Web Resources | Everything you need to know to succeed online

Although the term “cloud” is seeing increasing use, it’s necessary to clarify what portion of “the cloud” is of interest to a particular audience. For small and medium businesses (SMBs), there are generally two areas of relevance in the evolution of IT services to the cloud. The first is the application layer, commonly referred to as Software as a Service (SaaS). The second is the infrastructure layer, known as Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). continue »

By Melissa J Luther

Google has an impressive array of free and low-cost tools to help businesses, especially small businesses, manage and grow their online presence. continue »

By Buffy Cranford

When reviewing other marketing techniques, such as Batch and Blast, lifecycle marketing delivers exceptional results in the current, tech-savvy marketplace. continue »

By Buffy Cranford

Measuring the success or failure of a product’s lifecycle marketing program is more involved than running a few reports and glancing at revenue. continue »

By Samantha Gluck

According to the Small Business Administration, women-owned businesses comprised 4 percent of all businesses in the U.S. in 1972. Women-owned businesses grew to 28 percent of all businesses in the U.S. by the year 2002 (the last year for which census data is available). Clearly women entrepreneurs provide great value to the economy as well as employing hundreds of thousands of workers. Since the beginning of time, men have networked with one another and formed lucrative alliances and partnerships through various channels available to them. With the rapid growth of women-owned businesses, female entrepreneurs need places to meet, network and align themselves with one another to foment lasting success. See five of the best places below. continue »

By Melissa Luther

Google Earth is a popular desktop application that allows users to see the Earth in amazing, 3D detail. Users can fly to their chosen location, then zoom, pan and tilt to view it from all angles. Now some of those same features are available in Maps, via Earth view. continue »

By Jen Brister

When you have a small business, it is essential to have a Web site that your customers can consult for new items, prices, business information and more. One of the best ways to monetize your business Web site is to create a retail store that your customers can use to make online purchases from your company. continue »

By Buffy Cranford

Whether consumers are purchasing new computer equipment, making dinner reservations for clients, or seeking a new public relations firm, a high percentage take a few minutes and browse online reviews before making a final decision. The power of the online reviewer has increased dramatically with online review Web sites like Yelp, Metromix and PowerReviews. In fact, according to Forrester Research Inc., an independent research company specializing in marketing and technology, over 70 percent of online consumers read online reviews. Now, businesses are seeking innovative marketing methods for motivating customers to write a review. continue »

By Brad Egeland

Ok, so maybe you can’t run your entire small business with free portable applications, but I bet you can come close. In an article written by Greg Schulz for TechRepublic entitled “10 Cool Things You Can Do with a USB Flash Drive,” number one on the list was “Run portable applications.” continue »

By Monique Martin

In the modern world of marketing, you need every edge you can get. There’s more competition than ever and making sure your message gets to the right audience is key to success. Customer segmentation helps you create targeted messaging to increase conversion and cut down on wasted effort. continue »