With Intuit small business services, managing your business has never been easier! In addition to providing personal finance software, Intuit has been a supporter of small business for over 25 years, and now we are expanding our efforts to help small businesses thrive. You’ve always known us for providing easy financial software; now we offer fast and easy online marketing services, web hosting and website builder services, payroll services, and credit card processing as well. And we’re just getting started! We’re developing new services all the time — visit IntuitLabs to see some of our latest innovations.

The Allstate Corporation is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer. A Fortune 100 company, with $133 billion in total assets, Allstate sells 13 major lines of insurance, including auto, property, life and commercial. Allstate also offers retirement and investment products and banking services. Allstate is widely known through the “You’re In Good Hands With Allstate®” slogan. Allstate was founded in 1931 and became a publicly traded company in 1993.

IZEA prides itself on the successful execution of social media marketing campaigns. We work hand-in-hand with agencies and brands to deliver ROI through buzz, clicks and conversions.

ReveNews is a trusted, unbiased source focusing on Internet related industries such as online marketing, SEM, affiliate marketing, retail (e-commerce), analytics, spyware, blogging and much more. ReveNews authors consist of highly respected thinkers, commentators and business people who have real experience and insight. ReveNews readers include industry gurus, top-level executives and CEO’s, plus many of the industry’s top net-repreneurs; all coming together to create a global Internet community to distribute, discuss and analyze the industry at hand.

And, once again, our SOBCon partners for accommodations and the conference space are Hotel 71 and the Summit Executive Center.

A Stylishly Different Chicago Hotel

Hotel 71 is a modern urban boutique hotel experience, perfectly located on the Chicago River at Wacker Drive and Michigan Avenue, “the Magnificent Mile”. The hotel’s fresh style, large rooms and suites, beautifully appointed meeting space, friendly service and an unrivaled location at the epicenter of downtown Chicago, make it the best luxury hotel for both business and leisure travelers.

Summit Chicago
Our world-class facility, exceptional staff and outstanding cuisine provides you with all the tools you’ll need to successfully enhance your meeting.
Summit Executive Centre is downtown Chicago’s only accredited member of the prestigious International Association of Conference Centers. Our standard of quality is recognized by leading businesses and decision makers around the world.

Read more about this amazing event at the home page for SOBCon 2010.

Post from: the In Context MultiMedia blog Business Development In Context. Thank you for your attention.
The latest Training Course is now available at, Writing for the Web.

Yet success will depend on transforming rhetoric into action. Innovation at a national or even regional scale may seem hard to grasp when you’re focused on the immediate needs of your individual business or organization. But, in fact, new products, services and processes (even those that may fail) are linked and need to be continuously introduced to keep our economy - and our society - moving forward. [...]

Get focused, fast. Most innovation programs are exploratory in nature, and the scope of inquiry can be quite broad. Instead of tackling everything at once, think about your best customers - who are they and how do they experience your product or service? What are the “moments that matter” to them? Anything that’s extraneous to addressing their most pressing needs will not only consume resources but also leave you vulnerable to competitors who are vying for their loyalty.

Leverage what you already know. When it comes to innovation, there is a tendency to believe that insights and know-how are the domains of outside experts. Take the time now to improve internal networks for communicating your ideas in order to more effectively mine in-house knowledge across as much of your organization as possible. You may know more than you think, which will help you get focused on what’s missing and eliminate the cost of reinventing the wheel.

[...]

Be compassionate with yourself. Innovation at its core is about putting new ideas into action, repeatedly, resulting in some kind of change in the world. If you’ve engaged in a conversation about doing something differently, and then taken the first (or next) step with conviction, you’re an innovator.

Today we need to think differently about the practice of innovation. It’s not just about conceiving the next bright shiny object; rather, it’s about actively making smart investments now that set a course for the future and get your business in position to take advantage of that eventual upturn - even if it’s going to be after a very long economic winter.

Laura Weiss specializes in the design and management of the innovation process. She is based in San Francisco and can be reached at laura@lauraweiss.net.

(Cross-posted at the new home for all content - …words)

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The latest Training Course is now available at, Writing for the Web.

Soon after starting up, Scottish beer business Brewdog was struggling to sell its product until its co-founders hit on the idea of using the internet to market their distinctive beers.

“It was a hard sell locally at first,” said co-founder James Watt. “People had grown up with lager, and a lot of the pubs in Scotland are tied. So we decided to see if we could interest overseas beer enthusiasts online. We could see an opportunity in places like Sweden and America where specialist beers are popular,” he said.

Watt found the most popular bloggers in each country and sent free samples to them. Having built a following, they convinced local importers to sell their beer and international orders took off. Today exports account for 80% of sales.

Blogs and other inexpensive online social-media tools are the most powerful means of growing a business for those who learn how to wield them, said Watt. “If you are competing against big companies, you have to use every means at your disposal to get your message out there and tell people why you’re different.”

(Cross-posted at the new home for all content - …words)

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The latest Training Course is now available at, Writing for the Web.

Pew Internet & American Life Project’s December 2008 tracking survey revealed some insight into users’ online social networking behavior. There are few surprises, but some important points to note. First, the use of social networks has quadrupled since 2005. However, that’s largely due to users discovering these sites for the first time. Facebook wasn’t founded until 2004 and then it was for college students only.

The bulk of users are young adults, but the number of those using these networks is staggering. A full 75% of online adults ages 18-24 are using social networks, 57% of those 25-34 and 30% of those 35-44, according to the study.

Read more –>

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The latest Training Course is now available at, Writing for the Web.

Do you have multiple Twitter accounts? If so, have a look at Splitweet. This service lets you enter your multiple accounts and manage them all in the same window. There are several attractive features that make it worthwhile.

* You can send a tweet to whichever account you want by typing in your message, checking the box next to the account you want to tweet, then clicking “Tweet it!”
* Your dashboard shows all incoming tweets from those you follow, color-coded according to the account.
* Replies shows all @ replies to your accounts, color-coded, Direct Messages does the same.
* Brand Mentions searches by keywords - that you set up in the ‘brands’ link - and displays all tweets containing those terms.
* Hovering over any tweet will give you the ability to retweet, favorite or direct message the sender.

Post from: the In Context MultiMedia blog Business Development In Context. Thank you for your attention.
The latest Training Course is now available at, Writing for the Web.

One of the most popular categories of online video is how-to. TubeMogul released research in July 2008 that showed how-to videos ranked eighth in terms of views, ahead of news and blogs and one spot behind sports. Of course, the majority of all videos watched - including how-to - will take place on YouTube. But it’s not the only place. In fact, there are several other sites worth your attention, and gaining attention among users.

It’s difficult to think of any business that could not produce and market a how-to video. Just about every product could use a demonstration - whether showing how it works, explaining alternative uses for a product, or simply showing it off from different angles. A local plumber could show how to fix a simple leak, a guitar shop could offer a free lesson online or a travel agent could show how to efficiently pack a suitcase, for example. If you think about your business offerings, you’ll find something worth a how-to video. So start shooting, then distribute your video.

To peer into the consumer mind, we did a simple Google search for “how to video” and “how-to videos.”
Read more –>

An entire series of how-to videos are planned for this site, starting in March or April. Please leave a Comment as to what sorts of videos you would be most interested in.

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The latest Training Course is now available at, Writing for the Web.

Be sure to subscribe now so you can get the info that you need to find out how to keep getting the Social Media information that you need to grow your business.

Post from: the In Context MultiMedia blog Business Development In Context. Thank you for your attention.
The latest Training Course is now available at, Writing for the Web.

If you know someone with a small business, on a tight budget, please pass this along to them! If your business needs some help, I have a special offer for website evaluations at the end of this message!

In exchange for sharing this message, I would be more than happy to pass on your own message or offer to people that I know that may be able to benefit from your own services.

I have written about the need for this before, and these are the 4 most important points:

4 Steps to Increase Your Online Presence

1. Make sure that there is a link to a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page. I am sure that we can all come up with a list of the top 10 questions that our potential customers ask. Write them down, and answer them as completely and honestly as you can.
2. Create a second page of “Questions that You Should Ask”, the top 10 questions that we would like our prospects to ask us in order for us to build rapport and let these probable purchasers know that we are a credible advisor and expert on the topic.
3. Give value first. Make sure that your website or blog has obvious links to your products and the latest pricing. Include the pricing of your competitors, and let the reader know why your product is preferable, even if the price is higher.
4. Invite your prospects to join your community in Social Media, whether it is Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn - people like to make connections. LinkedIn is a great resource, as it has the “Question & Answer” feature, allowing you to get in front of people that may be looking for a solution that your business can provide. Search through the questions, and answer the ones that you can, without making them into ads. Establish yourself as an expert.

Bonus tip: Reach out to your existing community. Find the people that are already talking about your business and listen to them. Ask them if you can help with their business in these tough times. You may find a way to “partner” with a customer and create a profitable synergy.

This is just the starting point for increasing your social media presence, and I suspect that these steps will lead to more questions. ”

These are exactly the types of questions that I can help answer for you. This is what I do:

• I consult on how to get involved with on- and off-line communities,
• Use Twitter and Commenting strategies without being a spammer,
• Increase your online presence to attract and generate more business,
• Teach you to create and implement a blogging platform for your business and your community,
• Teach actionable steps that you can use to improve your productivity workflow

For the month of February I am reaching out to everyone that I know, asking that you pass this on to anyone that might need this kind of business assistance. I have these specific services that are included with a $150 consultation:

1. Website evaluation - regarding the look and user-friendliness
2. Complete digital website report on the commonly-used features of your website and how to improve them
3. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tips and suggestions
4. Copywriting suggestions for your keywords and business market

This consultation includes a 1/2 hour telephone conference about how your site is currently working and what you would like to improve and a 1/2 hour follow-up call with specific recommendations for the things that you can do to improve your internet presence and build your business. If you do not have a website and are interested in starting one I can help with everything from domain registration to hosting to building the site for you.

Please send an e-mail to stephen @ incontextmultimedia dot com to schedule your consultation appointment. [Or use the Contact Form]

I am really looking forward to speaking to you!

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The latest Training Course is now available at, Writing for the Web.

Here’s the Best Online Business for the 21st Century… Period. | Teaching Sells

Here are 3 quick examples of training areas that work in good times and bad:

* Right now, people realize that job security is an illusion. There’s never been more interest in starting up small and home-based businesses. It’s a huge training market that’s getting bigger due to uncertain economic times and general dissatisfaction with working for someone else.

* Technology is marching forward at a blistering pace. People need to be educated in software and technology tools for career changes and better productivity. The aging population needs clear instruction on how to do basic things that others take for granted. It’s a huge training market that’s getting bigger due to rapid change and the advancing age of the Boomer Generation.

* Personal development training is in high demand. Because basic needs are well satisfied in many Western nations, people are looking for more. They’re looking to the top of the needs pyramid, which is self-actualization. And due to the way our brains are wired, we value advice we pay for more than free and often untrustworthy information.

Those three huge training categories only scratch the surface of the potential. New opportunities for profitable paid training programs arise every day thanks to the relentless pace of change.

If you are interested on some Social Media Skill training, send me an e-mail (stephen @ incontextmultimedia . com) and we can talk about it.

Post from: the In Context MultiMedia blog Business Development In Context. Thank you for your attention.
The latest Training Course is now available at, Writing for the Web.

Inspired by the Five in the Morning series so well put-together by Steve Woodruff (check out his new site, by the way), I [Gavin, that is, ed.] was chatting with Amber Naslund about the ready abundance of online material that is of interest, but not necessarily relevant to our work (or even private) lives. Sometimes it is this small cup of chaos that delivers a dose of randomness into our otherwise ordered lives that changes the way we see things.

Their first post will be up Monday, check it out.

Post from: the In Context MultiMedia blog Business Development In Context. Thank you for your attention.
The latest Training Course is now available at, Writing for the Web.