Social media ratios - three iced drinks showing ratio of ice to liquidSmall businesses need to find ways to integrate their blog and social media sites, especially Twitter. This small business tip is especially important for solopreneurs and those who make handmade goods, because a large part of selling their products is, in fact, selling themselves and their story.

Take a Step Back – Look at the Big Picture Once in a While: [click to continue…]

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Business Branding and Naming Tips

by CathyLarkin on September 14, 2011

branding business name puzzleI was reading a post about creating strong brand names, and what started out as brief comment, started turning into a business branding blog post. So I cut my comments to a minimum there, and fleshed them out here. To read the post that inspired this one click here, then come back and read my tips. Some of these tips also work for branding a product as well as branding a small business. [click to continue…]

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How Should a Small Business Prepare for a Hurricane

by CathyLarkin on August 26, 2011

emergency check list for disaster planningSmall Business Savvy Storm Tips: There are many ways a small business (or a non-profit) can prepare for a hurricane or other natural disaster. On the East Coast of the US, we are currently preparing for Hurricane Irene. Last Monday there were two US earthquakes in areas not known for frequent quakes. I had a computer crash earlier in September; luckily I had a second computer, a fairly recent back up, and had emailed several recent documents to myself. Those three issues started me thinking – Are most small business owners and solopreneurs prepared for a natural disaster? This is a slightly different type of post than my usual small business, PR, social media, strategy post, I hope you find it useful. [click to continue…]

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Mom blogger holding up her press badgeI found two other guest posts of mine that I had not cross-posted here – until now.

Blogger Outreach – PR Pros & Bloggers Can Work Together: A Gig Coin guest post from last year that still holds value: How Bloggers, PR and Marketers Can Work Together, including info on brands and mom bloggers.

How to use Twitter Chats for Small Business:

One final link from last year, on Twitter Chats – A Small Business Secret Weapon, a Blog Talk Radio interview of me by Small Business Trends CEO Anita Campbell. (Here is the actual radio interview link: http://www.smbtrendwire.com/?s=Cathy+Larkin&x=3&y=7 , and here is the link to a short overview post: http://www.smbtrendwire.com/2010/08/24/twitter-chats-a-small-business-secret-weapon/.)

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