Measuring the ROI of social media? There’s a laugh, and a joke. more

Millions of small-business owners use some type of paid search advertising to attract customers and prospects to their business or website. Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising – also called search-engine marketing or simply paid search – can be an effective, low-cost way to gain visibility online. more

When a new sales representative is hired, a company provides what is known as orientation and ramp up. Once those elements are complete, the company believes the salesperson can go out and begin earning money. more

In this age of social media and digital everything, you can’t afford to be a website weakling. If your competition has a killer online presence, and you don’t, you lose. Today’s consumers look online more than ever before. Even business owners who think they don’t really need a “best in class” website are missing more than they think. more

LinkedIn has become the most common social media tool used by companies on Inc. magazine’s 2012 Inc. 500 list, according to a study released Tuesday by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. more

When business owners create products or services – and the marketing plans to sell them – they often base their decisions on what customers tell them. But which is more important: What customers say? Or what they actually do? more

As online video gets cheaper and easier to produce, and its effectiveness as a marketing method grows, more and more small businesses are jumping in. Business owners who’ve stuck largely to text-based marketing channels such as search ads, blogs and social networks are discovering that video can be a compelling addition to a marketing mix. more

Despite its massive reach and wide adoption, Facebook remains baffling to many small-business owners. Facebook itself has never really understood small business, and hasn’t done a great job explaining how biz owners can use it to grow sales. more

It is indisputable that the Internet, with its ever-expanding base and social media platform, is an important aspect of any marketing scheme. But a new study indicates that good old-fashioned networking in person is still valuable and vital to the success of both small- and new-business owners. more

When Groupon first hit the scene it put the spotlight on a massive new market and inspired countless copycats. But many local businesses lost money with the Groupon deals model, which often requires losing money on the initial offer in hopes of making it up on additional sales and return visits. more