Have you missed any of my blogs this week? Read on for the quick recap.

Could Facebook and Twitter actually hurt your business and keep customers from buying from you? Get the truth in my post on Huffington Post Small Business.

Does encouraging your employees to become entrepreneurs sound crazy? Crazy like a fox, maybe. Find out how entrepreneurial employees can boost your business in my post on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.

One thing employees don’t want to be: corporate. Find out how to turn this to your advantage in my post on Huffington Post Small Business.

In your efforts to make more sales, are you turning your best customers off? Discover the big mistake you might be making in my post on Network Solutions‘ GrowSmartBusiness blog.

Then, find out how to increase customer loyalty with one simple step in my post on American Express OPEN Forum.

If your business sells upscale products, you’ll want to know the surprising results of a survey on what demographic buys the most luxury goods. Check out my post on AT&T’s SmallBusinessInSite for the scoop.

Speaking of target markets, the Hispanic customer is one of the biggest markets out there–and growing by leaps and bounds. Learn how to market to Hispanic consumers in my Q&A on the LA-SBDC Network website.

Getting ready to start your dream business? Be sure to read my post on SCORE’s Success Blog for the most important startup step of all.

Before you launch, you’ll also want to check out my post on SmallBusinessLoans.com for tips on building your personal credit so you can get the financing you need.

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Have you missed any of my blog posts from around the Web this week? Keep reading and you’ll be all caught up.

March Madness is coming. Is it going to take your business productivity down? It doesn’t have to–check out my post on SmallBusinessLoans.com for tips on turning March Madness to your advantage.

Speaking of special seasons, find out some easy ways your business can benefit from seasonal promotions all year long. Read all about it on The Industry Word.

You know you need a mobile strategy. Check out my post on Network Solutions’ GrowSmartBusiness blog to learn just how mobile can boost your business’s sales.

Speaking of mobile, read my Huffington Post Small Business post to find out why tablet owners are the most desirable customers you can have.

Think you know all about who’s on social media? Think again–and read my post on AT&T‘s SmallBusinessInSite for some surprising stats on which demographics are most active in social networking.

Is your business outdated? Don’t become a dinosaur–read my post on American Express OPEN Forum to find out how to stay relevant (and profitable).

Are you giving your employees raises? Well, your competitors might be. Find out how you can deal in my post on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.

Are you still making customers log in to do, well, just about anything on your website? You might want to stop after you read this Huffington Post Small Business post.

It’s not just about the customers. Are you getting what you want from your business? If not, read my post on the SCORE Success blog to learn how to fix it–pronto.

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Are your competitors eating your lunch? Maybe it’s because you’re not keeping up-to-date on what they’re doing. In today’s guest post, marketing experts Mike Lieberman and Eric Keiles share five simple tips for keeping abreast of the competition.

These days it’s actually not too hard to keep tabs on your competition. But it’s just as important as it’s ever been. If you don’t know you’re your competitors do and what they’re up to, then you can’t position your company as different and you can’t help your prospects understand why they should do business with your firm.

Here are a couple of simple ways to keep tabs on your closest competitors.

1. Check out their website once a week. Most people keep their websites fairly up to date and when things change in their businesses, the website is where most people start. By taking a look at a competitor’s website you can see if there are new products new services, or any new announcements.

2. Sign up to get their email newsletter. Most businesses have regular email newsletters to clients and prospects. With a generic email address it isn’t too hard to get on these email lists and now you get updates on your competitors delivered right to your inbox.

3. Follow them on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook. Social media has opened all our businesses to the public and if you want to see what your competitors are saying connecting with them via social media is a great way to do it.

4. Sign up for Google Alerts. Every day Google scans the Internet for you and emails you updates related to specific keywords. This is a great way to see what people are saying about you, but also a great way to see what people are saying about your competitors.

5. Ask your prospects. Some people are uncomfortable coming right out and asking, but prospects aren’t usually too bashful to give you an earful of comments about a competitor. Just keep in mind that they are probably talking about you, too, so make sure there isn’t anything negative to say.

Remember to try and look at your competition from your prospect’s perspective. For instance, if your competitors are promising 24-hour turnaround and you know for a fact they can’t deliver that quickly, don’t dismiss it. Your prospects don’t know what you do and might be interested in speed of service. In marketing if someone is saying it, then it’s true…in the mind of the prospect, anyway.

Mike Lieberman and Eric Keiles are the authors of Fire Your Sales Team Today: Revolutionizing Your Company’s Sales & Marketing Strategy. For more information on how to make your company stand out from your competition and drive more revenue, click here to download the free report My Marketing Isn’t Working and I Don’t Know Why.

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Have you missed any of my blog posts from around the Net this week? Here’s what I’m talking about.

I’m excited to announce my new ebook, 23 Hot Businesses to Start Right Now!, is just out from StartupNation. Whether you are dreaming of starting a business, or already have a business you want to expand, this book will tell you how to take advantage of the latest hot trends–and profit from them. Visit StartupNation to find out more and buy the book for just $27.

Are you itching for a new iPad? So are millions of Americans. Get the scoop on the surge in tablets–and what it means to your business–in my post on Huffington Post Small Business.

Are you designing (or redesigning) your business website? Head over to Network Solutions‘ GrowSmartBusiness blog to discover the most important website features that bring in traffic.

Worried that your tweets are getting lost in the crowd? Learn how to make them stand out in my post on Huffington Post Small Business.

Do you market with emails? Learn how to make sure your emails get the best results from my post over at AT&T‘s SmallBusinessInSite.

What do employees really want–and how can you give it to them? Find out how to keep them happy and productive over on American Express OPEN Forum.

Spring is in the air–is your business ready? Get my suggestions for refreshing your business on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.

Maybe you need a pick-me-up to revive your business enthusiasm. Check out my post on SCORE‘s Success Blog to get excited about your business again.

Or maybe you’re already excited–about March Madness. Find out how to put the NCAA tourney to work for you–not against you–in my post on Small Business Loans.com.

After March comes April, and tax time is nearly upon us. If you’re still scrambling to get your documents together, get a grip by checking out my article for the SBDC-LA, “Understanding Your Tax Exposure.”

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The U.S. government is the world’s largest single purchaser of goods and services. In fiscal 2011,  federal contract spending topped $535 billion. How can you get a piece of that pie?

Recently, the government has placed a greater emphasis on increasing small business contracting. But landing a contract can be challenging and complex if you’ve never attempted before.

To help business owners achieve their contracting goals, American Express OPEN and Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP) are offering a free Web tutorial tomorrow, Wednesday, March 7, at 3 pm ET/12 pm PT.

This educational webinar is part of Give Me 5, a national program created by American Express OPEN and WIPP to help women business owners get a leg up on selling to the world’s largest customer: the U.S. government.

In this one-hour session, Doña Storey, American Express OPEN Advisor on Procurement, will help business owners learn how to determine whether or not the federal government buys the products or services they offer. (The government buys everything from office furniture and airplanes to janitorial work, computer repair services and even kitty litter!)

Business owners will learn the who, what, where and how of the buy-sell cycle of the federal government, which is key in the “go-to-market strategy” to land the world’s biggest customer.

Visit the WIPP website for more information and to register for the webinar Does the Government Buy What I Sell? (You don’t have to be a member of WIPP to participate, and men are welcome, too.)

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Launching a brand new website is an exciting, but stressful experience. Is the website good enough? Is everything working properly? Did I forget something?

Here are 3 questions you need to ask before spending a dime on promoting your website.

1. How Does My Website Fit Into My Business Objectives? This is an amazingly simple question that a lot of small business owners can’t answer. Websites should be built to serve a certain purpose. What is the purpose of your website?

To help you increase the number of sales leads, while reducing marketing costs? To help raise brand awareness? To serve as a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) tool?

Once you figure out the role your website is going to take in your business operations, it’s time to translate that role into goals for your website – specific, attainable and trackable goals.

2. Am I Tracking Everything That Is Important? Once your website has a specific business purpose, it is time to track everything that makes a difference – what’s not tracked, cannot be improved. There are a number of free web analytics solutions that you can use.

Many experts usually recommend Google Analytics as it is free, powerful and simple to use. After you do this, consider setting up Google and Bing Webmaster Tool accounts to help you diagnose any issues your new website might have with search engines.

3. Do I Have A Launch Plan? It is very easy to get lost in the initial website promotion if you don’t have a plan. A launch plan that actually works can be as simple as a list made of websites that will help you promote your new site (websites that will give you links and share the news about your business).

Here are a few tips that will help you create your website launch plan:

• Create a list of your friends on social media sites and ask them to share the news of your new website.
• Make a long list of bloggers, webmasters and journalists that might be interested in writing about you.
• Identify communities crazy about what you do and introduce yourself.
• Ask industry websites to cover your website launch etc.

If you concentrate on answering these simple, yet very important questions, you will save yourself a lot of stress and headaches. Instead, you will have a foolproof way of launching a new website you can use in the future.

Vedran Tomic is the co-founder and CEO of Tomic Internet Marketing, a boutique Internet marketing agency headquartered in Connecticut. Vedran spends his time creating strategies that deliver high ROI for small and medium sized businesses.

Have you missed any of my posts around the Internet this week? Keep reading to see what’s on my mind.

You may hear about “content marketing” a lot these days, but do you know how to use content marketing to attract BtoB customers? Get the skinny in my post on Network Solutions‘ GrowSmartBusiness blog.

Innovation’s a big business buzzword, but what does it really mean to innovate in today’s economy? Find out in my article on MSN’s Business on Main.

Speaking of buzz, Pinterest, a new social sharing site, is getting lots of it. Learn whether Pinterest can work for your business in my post on AT&T’s SmallBusinessInSite.

Worried that customers are going to post horrible things about your company on social media? Well, don’t be. Check out my post on Huffington Post Small Business to find out what consumers really say about businesses online.

Have you used Google+ yet? Get the basics on this social media network in my article for the L.A. SBDC Network.

More info is coming out all the time about how consumers use mobile phones to shop. Learn the latest in my post on Network Solutions‘ GrowSmartBusiness blog.

Love the reality show “Shark Tank“? (Or hate it?) Either way, you’ll want to read my post on American Express OPEN Forum and learn why some women entrepreneurs are just saying no to sharks.

What’s itsy-bitsy and teeny-weeny? Maybe your marketing budget–but that doesn’t necessarily matter. Read my post on the Huffington Post Small Business to learn why.

You might be thinking about hiring employees. To avoid one big hiring mistake entrepreneurs often make, read my post on the SCORE Success blog.

Get smart tips to save you money, keep your employees healthy and more in my Small Business Insider tips on SmallBusinessLoans.com.

Lots of young people today want to start businesses–but are their expectations realistic or not? Find out what I think on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.

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Did you miss any of my blog posts around the Net this week? Here’s what’s on my mind.

Do you love the Oscars? I do too and I’ve made a point to try to catch all the Best Picture nominees. Discover the surprising business secrets I learned from “The Artist” in my post on American Express OPEN Forum.

It’s no secret that women make or influence the majority of consumer purchases. But who are they influencing and how? Find out in my post on AT&T‘s SmallBusinessInSite.

Looking to hire a salesperson? A manufacturer’s rep might be your best option. Learn what reps are and how to find one in my post on Network Solutions‘ GrowSmartBusiness blog.

Do you have a bully at your business (or are you one)? Find out what risks your company could be facing from their bad behavior in my post on Huffington Post Small Business.

Is your small business on Facebook? If you are, here’s some good news: You’re probably doing a better job of it than big corporations are. Get the skinny in my post on Huffington Post Small Business.

Speaking of social media, do you know what your customers are saying about your business? Learn how to find out in my post on the SCORE Success Blog.

Seems like small businesses are finally getting ready to hire again (fingers crossed). Get the scoop in my post on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.

How tough is it really to get a small business loan? Find out in my post on SmallBusinessLoans.com.

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Despite the plethora of social media options for marketers today, good old email is still one of the smartest marketing tools you can use to attract and keep customers. In today’s guest post, Paul Turnbull shares four tips for engaging customers via email marketing.

Maintaining customer relationships is a key part of having a successful email marketing campaign.  It’s also important to remember that you should nurture these relationships every month of the year.  Integrating these simple tactics for email list building and maintenance can strengthen the value of your email program every day of the year:

Tip #1:  Target & Engage Your Subscribers: Your email campaigns should be very targeted and personal.  Use different sign up forms to track each contact source and test different approaches to see what works best for each.  Over time, by reviewing the level of interaction your email campaigns receive, you can see which sources generally have the most engaged contacts and segment future campaigns accordingly.

Tip: #2: Be Honest & Valuable: Build your relationship with your audience by setting expectations up front.  Don’t subtly try to trick people into opting into your list – instead, make it clear and compelling.  Getting more or different emails than expected is a typical reason people unsubscribe or worse, mark as spam later on.  Make it easy for subscribers to adjust their email preferences or let you know what they would like changed or improved to make your emails more valuable, ideally before they unsubscribe from your mailings.

Tip: #3:  Grow & Maintain Your Email List: Purchasing or harvesting a list will never yield the same quality as a permission-based list you build yourself.  When building a quality mailing list, it is just as important to maintain the list to ensure it performs well.  Remove inactive recipients as they can negatively impact your reputation over time.  One of the many metrics a reputation system uses to evaluate reputation is engagement.  A high amount of interaction creates a strong signal to the ISP that your email is wanted, anticipated and appreciated.  Therefore, it is in their (and your) best interest to place the email in the inbox.

Tip #4:  Keep Them Interested: Re-engaging inactive subscribers is easy.  First, determine what an appropriate period of inactivity is.  Depending on the nature of your business, frequency of your emails, and the expectation you’ve set with your subscribers, this amount of time will vary.  For instance, a “daily deals” sender may want to re-engage inactive subscribers after four months of inactivity basis whereas a monthly newsletter sender may want to wait 12 months.

To re-engage, send a survey request or a simple email asking them to re-confirm their subscription by clicking on a call-to-action.  The call-to-action is a tracked link pointing to a page on your website that thanks them for re-confirming and provides additional information, such as white listing instructions or a mailing schedule, so people know what to expect. Following 10 to 14 days after sending the re-engagement email, remove those people who did not click the call-to-action.

Paul Turnbull is the Product Manager for Campaigner® and is responsible for product design and providing an easy to use email marketing solution for small-medium businesses. He can be reached at paul.turnbull@j2global.com.

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Have you missed any of my posts from around the blogosphere this week? Keep reading to see what’s on my mind.

Learn how retailers are responding to the surge in mobile shopping in my post on Network Solutions’ GrowSmartBusiness blog. Does your website or store make the grade?

You’ve heard of m-commerce, but what about t-commerce? Read my AT&T SmallBusinessInSite post to get the scoop on the latest retail trend.

Planning to invest in new technology soon? I know I am. Read my post on American Express OPEN Forum and find out how to make sure you’re spending wisely.

What worries are keeping women entrepreneurs up at night? Find out in my post on Anita Campbell’s Small Business Trends.

You might be up at night wondering how to get–and keep–customers. Get a head start by reading my post on the SCORE Success Blog. Then learn how to show your customers some love in my post for the SBA‘s Industry Word.

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