Hackers for hire–Make Today Change-Your-Passwords Day

by Jeff Rutowski on January 26, 2012

An article in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal by Cassell Bryan-Low described how easy and inexpensive it is to hire someone to hack into just about anything. They talk about a site called hiretohack.net that advertises on the web that it can hack into just about any online email account depending upon how complex the password is, who the email service provider is and how quickly the customer wants the hack done.

One of the messages here is that you need to be both smart and careful when it comes to using online email services. Email is not secure. [click to continue…]

What’s up with Facebook and Google?

by Jeff Rutowski on January 25, 2012

Facebook has announced that it is forcing its timeline feature down the throats of all of its users.

Apparently, users will have just 7 days to clean up their profiles. But wait, the ridiculously difficult and user unfriendly (and hidden) privacy settings will mean that hundreds of millions of users will be abused by Facebook.

On top of that, Google has announced that it will begin tracking every move you make across all of its services and you have no opt-out rights.

So if you thought that Facebook and Google were free then you haven’t put a value on your privacy. Facevook and Google are selling this information. That’s gow they make their billions.

How a blog can help you grow your business

January 20, 2012

But why a blog? A blog provides a great channel through which you can communicate with your customers. It provides a forum where you can establish yourself as an expert and also as a resource for your customers. Today before they buy, customers are more likely to do Internet searches and research to learn about products and services. A blog with a good quantity of business-relevant content will give your customers and prospects another reason to check into your products and services.

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What’s Your Elevator Pitch?

January 19, 2012

Tag lines are a great way to anchor your business with your customers and prospects. Tag lines or company slogans have been around forever and there are some that you will never forget. Then there are others that are very forgettable.

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Is your email marketing taking a backseat to your social media efforts?

January 18, 2012

The wave of social media is upon us and many are finding themselves awash with excitement and engagement with this important form of communication. But getting your marketing message out in 140 characters isn’t going to get the whole job done.

Telephone, fax and direct mail used to be the primary marketing tools available to marketers. Today, marketers can use text messaging, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, email, direct mail and, yes, the telephone–or cell phone.

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How To Create Your Marketing Plan Today

January 17, 2012

Many small businesses avoid creating a marketing plan because the creating of the plan can seem overwhelming. The thought of marketing, the concept of marketing often evokes thoughts or visions of large corporates with ginormous staffs of marketing MBAs.

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How well are you using your marketing weapons?

January 13, 2012

How well are you using your marketing weapons? I am going to list some of the more common marketing weapons along with some not-so-common weapons. Your task is to assess how well you are using the weapons. Here are your choices for determining your assessment

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Are You Following These Email Best Practices?

January 12, 2012

President George W Bush signed the CAN-SPAM Act into law in December 2003. You may remember the days before CAN-SPAM became law. People would receive emails with the word SEX or FREE GIFT or some other bogus claims.

CAN-SPAM was originally designed to target these–the absolute worst offenders. CAN-SPAM stands for the“Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing.” The law outlines and standardizes the requirements for commercial emails. It also provides for penalties for sending spam.

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How to upgrade the appearance of your email correspondence–8 Quick Tips

January 12, 2012

Email has emerged as a vital component of our personal and professional lives. Email is used to communicate everything from sales and advertising messages, to business information, to updates on your child’s sporting events. Everyone uses email yet there are a number of discourteous practices that have also developed over time.

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If you’re working in your business, who’s working on your business?

January 11, 2012

Marketing is working on your business. Running the cash register is working in your business. Many small business owners spend more time working in their business than on their business. While this may be comforting and those tasks that you are performing are no doubt important, the work on your business is what will propel it to long-term growth and success.

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