphone jack of your mobile device and interact with an app to transfer money from the buyer’s account to the business’s.

“By far, one of the most useful mobile accessories is the Square card reader,” Internet marketing coach Liz Theresa says. “It is indispensable if you meet a client who wants to pay right then and there! No need to PayPal it. They can just swipe their card and BOOM. And Square is a free gadget - perfect for those on a budget.”

Portable Projector

“As someone who does keynote presentations all the time I wanted to be super portable,” Robert Fishbone says. “Besides my tabletop video projector that I use with my MacBook Air, I wanted something even tinier. I kept looking at the Brookstone 85 Lumen Pocket Projector and finally took the plunge at an airport store while on a trip.”

Fishbone adds that the projector works best with the Go Universal app, allowing it to project video and presentations from an iPhone or iPad. He also adds the projector comes with an added benefit to projecting presentations during meetings. Traveling business owners can watch Netflix movies on hotel room walls after a long, busy day.

Using accessories, a small business professional can turbo-charge mobile devices, keeping them connected and working wherever they go. With 24/7 connectivity to the Cloud allowing professionals the ability to have a portable office, these accessories can be crucial to keeping devices running productively throughout the day and evening.



American’s Economic Outlook: Eternal Winter of the Consumer Mind

economic outlook

Spring is here and just like the budding plants, by many accounts the U.S. economy shows signs of slow and steady growth. But nearly four years after the Great Recession officially ended, the sun isn’t warming the hearts of U.S. consumers, many of whom are still feeling frankly pessimistic about the economic outlook, despite indicators of brighter days.

A new study by Mintel, Consumers and The Economic Outlook, conducted in February, and reported in MediaPost, contends that the Great Recession permanently changed Americans’ economic outlook and their attitudes toward their finances and their futures. Here’s some of what Mintel discovered, and what it could mean to your business.

Consumers’ pessimism isn’t fading away. Americans are traditionally resilient and optimistic, but those attitudes aren’t showing up as much as you might expect. Nearly three-fourths (72 percent) of U.S. consumers believe the younger generation will have a harder time financially than they have had. Nearly half (49 percent) believe there are better opportunities for financial success overseas than in the U.S.

While you might expect Millennials just out of college to be struggling the hardest in today’s economy, Mintel found that the younger half of the Baby Boomer cohort and the oldest members of Gen X (aged 45-54) are actually having the most trouble financially. More than four in 10 (41 percent) describe their household as “struggling” or “just getting by,” compared to 33 percent of consumers overall.

Similarly, while you might expect high-income consumers to feel more optimistic in their economic outlook, 10 percent of households with incomes over $150,000 and 16 percent of households with incomes of $100,000-$149,900 say they are struggling or just getting by.

Wage stagnation is a big factor. Overall, 57 percent of consumers expect their incomes to stay the same this year, and 47 percent of those in the $150,000+ income bracket say the same.

The struggles of these demographic groups are bad news for the economy, since they are major drivers of consumer spending. Don’t count on a housing rebound to save things, either. While home sales are picking up in many parts of the country, the housing crash has left many consumers leery of buying homes because they no longer feel confident that home values will appreciate. If fewer home sales take place and home ownership declines, home purchasing may not recover as a primary economic driver.

The future doesn’t seem that bright either, since many consumers aren’t saving enough for retirementâ€"mostly because they barely have enough money to get by today. Although there is a focus on saving, it’s primarily on saving for the short term, rather than investing for retirement. A whopping 82 percent say creating a rainy-day fund for emergencies is a priority, and though 72 percent say they’d like to save more for retirement, the majority don’t even have adequate emergency savings yet.

More bad news for business is that consumers are focused on saving rather than spending, with 87 percent saying paying bills on time is a priority and 76 percent saying that good credit is crucial to financial success. Unable to rely on retirement savings or home equity, Mintel says consumers will focus on achieving financial security by different means. But what those means are is yet to be seen.

How can you target consumers with this mind-set Marketing messages that appeal to their need for security, certainty and savings will continue to resonate.

Make sure your business is seen as a trusted partner by offering guarantees and providing all the consultation and information customers need so they fully understand and feel confident about what they’re buying from you.

Money Photo via Shutterstock




American’s Economic Outlook: Eternal Winter of the Consumer Mind

economic outlook

Spring is here and just like the budding plants, by many accounts the U.S. economy shows signs of slow and steady growth. But nearly four years after the Great Recession officially ended, the sun isn’t warming the hearts of U.S. consumers, many of whom are still feeling frankly pessimistic about the economic outlook, despite indicators of brighter days.

A new study by Mintel, Consumers and The Economic Outlook, conducted in February, and reported in MediaPost, contends that the Great Recession permanently changed Americans’ economic outlook and their attitudes toward their finances and their futures. Here’s some of what Mintel discovered, and what it could mean to your business.

Consumers’ pessimism isn’t fading away. Americans are traditionally resilient and optimistic, but those attitudes aren’t showing up as much as you might expect. Nearly three-fourths (72 percent) of U.S. consumers believe the younger generation will have a harder time financially than they have had. Nearly half (49 percent) believe there are better opportunities for financial success overseas than in the U.S.

While you might expect Millennials just out of college to be struggling the hardest in today’s economy, Mintel found that the younger half of the Baby Boomer cohort and the oldest members of Gen X (aged 45-54) are actually having the most trouble financially. More than four in 10 (41 percent) describe their household as “struggling” or “just getting by,” compared to 33 percent of consumers overall.

Similarly, while you might expect high-income consumers to feel more optimistic in their economic outlook, 10 percent of households with incomes over $150,000 and 16 percent of households with incomes of $100,000-$149,900 say they are struggling or just getting by.

Wage stagnation is a big factor. Overall, 57 percent of consumers expect their incomes to stay the same this year, and 47 percent of those in the $150,000+ income bracket say the same.

The struggles of these demographic groups are bad news for the economy, since they are major drivers of consumer spending. Don’t count on a housing rebound to save things, either. While home sales are picking up in many parts of the country, the housing crash has left many consumers leery of buying homes because they no longer feel confident that home values will appreciate. If fewer home sales take place and home ownership declines, home purchasing may not recover as a primary economic driver.

The future doesn’t seem that bright either, since many consumers aren’t saving enough for retirementâ€"mostly because they barely have enough money to get by today. Although there is a focus on saving, it’s primarily on saving for the short term, rather than investing for retirement. A whopping 82 percent say creating a rainy-day fund for emergencies is a priority, and though 72 percent say they’d like to save more for retirement, the majority don’t even have adequate emergency savings yet.

More bad news for business is that consumers are focused on saving rather than spending, with 87 percent saying paying bills on time is a priority and 76 percent saying that good credit is crucial to financial success. Unable to rely on retirement savings or home equity, Mintel says consumers will focus on achieving financial security by different means. But what those means are is yet to be seen.

How can you target consumers with this mind-set Marketing messages that appeal to their need for security, certainty and savings will continue to resonate.

Make sure your business is seen as a trusted partner by offering guarantees and providing all the consultation and information customers need so they fully understand and feel confident about what they’re buying from you.

Money Photo via Shutterstock




Three Reasons Your Business Needs Social Video Marketing

People love their online videos of cats or the latest pop sensation from South Korea. Video marketing, if you do it right, can get you a lot of business, fast. A good video will be passed around and shared many times, and with online video, your cost is minimal.

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty, with a list of reasons to try out video marketing from Viewbix.

Be Seen By More People, For Less Money

Let’s talk reach. After all, having social videos isn’t that much different from having a TV ad, right Well, we’ll talk more about the differences as we go along, but cost is one of the biggest differences. The CPM of an ad - Cost Per Impression - is one of the most important things to consider, budget-wise.

Hard numbers on the CPM of a lot of social media are difficult to find, but we have found some interesting findings. Even on the low end of the scale, if you don’t have many social media followers already, the CPM on social video marketing is roughly $10-$15 per, which is comparable to radio. If you have thousands of fans already, this number can drop to only a dollar or two per impression.

When you compare that to the $20-$30 CPM of television ads, it’s clear that social video offers a much better price point.

Make a Better Branding Message

Now let’s talk depth. Compared to “flat” mediums like text or radio, video is a much more efficient package for putting a message together, especially if you want to have a mix of factual and emotional appeal. The combination of visuals, audio, and text give you many more options in presenting your message to the public.

The key is to ensure the message is still relevant to your views in some way. It cannot be a pure pitch; the video needs to have some element that they directly respond to. This could be information, or funny stories, or even just some videos of kittens. The Internet still loves cats.

Pairing your brand with a video that people honestly find interesting on its own merits is one of the most direct ways of getting your brand in front of them. Remember: the Internet makes it much easier to not watch content the user doesn’t want to see, so even more than TV, your videos need to constantly keep the viewer interested.

Interactive Videos Build Engagement

And now, let’s talk reinforcement. The other big difference between social video marketing and other video formats is that online videos can be interactive. We said above that keeping people interested was a key to
successful social video marketing. Clickable video is that key.

A clickable video increases on-site time, and greatly extends the number of people who watch through to the end of your video. It’s pretty simple stuff, really. The Internet keeps peoples’ clicking-fingers itchy, so you give them things to click on of your own. You can send them to your website, open up virtual catalogs, encourage them to share your video, and more!

To get your videos to the broadest possible audience, you need to entertain or befuddle or astound. It’s getting harder and harder to do it, but giving viewers a reason to watch your video beyond your marketing message is what’s going to get eyeballs. You want to make your viewers endear themselves to your brand. Make them think, “Hey, these guys are all right.”

To increase your chances of turning passive viewers into action-takers, Viewbix makes videos interactive by layering apps on top. Add calls-to-action on your YouTube videos, build your mailing list, have a direct Skype link to you from Viewbix, and more.

Basic accounts with Viewbix are free, so try them out if you’re getting into the online video marketing bag.

Do you do video marketing Give us your tips and link your videos in the comments below!



Contests, Awards & Events Roundup: Entrepreneur of 2013, Minnesota Cup, Affiliate Days, Local U + More

Welcome to our curated weekly listings of small business events, awards and contests.   To see a full list or to submit your own event, contest or award listing, visit the Small Business Events Calendar.

Featured Events, Contests and Awards

Affiliate Management DaysAffiliate Management Days
April 16, 2013, San Francisco, CA

Whether your company already offers an affiliate program, or you are considering offering an affiliate program, Affiliate Management Days offers insights into how other online retailers are successfully implementing and managing their affiliate programs. Learn about: affiliate recruitment techniques, communication with affiliates, affiliate analytics, landing page and conversion optimization, legislative issues, and mobile affiliate marketing. Twitter hashtag: #AMDays
Discount Code
SBTAM250 (Get $250 off)

2013 Content Marketing Strategies Conference2013 Content Marketing Strategies Conference
May 09, 2013, Berkeley, CA

Marketing and PR professionals from companies of all sizes will gather at the 3rd annual Content Marketing Strategies Conference, hosted by dlvr.it and Business Wire, to gain practical “how to” advice on content marketing SEO, content distribution optimization, content ROI, and learn from case studies by brands including Red Hat, New Belgium Brewing, FOX’s hit show Glee and much more.

Local University - New OrleansLocal University - New Orleans
May 07, 2013, New Orleans, LA

A half-day search marketing conference educating small businesses about local search. Local University is a training program that travels to cities around the country. The New Orleans event is provided by the local-search practitioner experts, under the support of Google, Search Influence, The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, Greater New Orleans, Inc. and Nokia.
Discount Code
NOLAEARLY ($40 Off)

Access to Capital ChicagoAccess to Capital Chicago
May 22, 2013, Chicago, Illinois

Join us at the Navy Pier to learn how you can raise capital for your small business. Meet 1:1 with loan officers. Attend panels on traditional and alternative lending options, start-ups, crowd-funding, and more.
Discount Code
sbtrends (Get 30% off)

More Events

More Contests and Awards

This weekly listing of small business events, contests and awards is provided as a community service by Small Business Trends and SmallBizTechnology.