3 common ways to ruin customer interactions on social media

Depending on how you use it, social media can be your small business' secret weapon or greatest flaw. Modern consumers expect some kind of presence from your brand on their computers, phones or other devices, and if you're not delivering content on a regular basis, you can be sure they're paying attention to one of your competitors who is.But the "corporate social media" industry is still fairly young, and businesses large and small run into problems with customers

Small Business Marketing Blog

Boost employee productivity through vacations and outings this summer

As a small-business owner, you need to be dedicated to improving your company every single day. Whether this involves showing up at the office at the crack of dawn to chase down suppliers on the phone or cruising across the state to meet the biggest clients in your portfolio, some days as the head of a small company can make it seem like taking just one day off could mean the end of profitability.While you might be able to burn the candle at both ends, your employees might not have the

Small Business Marketing Blog

Show educators you care on National Teacher Day

No matter the grade level, being a teacher is a difficult job. As federal budgets keep getting slashes, educators contend with shrinking funding for books, classroom supplies and field trips. Add in swelling class sizes and you've got a profession that doesn't seem to offer many benefits. However, teachers continue to show up day after day, putting their hearts and souls on the line for their students.That's why educators at every level deserve appreciation on May 5,

Small Business Marketing Blog

3 ways to boost lead generation through social media

When you're buried in all the paperwork and real-world logistics of running your small business, you might question the value of messing around on your company's Facebook or Twitter profile. After all, making sure you have enough product on the shelves or that your clients are all happy with their service is the first step on the long road to entrepreneurial success. However, neglecting social media can rob your small business of a crucial and potentially torrential lead

Small Business Marketing Blog

What you need to know about National Celiac Awareness Month [VIDEO]

TranscriptAnybody involved in the health or food production industry has had to deal with celiac disease over the past few years. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, nearly 1 in every 100 people are born without the ability to metabolize the carbohydrate gluten. National Celiac Awareness Month is an excellent time for physicians and nutritionists to educate their patients on all the dietary tips they need to manage celiac disease.One of the hardest things about promoting a gluten-free

Small Business Marketing Blog

Educate and protect your customers on National Melanoma Monday

With warmer weather right around the corner, even your small business might be filled with talk of outdoor activities and plans for summer fun. Between cookouts, hiking trips and sports, there's no shortage of things to do once the sun makes the days longer, hotter and brighter.However, more time spent outside means that your customers might not be adequately protected from the dangers of radiation from natural light. National Melanoma Monday is May 4, and all small

Small Business Marketing Blog

Give the gift of convenience during National Nurses Week [VIDEO]

TranscriptNurses are some of the hardest working people on the planet, but that doesn't mean they get the help or recognition they deserve. That's why every business focused on health and wellness should take some time during National Nurses Week May 6th to the12​th to make these health care professionals' lives feel as appreciated as they should.Your nurses are the life-blood of your organization; help them stay at the top of their game with Myron's 1-ounce Personalized Hand Sanitizer Gel

Small Business Marketing Blog

3 essential steps for new small businesses

It's the quintessential story of the American Dream: After working as a regular employee for a few years, you've gathered enough experience that you think it's time you took off on your own and started a small business. Sure, the odds might be against you, but just because something is difficult shouldn't mean you don't give it your best shot.However, if you don't approach the first few months and years of running your small business with marketing in mind, you

Small Business Marketing Blog

Promotional products cost less, do more than digital marketing [VIDEO]

TranscriptAs a small-business owner, you need to make every dollar count. But when it comes to marketing your brand to your customers, it can seem like social media, TV ads or radio spots are the only ways to go.If you really want to get the most bang for your buck, you'll want to purchase promotional products instead. On average, promotional products cost just 0.6 cents per impression - much lower than 1.8 cents for a national magazine ad or 2.4 cents for a TV commercial.What do you get for

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Low-budget marketing techniques don't have to be low impact [VIDEO]

TranscriptSmall businesses usually have to make due without the deep pockets of big-box stores, and if you don't want to sacrifice on the quality of your products or services, you'll probably end up pulling back on funding for marketing.Just because you don't have millions to spend on Facebook advertising doesn't mean you should throw in the towel, though. In fact, spending your money as efficiently as possible may generate more traffic than a large and clumsy social media campaign.Spend your

Small Business Marketing Blog

Start your spring marketing campaign now [VIDEO]

TranscriptSome parts of the country aren't out of the winter doldrums yet, but if your small business is about to turn the corner into spring, it's might be time to start focusing on attracting customers before the weather heats up.In fact, the sooner you start, the better. The warmer months of March and April typically bring customers out of their homes and boost monthly sales by more than 5 percent.How can you make customers notice your store after a long winter? Myron has a long line

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Give back to faithful employees this National Loyalty Day

One of the major differences between major corporations and small businesses is the differing loyalty levels of employees. At larger companies, there might be less interaction with management and less engagement with meaningful work, which can lead to low productivity, absenteeism and upset clients.Small-business employees, on the other hand, are some of the most loyal workers in the world. According to a study conducted by researchers at Baylor University, 57 percent of employees at business

Small Business Marketing Blog

Give back to faithful employees this National Loyalty Day

One of the major differences between major corporations and small businesses is the differing loyalty levels of employees. At larger companies, there might be less interaction with management and less engagement with meaningful work, which can lead to low productivity, absenteeism and upset clients.Small-business employees, on the other hand, are some of the most loyal workers in the world. According to a study conducted by researchers at Baylor University, 57 percent of employees at business

Small Business Marketing Blog

Should you use social media to respond to angry customers?

No matter how well-oiled a machine your small business is, there are going to times when customers just aren't satisfied with the products or services they've received. Regardless of who's at fault, dissatisfied customers can threaten your bottom line through negative word-of-mouth reviews that reach a wide audience through social media platforms.What's a small business to do when a former customer is bad-mouthing it in a public forum in front of other prospective clients?

Small Business Marketing Blog

Focus on reducing stress, injuries during National Nurses Week

Health care reform can be a bit of a buzzphrase with so many political underpinnings surrounding the term, but when you get down to the nitty-gritty of it and meet the doctors and nurses who make it all happen, you might be surprised at what you find out. While legislators debate over multi-billion-dollar funding fixes, it's the frontline clinicians who are making the difference every single day.That's why it's so important for any organization that employs nursing professionals

Small Business Marketing Blog

Help customers avoid stress on tax day

As a small-business owner, you should be finished or at least close to done with your taxes for the year. If you've been keeping accurate records, this can be as simple as plugging in a few numbers and letting a piece of software or an accounting team handle the rest. However, your customers and employees might not be as financially savvy as you, and while they probably see tax day as a nuisance at best and a nightmare at worst, small businesses focused on financial planning,

Small Business Marketing Blog

Clever promotional product use is critical during National Arthritis Awareness Month

Whether young or old, the modern consumer expects a meaningful relationship with his or her favorite brands. This goes well beyond simply selling to customers - fostering lifelong relationships on both the small-business and client sides requires getting to know and then engaging with your clients on a personal level.One of the best ways to accomplish this is by showing your consumers that your small business is committed to investing in them, and National Arthritis Awareness Month this

Small Business Marketing Blog

4 new social media apps for small-business marketing

If small businesses want to achieve marketing success with fewer resources than big-box stores, they have to take certain leaps of faith. Rather than business decisions that put your financial stability at risk, you can take the unbeaten path in social media marketing to gain the upper hand on your competition.However, this doesn't mean crafting pithy Facebook posts or making sure you tweet at the same time every day. Social media is a vast as it is varied, which is why you need to pick

Small Business Marketing Blog

3 ways small businesses can boost word-of-mouth marketing

In small-business marketing, the name of the game is to do more with less. Without the financial cushion of large retail chains, you have to be on point for everything from payroll to how you're going to pay rent for the office space. With so much else to worry about, it's natural that marketing gets the short end of the budgeting stick.However, you don't have to throw money at advertising campaigns for them to succeed. In fact, leveraging your own customers through

Small Business Marketing Blog

3 ways to show some love during National Employee Appreciation Day

As a small-business owner, you probably have your own way of managing your specific group of employees. Some may respond to strict guidelines, while others need a bit of a light touch to get the best out of them. Whatever your management style, it's unlikely that acting the overbearing boss all the time will lead you to much success.Instead, why not take a second March 6 to celebrate National Employee Appreciation Day and show your employees that they're worth more to you than

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Save the Date! May’s Top Health Observances

May is one of the year’s busiest months for raising awareness of health problems and encouraging fitness and well-being. It’s hard to get a heads-up on every special day out there, so we did the work for you. Here’s your cheat sheet!

Month long Observances

Arthritis Awareness Month

Better Hearing and Speech Month

Food Allergy Action Month

Global Employee Health and Fitness Month

Global Youth Traffic Safety Month

Healthy Vision Month

Hepatitis Awareness

Small Business Marketing Blog

4 Secrets of successful health fairs

May 3-9 is North American Occupational Safety and Health Week. Why not host a wellness event for your employees and community members? We’ve gathered the four biggest secrets for making a health fair a huge success--a business-booster, too.

Offer free screenings. Staying in good health can make people more resistant to on- and off-the-job mishaps. So make a few health tests available at your fair--free of charge! Blood-pressure and body-fat checks are always popular, and so are quick chair

Small Business Marketing Blog

Get Ready for National Nurses’ Week!

Ever wonder why National Nurses Week always falls on May 6-12? It’s a tribute to the May 12th birthday of Florence Nightingale, who founded modern nursing. She was a true heroine, but so is every nurse, every day. Show your appreciation for the nurses within your organization with some simple gestures.

Make their mealtimes easier
It’s tough for nurses to go grab something healthy to eat--they’re busy tending to others’ health. Myron’s Koozie Fun Lunch Cooler makes it simple to

Small Business Marketing Blog

Fatten up your sales with some Mardi Gras marketing

Small-business owners can try some fun and engaging marketing techniques that larger organizations may be too afraid to put their capital into. And what screams "fun" more than Mardi Gras, New Orleans' and possibly the country's most famous public get-together? Forgetting its seedier side, Mardi Gras is a great chance to show your customers that your small business knows how to have fun in addition to providing stellar service. With a bit of planning, you can throw an

Small Business Marketing Blog

Study says small-business owners show 7-year high in optimism

Owning and operating a small business is like becoming a parent. Though you might only be in the office from 9 to 5, most small-business owners are constantly thinking about how they can overcome a pressing financial challenge or when they should order their stock of promotional products for the year. In fact, the stresses of managing your own company drives many would-be entrepreneurs away from trying new business ideas out in the first place.Combine all the stress of being a small-business

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3 ways to make Presidents Day a small-business success

Throughout the short yet storied history of the U.S., small businesses have played an important role in the creation of the nation. Many of the Founding Fathers owned and tilled their own private farms, and some of the most famous, such as Abraham Lincoln, actually ran their own small law firms before making it big on the political stage. Even today, your small business plays a crucial role in the entire country's economy, and you can pay tribute to the past this

Small Business Marketing Blog

Show your employees some love this Valentine's Day

It's no secret that your customers are the lifeblood of your successful small business, but they're just one side of the coin. On the other are all the employees and workers you hire to make everything fit together behind the scenes. Some may break their backs to respond to a new client to earn you an extra dollar, so what can you do to show that you appreciate everything they've done for your and your small business?Valentine's Day might traditionally be a day for

Small Business Marketing Blog

Promote health & wellness this April

April is filled with important health related events such as Autism awareness month and World Health Day. Sponsoring a promotional event or fundraiser around these causes is a great opportunity for your business to give back to the community and endear itself in the eyes of customers and associates.

There are various causes to choose from and even more ways to lend a hand and show your support:

April is Autism Awareness Month

Autism now affects 1 in 68 children--and those numbers

Small Business Marketing Blog

3 ways small businesses can stay productive on snow days

Snow days occupy a special place in many consumers' minds. Some might think back to their days in elementary school spent looking out the window and waiting for the radio to call out school closures, while others conjure images of their neighborhoods transformed into idyllic winter wonderlands. While this kind of daydreaming may be fine for most people, small-business owners may get a little nervous at the prospect of a storm that can shut down an entire city for several days. If

Small Business Marketing Blog

How to manage problematic employees

As a small-business owner, you're probably well aware of how much you need to stretch every penny. When resources are tight, it's up to you to find new revenue for that next project or room in the budget for more promotional products. Depending on your team, your employees might be your most valuable resource, but what happens when you can't get them to work to the best of their abilities?Problematic employees can cause large corporations to stumble over otherwise sound business

Small Business Marketing Blog

3 ways to boost likes and shares on Facebook

Social media was once a place for friends to hang out with each other in a digital space, but with so many consumers communicating with each other, retail businesses couldn't resist entering the world of Facebook, too. Just like email marketing and television advertising before it, social media has become an integral part of any comprehensive outreach strategy.While Facebook allows businesses to pay for their posts and pages to be promoted on users' news feeds, small businesses likely

Small Business Marketing Blog

What do guerrilla marketing and National Opposite Day have in common?

When it comes to marketing campaigns, most small businesses opt for the safer route. Maybe this means posting only once a week to a Twitter account or purchasing a limited number of promotional products. While you might fall into this category, it's not too late to break your small business out of its marketing shell and try some new disruptive strategies to increase revenue.Though you probably haven't thought about "Opposite Day" since your time on the school

Small Business Marketing Blog

How much is employee turnover costing your small business?

Small businesses traditionally have smaller margins for error than larger organizations. While big-box stores might have enough capital in reserve to survive a period of poor sales, your independently run company might never be able to recover from falling just a few steps behind your competitors.In fact, this razor-thin line between solvency and bankruptcy is affected by more than just the volume of product you push. While your customers might value the products and services that you sell,

Small Business Marketing Blog

Hold your own MLK Day of Service

While it may be a national holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a time for many Americans to reflect on the country's checkered past regarding social justice and racial harmony. While there's still a long road ahead, the third Monday in January is reserved for celebrating the life of one of the greatest social reformers in U.S. history. While you might not think that your small business has any part to play on MLK Day, this national holiday might be a great opportunity to

Small Business Marketing Blog

Study: Promotional products less expensive, more effective than TV, digital ads

It's a safe bet that most, if not all, of your customers are connected to the digital world in some way. Whether it's the smartphones in their pockets or the new wave of wearable gadgets that track fitness information, technology has changed the way that many consumers spend their money. This rapid shift from analog to digital has sent an equally large number of marketing professionals scurrying to grab their piece of the technological pie before it's too late.But what

Small Business Marketing Blog

Turn National Thank You Month into financial success

As a small-business owner, you probably have a few favorite customers who spend a lot at your store. Depending on your industry, you may even generate most of your revenue from a handful of important clients. In addition to offering high-quality service and products that your customers have come to expect, what else can you do to make sure that your favorite clients keep coming back for years to come?While it might seem like too simple a solution, a heartfelt thank-you is one of the most

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