By Janet Attard

Have you ever wished you could be a fly on the wall in your competitor's office? Or, better yet, that you knew someone in your competitors' companies who could feed you information about their annual sales, new products they're planning to launch or new markets they're planning to target? (more…)

By Joanna Fletcher

Watching the changes in their own neighborhoods, as stores close and foreclosure signs keep popping up on their streets, has made even the most carefree consumers more conscious of their spending habits. Recent research, viewable at www.booz.com, suggests that this new frugal mindset is likely to stick around, even after economic pressures ease. (more…)

By Melissa J. Luther

Does your business have a Web site? If you are like many small business owners, you may feel that the time and expense involved is not worth it. After all, your customers come from down the street. They see your business in their neighborhood, and if they need what you offer, they will come in. That was true once, but the Internet’s reach has changed people’s shopping behavior drastically in just a few years. (more…)

By Joanna Fletcher

A PURL is the ultimate targeted marketing tool — a Web page about your business, designed to cater to each individual customer's interests, preferences and buying patterns. PURL stands for Personalized Unique Resource Locator. Your Web page has a URL, usually yourbusinessname.com or similar, and PURLs will usually be customername.yourbusinessname.com. (more…)

By Joanna Fletcher

Wouldn't it be great to begin your new business with a list of people in your target market to send your unique selling proposition to directly? Or to start every marketing campaign with a well-defined group of customers whose needs seem obvious? This is the key to the great success of marketing lists as a product on the Internet. (more…)

By Monique Martin

Yellow Pages and old-school print business directories are rapidly becoming things of the past. But if you aren’t using their online counterparts to market your business, you’re missing a trick and a heck of a lot of traffic. Online business directories are a simple and, best of all, free way to get great exposure for your business. (more…)

By Jen Brister

For many small business owners, having a Web site is very important to their business development. But for some, it's not quite clear how to use the business Web site to their best advantage. If you want your Web site to work for you and your business, you will need to create a business development strategy for your Web site. Without a clear plan in place, you run the risk of losing your focus and ignoring your Web site, which may cause you to lose valuable profits. (more…)

By Joanna Fletcher

Publicity is critical to building an online business, but building your Web site and waiting won't get you far in today's market. When you are a creative type, not usually given to sitting down and spending hours on the computer figuring out your best strategy, what do you do? Here are a few Web sites that can get you started on global domination in your area of expertise. (more…)

By Samantha Gluck

You’ve got a rocking band, loads of cool recordings of original tunes and tons of local fans. Now what? Build a Web site that not only tells the story of the music and the band, but has other promotional tools as well. (more…)

By Joyce Harrison

If you’re a creative professional, you may be a one-person company. But you’re still a business, and you want your work to generate income. So using a Web site as a portfolio is a good move. (more…)