SmallBusinessNewz

Why Wouldn't You Include Links in Your Press Releases?

Press release distribution service BusinessWire shared results of a poll, which found that 85% of those who send out press releases put links in them. That means that 15% didn't. Granted, this is only a small poll of less than 300 people, but it may still be indicative of a greater issue that not all businesses include links in their online press releases.

Apple's iPad as a Business Tool

This week Apple revealed that iPad sales have surpassed two million in less than 60 days since its launch on April 3rd. Until last week, it had only been available in the U.S. On Friday, the company began shipping units to Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the U.K.

Is Print Marketing Still in Your Mix?

FedEx Office released the results from its annual Signs of the Times national small business survey, finding that small business owners are "eager to lead the charge" out of the recession. According to the results, about three quarters (72%) say they'll be the driving force behind the U.S. economic recovery this year. 51% said their own businesses have already or will fully recover by the end of the year.

Report: Most Small Businesses Still Not Sold on Social Media

Citibank put out a new report indicating that most small businesses still are not leveraging the social media tools available to them, despite the "relentless buzz" around them. Are you ignoring social media? Tell us why.

Survey Finds Businesses Mostly Confident to Neutral for 2010

This week Constant Contact released findings from a survey, indicating that 79% of small business have a confident to neutral outlook for the U.S. economy over the next year. Some Key findings from the survey:

Tips for Successful Small Business Social Media Endeavors

A new poll from Employers Holdings found that half of small businesses believe a social media presence is important, but only 16% actually utilize it. The poll revealed that although there are nearly five million small businesses leveraging social media, that figure only accounts for 16% of the 29.7 million small businesses in the United States based on figures from the Small Business Administration.    Some findings from the poll:

Does Your Business Have Enough Info Available Online?

Art Technology Group (ATG) has released the results of a recent survey, suggesting that 30% of consumers use over three commerce channels to research an item and make a purchase. Three quarters use two or more channels. To put these findings into perspective, the firm believes this means merchants need to offer more information on the web to increase sales and improve contact center efficiency.

Is Small Business Employment on the Way Up?

Intuit, the software vendor responsible for such popular financial software like Quicken, QuickBooks, and TurboTax, has released its monthly report, the Small Business Employment Index. The main finding of this month's report is that small businesses are showing signs of an economic rebound. The findings were based on data from businesses with fewer than 20 employees (87% of the total US private employer base).

Your Lack of Speed May Be Costing You Business

Gomez released a few findings from a recent survey conducted by Equation Research, looking at 2009 holiday shopping. The findings reveal just how big a problem customers find slow websites and transaction problems at retail sites to be. According to the research, customers find more of these issues to occur during popular shopping periods when traffic to the sites peaks.

Survey Finds SMBs Embracing SaaS and Managed Services

CompTIA is sharing the results of recent survey, which suggest that small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are becoming more sophisticated in their technology purchases and are embracing solutions like software-as-a-service (SaaS) and managed services. The survey had over 400 SMBs in the U.S. respond. About 30% of the businesses surveyed plan to implement SaaS solutions this year to lower costs and "maintain their competitive edge." According to CompTIA, that is up from 22% and 14% respectively in the two prior years.