| December 13, 2012 |
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- Creativity helps capture and hold customers' attention
When it comes to building your brand online, it may be a good idea to follow the example set by Sour Patch Kids and insert some humor into your messaging, writes Lee Price. "Hold a fun contest, tell Friday jokes, or post funny behind-the-scenes office shots," Price advises. "Even if your product isn't silly, you can make your customers smile." Also, try taking a creative approach like that used by Chobani, which posts artistic pictures of yogurt on its Instagram feed. RepCapitalMedia.com
(12/12)      
- How to improve a video's ranking on YouTube
You can improve the position of your YouTube videos within the site's search results by including relevant keywords in the description and video tags, writes A.J. Kumar. It's also a good idea to promote your videos on social media and encourage viewers to leave a comment or share your videos. Entrepreneur online
(12/12)
- The problem with presenteeism
Just because your employees show up to work doesn't mean they are operating at their peak, writes Rieva Lesonsky of GrowBiz Media, because the stress of always being on can take a toll on employee performance. She offers tips to manage employee stress, such as focusing on communication, dropping problematic clients or hiring more workers. Small Business Trends
(12/12)
- Don't break the law when you do a pre-hire reference check
Checking a prospective employee's references can give you additional information but can also expose your company to liability if you aren't careful, writes Andrew Lu. "The best advice for an employer running an employee background check may be to keep the investigation reasonable," he writes. Make sure the information you are seeking is related to the job and ask for the applicant's consent. FindLaw/Free Enterprise blog
(12/12)
- How to prepare your business to sell
If you're planning to sell your business, it's important to work with experts, develop a growth strategy and make sure things are running smoothly. "The most important thing to do is to make sure your business is performing as well as it can," said Curtis Kroeker, general manager of BizBuySell. Entrepreneur online/The Daily Dose blog
(12/12)
- Etiquette to keep in mind if you're sending e-cards this year
If you're thinking about sending e-cards to your customers this holiday season, you should include a simple message and make sure you don't exclude anyone through holiday-specific messaging. Also, consider whether an e-card is the best choice for your customers. "A tangible thing has some actual weight and adds significance to what you want to say," said Daniel Post Senning, co-author of "Emily Post's Etiquette, 18th Edition." Intuit Small Business Blog
(12/11)
- "Seinfeld" lives on, 140 characters at a time
"Seinfeld" hasn't been on the air since the 1990s, but its "show about nothing" premise has been updated for the Twitter age through @SeinfeldToday, which tweets out "modern" episode descriptions. "People always say that if they had cellphones, Seinfeld couldn't exist, which is true for a certain type of Seinfeld episode but not as a general rule (which I think the account shows)," says Jack Moore, a Buzzfeed editor who created the account. Daily News (New York)
(12/11), The Atlantic Wire
(12/10)
 | Give your customers something they can use, and they’ll thank you with their affection and by returning to your website."
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Recent SmartBrief on Small Business Issues:
- Wednesday, December 12, 2012
- Tuesday, December 11, 2012
- Monday, December 10, 2012
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- Thursday, December 06, 2012
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