Blockbeta Marketing: Ideas and Resources for Startups and Small Businesses

Remember, It's About Connecting with Your Peeps

2010-06-30T16:47:26Z

Social media is about creating connections with people, but many small businesses can't get people talking on their Facebook pages. Here's why and what you can do about it.

Social Media Times Offers Local Marketing Tips

2010-05-27T18:03:48Z

Publication offers tips and tools for using social media for local, small business marketing.

Being Laid Off Doesn't Mean You're Ready (or Willing) for Entrepeneurship

2010-05-15T15:45:15Z

Giving unemployed workers access to free business training may make sense for some people, but the Washington State Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP) may not be the economic stimulus its creators intended.

Social Media Slow to Gain Traction in Industrial Sector

2010-03-30T15:04:17Z

Slow adoption of social media by industrial sector isn't surprising, since established communication methods have worked consistently for years. Before they invest resources in social media, industrial marketers want to know what they'll get out of it. The early days of the Web were no different.

Social Media Marketing: Evolution or Revolution?

2010-03-14T19:12:09Z

Social media is a game changer, but marketing fundamentals still apply.

New Animation Tool

2009-10-08T16:17:59Z

There's a new tool from Xtranormal that claims that if you can type, you can create an animation. They've created an example about social media which is pretty funny. Didn't want to show it hear due to the language used, but you can go check it out on YouTube.

Get a Glimpse of How the Internet Sees You

2009-09-28T21:28:16Z

Part geeky fun, part art project, Personas is a part of the Metropath(ologies) exhibit, recently on display at the MIT Museum. It was created by the Sociable Media Group from the MIT Media Lab. Simply type in your name and watch it go to work.

A Tool for Brainstorming on the Cheap

2009-09-15T16:06:11Z

Never have enough white board space for your ideas? Well here's a great solution to a common problem -- build your own white board. Here's how

Seattle Parking Meters Bad for Small Business

2009-09-14T16:05:55Z

I've been complaining for a while about the new parking meters going up in the small neighborhoods around Seattle. When you want to simply run in to grab a coffee or your dry cleaning, you have to grab change or a credit card, sometimes run half a block in the rain to a meter, wait for your ticket, and run back to your car to stick that annoying piece of paper in the window. The glue doesn't come off easily either.

Oh, I pine for the 2-hour limit spots that used to dot our streets. I even find myself choosing where I'll go based on where I can park.

All this hassling of customers is bad for small businesses, because why would I pay for parking (and the time) in addition to that coffee? I'm simply going to stop somewhere with a parking lot. It's especially bad for the the neighborhoods surrounding downtown, like Fremont and South Lake Union, where the businesses are typically smaller and can rarely afford to offer free parking. I called the city about it, but they didn't agree (of course). And fancy, new meters keep going up all the time.

Seattle isn't the only one with the problem. In an article from MSNBC, Bob Sullivan in his Red Tape Chronicles column talks about the ticket abuses happening in other major cities.

A Tool for Finding Customers and Determining Seasonal Demand

2009-05-25T18:28:44Z

Once again, Google comes to the rescue with a data tool that may help you figure out where your customers are and when they may be ready to buy. Based on aggregated search data, their Insights for Research allows you to plug in terms, then look at patterns across a number of filters. You can narrow your search by Web, image, news or product. Select geographies from worldwide to city. Search as far back as 2004 to as recent as a specific date. Filters are also available by industry and interest. The tool allows you to compare results by search term, location and time ranges.

I gave it a try comparing skiing to swimming. The results were unexpected. Then I thought it might be fun to compare ice cream and chocolate -- a little more predictable. Now granted, this data is based on what people are searching for; there may be no direct correlation between those searches and actual purchases. But the resulting data, graphs and maps are pretty interesting. It just depends on how you use it.