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(ARA) - Used to be, a diligent small business owner with a great idea and plenty of gumption could grow a business through word of mouth alone. In many ways, that's still true. Yet today, much of the "word of mouth" conversations and recommendations, which can make or break a business, are happening online, not face to face.

Small business owners still recognize the value of word of mouth - 63 percent say it remains the most effective way to market their business and find new customers, according to a recent survey by Citibank. Yet that same survey found that 81 percent of small business owners do not use social media - word of mouth in the technology-driven world.

"Many small businesses have yet to really harness the marketing and communication power that online tools can provide them," says Raj Seshadri, head of small business banking at Citibank. "Our survey of 552 small business executives throughout the country reveals a huge opportunity for many businesses to begin using some of the basic online tools, such as e-mail marketing, to drive their sales."

Moreover, business owners should utilize a variety of social media and online platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, their Web site's homepage and even blogs, experts say. Profiles on multiple networks expand your business' reach and help engage current and potential customers.

Studies show that after a purchase, online shoppers "friend" or follow businesses more than 50 percent of the time. Reasons include an affinity for the business, allegiance to a company, and the opportunity to receive invitations to special events and/or exclusive offers and promotions through social media.

Here are some tips for using some of the top social media options to help grow your small business:

Blog about it

Short for "weblog," a blog allows you to speak directly to customers and establish yourself as an expert in your industry. You can use your blog as the main source for information about your business, to feature customer testimonials, answer frequently asked questions, or even to resolve problems. Blog posts are usually short and pithy - you don't have to write the great American novel for each post. Just make each interesting, useful and brief.

Facebook is your "friend"

Facebook is the largest social network, with more than 450 million users around the world, and another 100 million logging on from mobile devices. Create your free Facebook account and begin inviting customers (through direct e-mail, signs posted in your store and other communications) to "friend" your page. Use it to interact with your community of customers, offering them specials and deals. You can also share customer reviews online, feature a "customer of the month" and even chat directly with customers during scheduled chat times.

You should know YouTube

Smart companies use this online video library to distribute news of their products and services to a broad community. Create a quick video that spotlights what's special about your product or service, new products or to highlight your product in the context of current events.

The buzz about Twitter

Twitter accounts are also free. More than 105 million users post in excess of 50 million "tweets" daily - short posts about current events or what's going on in their lives at that moment. Use Twitter to relay stories of positive customer experiences, mentions of your company in other media, product announcements and updates, links and photos from your blog, or even to directly thank a specific customer in a public way.

Linking up with LinkedIn

Think of LinkedIn as the professional version of Facebook. The networking site allows you to post information about your qualifications, your work experience and your business, and to connect with other professionals.

To learn more about Citibank small business services that can help your company grow, visit www.citibank.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) - A record number of people are looking for work these days. If you're not one of them, chances are you know someone who is. An Employment Situation Summary, issued Aug. 6 by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics, reported 14.6million people were unemployed in July. That's a 9.5 percent national unemployment rate, which has changed little since the beginning of 2010.

These frustrating economic conditions make it easy to get discouraged. For anyone feeling stalled in their job search, a few simple steps could put the wind back in their sails. Chasity Trzop, director of Career Services at Brown Mackie College - Louisville, supports and guides graduates through their search for employment.

"When I talk with students who are discouraged, the first question I ask is, 'What are you doing?' Nine times out of 10 they're on the computer," says Trzop. While the computer can be instrumental, a good job search utilizes additional tactics. "The computer is a passive job search. You are one of a thousand online, with about a 10 percent chance of getting an interview if you have done nothing face-to-face with the company. You must get out and interact with people," Trzop says.

Treat a job search like a job.
Trzop reminds graduates that searching for a job is a job, and should be treated as such. A good rule of thumb is to do 10 things each day in support of your job search. "Five of those things can be done online, like finding and applying for jobs, and writing e-mails to strengthen your career network. The other five things should be personal contact with people who may be able to help. Get up and meet with people face to face," says Trzop.

Join professional associations.
Students at Brown Mackie College - Louisville learn early during their academic program the importance of building a professional network. They are encouraged to join student clubs and professional associations in support of their major. The affiliations are helpful in securing an externship, and indispensable when searching for employment. Attending association functions puts you in front of people who may be hiring. "No one knows how wonderful you are if you're hiding behind your computer," Trzop says. "Go to events, and carry your resume with you."

Volunteer to apprentice without pay.
Volunteering to work without pay can go a long way toward finding a job. "Offer your service to someone in the field you want to enter. Ask if you can shadow him or her for a few days," Trzop recommends. "Who wouldn't want free labor? It's no skin off your nose if they say no." Trzop has seen many students gain on-the-job experience this way. Several proved to be so useful that the company created jobs for them.

Volunteer for community service.
Make productive use of your time. "Volunteer for any type of community service that interests you," Trzop says. It provides numerous benefits. It gets you out of the house and introduces you to new people. "You never know when you'll meet someone who may be hiring. The experience also looks great on a resume, and can fill gaps in employment," she says.

Use the phone to your best advantage.
Trzop tells graduates to keep in touch. After meeting people in the industry, call them to solidify the relationship. Ask for information on which companies may be hiring. "Make excuses for calling," she says. "If your profession requires certification, call your contacts when it comes through."

Social websites aren't just for small talk.
"More and more people are turning to social networks like Facebook and LinkedIn in their search for employment," says Trzop. "The websites make it easy to connect with others who share your interests." Brown Mackie College - Louisville has even begun to use LinkedIn to find intern candidates and promote internship fairs.

Now you are armed with specific knowledge on how to conduct your job search from a career service professional. "Keep a positive attitude and do the legwork that will put you out in front of people," Trzop says. "I tell our school's graduates, 'School is boot camp. Now go out and be a soldier.'"

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Running a small business is a dream for many people, but those who do it know that you need to have dedication in addition to dreams. A great business plan is the first step to getting a business off the ground, but once it's launched, the real work starts. To give your business the best opportunities to succeed, you need to think creatively about how to get your message out to your customers.

When you're just starting out, budgets can be particularly tight. Lots of cash goes into the launch and preparing your company to serve customers. It can sometimes feel like there's just not enough to spread around to other expenditures beyond keeping the lights on and the website up. However, don't let anything convince you to skip marketing efforts. You can find surprisingly affordable solutions, and you can't miss out on any chance to introduce customers to what you do.

A simple starting point - and perhaps the most basic marketing tool - is business cards. Whether you strike up a conversation with someone on an airplane, at a trade show or just at your local coffee shop, giving someone a card with your business information will help you stick in their mind and prompt them to look into what you do. You can opt to have cards custom-made, or you can even find free business card options on sites like Vistaprint.com.

If you've gotten off to a good start, make sure that you push hard to maintain that momentum. Sitting back and just letting things happen isn't a recipe for success - let your customers (both existing and potential) know of special events and offers from your business by sending out postcards. Because of the high volume of most orders, you can get a great deal on customized postcards that will get your message across with panache.

A lot of entrepreneurs are big-picture thinkers, and that's definitely a good thing. But it's also good to keep the small-scale concerns of a business in mind. You can have the greatest product in the world, but without a professional appearance, your business isn't going to gain much respect. The good news is that it's very economical to create a business identity - start with a logo and a few fonts, and use them regularly across all of your collateral materials. From letterhead to address labels, the materials you send out can say a lot about the kind of business you're running.

The easy part about marketing is that, because you were passionate enough to start a business, you'll have plenty to say about it. While conversations do go a long way in the business world, they're limited to a fairly short amount of time. When you follow up with marketing materials that will keep your company fresh in people's minds, you'll be creating customers for the long term.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

(ARA) - Is it easier to climb Mount Everest than to start a small business in America today? More than 65 percent of Americans think so, according to a recent survey. Yet 70 percent also believe small businesses are more likely to turn around the economy than the federal government, reveals the survey by Wakefield Research conducted on behalf of e-commerce platform Alibaba.com.

"Historically, recessions have proven very fruitful times to start a small business," says David Wei, chief executive officer of Alibaba.com. "As the data show, Americans strongly believe in the power of small businesses to positively impact the economy. However, misconceptions and lack of understanding about the global marketplace may be holding some would-be entrepreneurs back from starting their own small businesses."

Experts say that anyone, including recent college graduates, can still start a small business in the U.S. All it takes is some knowledge and support. Wei offers some advice for starting a small business or helping an existing small business achieve success in global trade:

* While more than 60 percent of survey respondents said they would advise their recent college graduate children to take a job they dislike and wait for the economy to improve, Wei says creating your own opportunities will be more rewarding. "Yes, the economy appears to be improving, but unemployment is still high," he says. "Don't rely on big corporations for employment. Create your own opportunities." A recession is actually a good time to start a business, history shows; corporate giants like Microsoft, Disney and Proctor &amp Gamble all started in poor economic times, and more than half of all Dow Jones 30 companies launched during a recession.

* Identify a consumer need. While people generally spend less during an economic downturn, businesses that offer necessary products and services can do well. Before starting your own business, identify must-have markets and products.

* Take advantage of technology to research, develop and market your ideas. You can engage in product development, social networking, targeted search advertising and compete in the global marketplace with just a few clicks of a mouse.

* Get smart about production costs and broadening your opportunities. You can enter the global marketplace online with sites like Alibaba.com, which allows you to engage in global trade and market your product or service internationally, or buy supplies or services securely and cost-effectively from overseas vendors.

* Take advantage of free resources such as non-profits and government agencies that offer free business counseling services. Look up your local SCORE office, Small Business Association or Small Business Development Center.

* Never stop learning and taking advantage of opportunities like Alibaba.com's Entrepreneur Abroad Program. This year the program sponsors 50 Kairos Society students who will travel to China in September. There they will engage in a full day of coursework on international trade taught by experts from around the world, participate in a global summit that will allow them to rub elbows with business leaders in international trade and take part in a discussion of major issues confronting small businesses globally.

Still not convinced you can start a successful small business in this economic environment? Jonathan Shriftman, a 2010 graduate from the University of Southern California, did exactly that. Shriftman found biking around campus an affordable way to get around. He also recognized a potentially profitable niche producing bicycles for the student market. Working from his dorm room, he researched his idea online, contacted manufacturers through Alibaba.com's small business portal, and had his enterprise - Sole Bicycles - up and running in no time. The bikes are built overseas and shipped to Shriftman, who is able to sell them for a quarter of the price of his competitors' products.

"With 66 percent of our survey respondents saying the federal government's efforts to create jobs have not been effective, now is definitely the time for would-be entrepreneurs to take the plunge," Wei says. "Every new business begun in the recession means new jobs will be created - and that's something that benefits us all."

To learn more about starting your own business and participating in global trade, visit success.alibaba.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Due to advancements in technology like digital cinematography cameras and internet distribution, artists in both the movie and music industries have been producing their work independently for decades now. Now, in that same independent spirit, writers also have the freedom to bypass the traditional conventions of publishing to achieve their goal of becoming a published author.

The common thread that enables independence for film, music and publishing is technology. New technologies and mainstream use of the Internet have made it easier for artists in every industry to bring their work to the masses without being backed by the bankroll of a major corporation, and book publishing is no exception. Since the introduction of desktop publishing, which eliminated the need for typesetting, and digital printing, which made capital intensive offset printing runs unnecessary, indie book publishing has exploded. Growth in the traditional publishing sector has remained relatively flat since 2007, but indie book publishing and self publishing has seen steady growth in the number of books published, according to Bowker, who contracts with the U.S. government to assign identification numbers to newly published books.

A big reason authors have flocked toward indie publishing companies and self publishing is the increased chance of getting their works to market without the frustration and the potential heartbreak that goes along with working with agents and trying to sell manuscripts to a large publishing house. But indie book publishers, particularly those that have supported self-publishing packages, offer many of the same things that larger publishers do, while giving authors more creative control over how their books are published, promoted and distributed.

Here are four reasons new and seasoned authors alike are attracted to indie book publishing companies:

1. Control. Larger publishers often don't allow authors to control how their books are designed or promoted. Many authors want complete creative control over their intellectual property.

2. Retention of rights. With indie publishing, authors usually control all the rights that go along with their work. Traditional publishers often secure subsidiary rights as part of their contract with authors. By retaining full rights to their work, authors can be the sole beneficiaries if they receive a movie deal or foreign distribution.

3. Speed to market. Whereas it may take years to get a book contract, then get it designed and distributed through a traditional publisher, independent publishing companies usually allow an author to get a book to market in a few months---sometimes in as little as 30 days.

With the advent of e-book publishing, speed to market has increased. It is now possible to produce electronic copies of books for the Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble nook, Sony Reader and other digital consumption devices.

4. Potential for increased revenue. Writers who use indie book publishers usually get a bigger share of the profit from each book sold.

While authors using indie book publishers often have to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $1,000 to get their books to market using self-supported publishing, they aren't required to pay for the printing of each book or to buy a certain number of books upfront. That said, authors can usually buy a certain number of books at a substantial discount and sell them for whatever price the market will bear. While traditional book publishers might pay an author for their work upfront, many authors prefer the control and opportunities allowed through indie book publishing.

To learn more about what's available through independent book publishing, visit www.authorhouse.com or www.iuniverse.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent