If you have been reading about communication and marketing tools over the past couple of years you are aware of the proliferation of new devices and platforms for marketing to and establishing community with existing and prospective customers.  Studies continue to show that growing numbers of people are adopting the use of social networking and micro-blogging platforms for personal use and to “follow” or “fan” their favorite businesses.  Social media will continue to grow and offer businesses perhaps the greatest value in time and investment to reach customers and successfully track the results of their efforts.  Read this: your business needs a presence in social media. As growing number

There have been recent reports online regarding the use of social media by small businesses.  As fast as social media has gained in popularity, businesses have expanded their use of it.  It appears as though most social media users are okay with this.   Many businesses have given it a try while others have found too difficult a platform.  Some local perspective about Sacramento Press readers and thieir expectations on social media would be valuable to the local business community.  Please, share your perspective with us.  What do you like from the small businesses you follow?  Who locally is doing a great job using social networking?  What advice do you have for those considering

  *   You have likely heard the old joke that lab rats are being replaced by lawyers because the lab workers do not get emotionally attached to lawyers.  Or the one about a thousand lawyers being chained together at the bottom of the ocean being a “good start”.  As these jokes (and the hundreds of others) show, lawyers have a bad reputation.  Personally, I have never had the need for one and only know a few, and I have worked pretty hard at maintaining the status quo on both of those points.  It seemed to me that lawyers are for people who live near secret toxic waste dumpsites.  Recently, my work helping small businesses with marketing led me to a local Law Firm and Real Estate compan

There is no doubt that businesses in general have suffered through our ever-changing economy. Businesses on multiple levels have had to make sacrifices; downsizing, cutting salaries, furloughing, laying off, and certainly cutting expenses.Small business, especially in Sacramento, is no exception. One expense that seems to be a commonality, is the Company Holiday Party. Historically, no matter how large or small an office or business is, company's have celebrated the holidays and their accomplishments with their partners, employees, and sometimes, vendors and customers. It is a time when people put work aside, and come together over food, drinks, entertainment and memories that often survi

The Wall Street Journal featured a story recently that held some tremendous promise for Sacramento Area small businesses.  The article titled “Three Best Ways to Win Community Support” outlines the some opportunities that small businesses can create or take advantage of.  I think these are particularly ripe for those businesses around the Sacramento community.   First off, a recent trend in small business marketing has been to develop community around your products and services.  Community is where loyalty comes from.  It is why we have newsletters, a social networking presence, and why we all wish there was a bar where everybody knew our name.  These tips will help you further to engage

Local small businesses may be able to gain an advantage when bidding for contracts with the city of Sacramento if a new proposal by City Councilwoman Lauren Hammond is eventually approved by the City Council. Hammond is proposing a program in which local small businesses would be eligible for a 5 percent bid preference with the city. The purpose of the 5 percent discount would be to give local businesses a boost in the city's bidding process. Hammond told The Sacramento Press she would like to create the program because "there aren't enough companies getting contracts with the city of Sacramento." The city's other efforts to bring in more local companies have not worked because city staf

Many small business owners are succumbing to fear due to the economy and worry whether they will succeed. Business owners are finding it more challenging to be optimistic and excited about the future of their businesses. However, two Sacramento area business owners are teaching that now is the time to be excited about doing business and they are teaching how business owners can be excited about doing business - despite hard economic times. Jerry Kennedy, owner of Inside Out Business Solutions, and Joel D Canfield, author, award-winning speaker and co-founder of the Northern California Association of Entrepreneurs, conduct interactive business workshops where attendees learn why now is the

Announcing the opening of  Le Soleil. Le Soleil is a life, career and spiritual training ground for progressive adults looking to enhance their personal and professional lives, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.    Le Soleil is the brain child of Rebecca Echevarria. Rebecca is an ordained minister in both the Christian and Buddhist traditions and our lead consultant (life coach). She has studied religion, philosphy and leadership extensively. This background enables her to work with Executives, Soccer Moms, and everything in between. She has written books on escaping the cult mentality, parenting and dealing with adversity. Her core beliefs are that each in

Do you have a business? As the sales manager of The Sacramento Press, I have been meeting with a lot of small business owners in the area who I would have never heard of if it weren’t for a few good leads. And, it’s pretty likely that a lot of other Sacramentans haven’t heard about these quaint little businesses either. We are talking about businesses that could offer up some great goods and services to you and those you know. With the economy in a downward spiral, it’s becoming more and more difficult for these businesses to brand themselves and market their offerings. As a result, they aren’t in a position to buy internet advertising like they used to. So when faced with these opposit