Julie Knudson

Providing excellent customer service may be the best way for small business owners to compete with larger players in the market. “Historically, the advantage that small- to medium-sized businesses had over the big-box stores was treating customers like people instead of numbers, while offering great expertise in their market,” says Lauren Schneck, marketing director at […]

If every inactive customer returned to your store and made just one more purchase, what would that do to your bottom line? Small businesses put a lot of effort into attracting new customers, but Omer Artun, PhD, founder and CEO of AgilOne, believes those past customers present some real opportunities, too. “Retention is a much […]

We’ve all heard the cliché; a picture’s worth a thousand words. But on your small business website, that same photo—when used properly—could be worth a thousand new customers. So why aren’t more small business owners using photos and videos to good advantage? Leveraging visual content doesn’t need to be difficult or expensive, and it can […]

Customer testimonials make great small business marketing tools, but the process of acquiring them—and using them effectively—can feel overwhelming. And for some people, the thought of asking customers for reviews makes them squirm. Fortunately, we talked with a couple of experts who say there are a number of painless ways to start leveraging those great […]

Recently announced improvements to Facebook’s targeting features should make small and midsized businesses sit up and take notice. We talked with a couple of Facebook advertising experts to find out what the new features include and how SMBs can get the most out of them. Facebook and Small Business Advertising “The new targeting features will […]

Like any long-term relationship, choosing an ecommerce platform for your small business will take some legwork. Before you commit your business to a solution, be sure to ask all prospective ecommerce vendors these seven key questions. 7 Questions to Ask Potential Ecommerce Partners 1. What are the specific features of each proposed solution? The products […]

When moving your business to a new location, proper planning saves you time and money. Packing and unpacking take time, and haphazardly placing critical support equipment in your new space can result in ongoing inefficiencies (Where’s the copier? What happened to my filing cabinet?). Fortunately, moving your small business to a new location doesn’t have […]

Personalization is a growing trend in small business ecommerce, and if you’re interested in growing your compnay’s online presence you should look for ways to customize each customer’s experience. With so many personalization options available, we talked with a couple of experts to discover the best opportunities for small business e-tailers who are ready to […]

Research firm IDC predicts that mobile workers will make up 37.2 percent of the world’s total workforce by 2015. In the Americas alone, that translates into about 212 million workers and a whopping 570 million smart mobile devices. Fortunately, small businesses trying to make those mobile workers as productive as possible have a good crop […]

Myriad tasks and pressures can sometimes prevent small business owners from getting into a groove and making meaningful progress towards their goals. Is it really possible to reach your full potential with all the things on your plate today? Just ask John Shufeldt. He has a medical degree, a law degree and a business degree. […]

Every year holds new challenges and opportunities for small and midsized businesses. To understand the ecommerce changes that 2014 is likely to bring for small businesses, we spoke with a couple of industry experts to get their predictions. 5 Small Business Ecommerce Trends for 2014 1. Personalized experiences gain traction Many small businesses have both […]

Nearly everyone suffers from a lack of self-confidence at some point, whether it’s a concern about succeeding in a difficult market or a fear that niche skills—negotiating contracts, understanding funding options—are out of reach. Becky Blalock, managing partner at Advisory Capital in Atlanta and former CIO of Southern Company, says that self-assurance doesn’t have to […]