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How the Buy American Movement supports American Businesses

December 21, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

How can you support American Small and Medium Businesses in the era of global supply chains? If you remember seeing “Made in America” tags at stores in the past, you might also remember that these tags never really worked very well.

So how do you go about supporting American businesses and products made in the USA? Enter the leaders in pioneering the Buy American Movement: BuyDirectUSA. With their directory of American-made products and manufacturers, you can be sure you’re buying from a company based in the United States.

Products made — and services rendered — overseas just aren’t held to the same quality control standards required of companies that provide products and services in the USA. Because of that fact, benefits from buying American products and services extend further than benefitting our country’s financial health and the health and wellness of American families.

American flag with American Made text plastered over it

The Origins of the Buy American Movement

The Buy American Movement predates social media, which means back in 1998, after the establishment of BuyDirectUSA.com, it was much more difficult to spread the word about American-made companies and products. Those at BuyDirect USA knew this meant it was even more essential to develop a directory of these companies based in the USA, but growing it wouldn’t be easy.

Finding American businesses with an actual web presence back in 1998 was difficult as the internet was still in its infancy, and many companies weren’t even on the internet yet. Before Facebook, Twitter–and even Myspace– promotions for the BuyDirectUSA directory relied solely on search results from Yahoo!, Ask Jeeves, Lycos, and a few other search engines that have become obsolete since the late nineties.

Truly the pioneers behind the “Buy American Movement,” BuyDirectUSA has watched the landscape of the internet change from only a few websites selling Made in USA to thousands of businesses who now have an online presence. Slowly but surely, this has started to spill into brick and mortar stores, finally carrying American-made products.

man wearing US flag riding a bike

What began over 22 years ago as a source to compile a list of websites that sold Made in the USA products has developed into a nationwide movement supported by consumers, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers from sea to shining sea.

If you have a product or business you would like to be promoted by BuyDirectUSA.com, please fill out a contact form, and someone from their marketing team will be in touch with you!

Service Company Spotlight: Rentacomputer.com

It’s been a rough year for service companies, so let’s discuss one that’s been providing services for American businesses and consumers for over 33 years: Rentacomputer.com. More than just a computer rental company, Rentacomputer.com supplies any technology you can think of — in any quantity — to any location in a timely and professional manner.

The technology rental providers work in over 1,500 cities worldwide, with the majority based in the United States of America. This company coordinates with hundreds of technicians who handle everything from speedy shipment to comprehensive on-site installation and tech support. They are an American one-stop-shop for B2B technology rentals!

Whether you own a small, medium, or a large business, Rentacomputer.com saves its clients time and money by delivering short-term technology rental products right to your trade show booth, office, or temporary location. Their experienced technicians even provide the setup, strike, and troubleshooting to help guarantee a successful rental.

Are you looking for Technology Rentals from an American service company? Look no further than Rentacomputer.com. Their friendly agents are available via phone (1-800-Rent-R-PC) or online to chat about your company’s technology needs. From laptops and tablets to desktops and high-end gaming computers, copiers, file servers, AV equipment, mobile hotspot rentals, and everything in between — Rentacomputer.com has all of the technology you need in one place.

How BuyDirectUSA Promotes your USA Brand

BuyDirectUSA specializes in promoting all things Made in the USA. That means no matter if you’re a small business owner, medium to large corporation, manufacturer, supplier, wholesaler, online store, or service provider, they can help you promote your American brand and business.

Buy Direct USA product & service categories

With a range of advertising sponsorship packages and custom options, BuyDirectUSA is sure to meet the marketing goals and budget range for your business.

If you’re a business that provides products or services in the USA, BuyDirectUSA can help you find effective ways to market and promote your business. Moreover, you’ll have access to customers who are looking for products Made in the USA.

With an advertising sponsorship with BuyDirectUSA, you’ll get lots of help building your brand and receiving the recognition your products or service deserve. They’ll also help you find new ways to increase your presence on social media.

Even if you’re looking for a business that needs a product manufactured in the USA, BuyDirectUSA is here to help. They’re always looking for companies that sell or manufacture quality products or services in the USA.

If you’d like more information about their advertising sponsorships, contact BuyDirectUSA.com today.

About the Author

Robert Beagle - Blog Author

Robert Beagle is a technology enthusiast, author, blogger, and social media expert. In addition to contributing to blog.smbnow.com, Robert has also provided articles for blog.rentacomputer.com, blog.rentourlaptops.com, applethis.com, applethat.com, blog.camerasecuritynow.com, smbnow.com, and various other technology, business, and event manager blogs. Robert has vast knowledge and experience in technology and product solutions for American businesses small and large.

Getting Started with Google My Business

November 20, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

About Google My Business

Google My Business (or GMB) is a tool that lets you control how your business appears when potential customers search for your products or services on Google Search and Maps. You’ll be able to add your business name, location, hours, and even photos. Once you’ve successfully created your GMB account, you’ll be able to monitor and reply to customer reviews and have access to free analytics.

About Local SEO

If you know about Local Search Engine Optimization, then you might be a small to medium business owner (SMB). We recommend that every SMB have a Google My Business (GMB) listing — from store, office, to place of service.

Local SEO is all about increasing search visibility for businesses that serve their communities face-to-face. — Moz.com

If you’re new to local SEO, GMB is a great place to start marketing. Your business listing on Google is the first thing potential customers see when they conduct a local search, so it’s important to have accurate, up-to-date, optimized information about your business on the world’s most popular search engine.

Do you need help creating a Google My Business account? Follow these steps for success.

Getting Started with GMB

Step 1: Create a Google My Business Listing

Log into the account you want to be associated with your business
Go to google.com/business and select “Start Now” in the top right corner.
Enter your business name
Hit Next

Choose the category that fits your business best. For example: News Service

Decide if you want to add your physical location to Google Search and Maps. If you have a physical location or don’t mind sharing your storefront with the world, you’ll receive more traffic with an address.

Click Next

Do you offer your services regionally, nationally, or globally? Then select Yes, I also serve outside my location. If not, select No, I don’t.
If you selected yes, now you can add the areas in which you serve. For example, New York City, New York or USA (continental). You have the option to create multiple service areas if you want to define your regions of service.

Add your contact details. This is how customers will contact you, so include your phone number and website if possible.
- You also have the option of creating a free website based on your information.
- Select “Get a free website based on your info” to get an automatically built and updated web page based on your GMB listing.

Once you’ve completed all of these steps, you’re ready to select Finish. Now you’ll have access to:
- Promote your business with photos and posts
- Track business analytics to understand your customers better
- Respond to any customer reviews

But wait. There’s more to do. Verification is the next step. Are you able to take calls from your listed phone number in order to prove verification? If yes, select this method.

- If you can’t take calls right now, select Postcard by mail. Google will send you a postcard by mail with a verification code.

Now that your account is set up, you can add your business hours. Then click Save.

Add a business description of up to 750 words. This is where you can tell the world how your business stands out from your competitors and offers a unique service.

Add relevant photos of your products and services to your GMB page. Real photos are often better than stock photos.

You are now listed on Google my Business.

Congratulations. Although technically, your profile is now complete, you’ve got more work to do. Stay tuned for our next article about advertising with Google Ads!

Why businesses need to have a Google My Business Listing

Your listing on Google is the first thing people see when they search for your product or service, with the apparent exception of pay-per-click ads. When someone searches for a product or service you offer, they are more likely to choose yours if your GMB page is fully optimized.

Google is one of the most trusted resources available today, and you want to be found! Google My Business offers you brand awareness, great referrals, sales leads, and even more if you learn how to use GMB properly.

Comprehensive Marketing for Guaranteed Results

Now that you’ve created your Google My Business account, you might be looking for ways to get even more results. The recommended next step is developing a website with responsive and mobile web designs, strong search engine optimization (SEO), fast website speed, and other important methods in mind.

While developing a Google My Business account is something you can do on your own, you’ll need some help developing your business website or refreshing your existing site, from an experienced, trusted web developer. That’s why SMBNow.com recommends Xponex Web Design. With Xponex, you’ll be able to expand your marketing, reach new customers, increase conversion rates, grow profits, and develop a solid brand. Xponex Media even offers free consultations for all of their clients.

See what others have said about Xponex and a portfolio of their past customers.

Celebrate National Small Business Week with Us

May 5, 2019 by Ella Baker Leave a Comment

For more than 50 years, National Small Business Week has celebrated the hard work and dedication of small and mid-size business owners across the country. SMBs are not only the backbone of the American workforce and economy, but they are often the drivers of innovation in their industries. Rentacomputer.com, CameraSecurityNow.com, ComputerServiceNow.com, and Xponex.com are proud to count ourselves among the 30+ million small and mid-size businesses that strive to improve and grow every day. Join us as we celebrate National Small Business Week and tell the stories of our own family of small businesses.

Rent A Computer

For more than 30 years, Rentacomputer.com has specialized in procuring technology for temporary business and event needs. From computers to AV equipment and iPads to iPhones, our agents can obtain the equipment you need and coordinate the delivery and setup of your rentals. No matter where in the world you are, Rentacomputer.com is proud to be your one-stop shop for all of your office, event, and technology rental needs.

Planning a large-scale event? We’re more than just computer rentals – we’re also in the event production industry. As your full-service event production partner, we help make your event a success while giving you the opportunity to focus on the rest of your event. No matter your industry or event needs, we have the expertise and experience needed to handle the production and technical side of your event helping make your event a success.

Whether you’re planning an event or setting up a temporary office, you’re too busy to deal with any extra hassle. Our installation specialists work with your venue and IT professionals to ensure that everything runs smoothly and that all of your rentals are compatible with any existing equipment or technology at your location.

Our customer service experts understand that a quality customer service experience begins with being prompt. We guarantee that we will respond within 15 minutes of your quote request to find out more about your technology rental needs. Responding quickly to your initial request allows us to confirm your rental requirements and deliver an accurate quote. Need even faster service? Give us a call or chat with us on our website.

Subscribe to our blog today to stay up-to-date with Rentacomputer.com and be sure to follow us on social media.

Camera Security Now

Headquartered in Middletown, Ohio, CameraSecurityNow.com offered high-quality security camera systems to businesses, municipalities, schools, and local community members for more than 20 years. Our wide network of installers and technicians throughout the country allows us to offer a nationwide service with a local, personal touch.

While we recognize that every job is different, our focus on customer service and satisfaction is founded on a basic set of rules. We always listen to our customers to understand their needs and concerns and provide straightforward pricing with no hidden charges or fees. Our professional recommendations are based on the best interests of our clients and we perform every installation quickly without sacrificing quality. Our commitment to maintaining a good customer relationship includes providing detailed service reports and helping to prevent future problems.

If you’re looking a one-stop shop for your security camera needs, look no further than the experienced professionals at Camera Security Now. Our camera service installation professionals deliver the camera solutions that your company needs while keeping you on budget and ensuring the security of your business, employees, and customers. To find out how easy it is to ensure the safety of your workplace, request a quote today.

Follow our blog to stay up-to-date with CameraSecurityNow.com and connect with us on social media.

Computer Service Now

Whether you need general IT support, temporary rentals, webpage design, or applications engineering, Computer Service Now offers a comprehensive suite of solutions for any IT project or problem. We work every day to provide the best customer service possible through rapid issue resolution, timely communication, and a promise that our representatives will always be polite and courteous. Our hands-on approach to IT services means that we don’t believe in just fixing a problem – we strive to offer proactive solutions that prevent problems in the first place and attack problems at their root cause when they do occur.

With our high level of customer service and satisfaction, Computer Service Now works hard to be the premier IT firm in the Cincinnati and Dayton region. We offer a wide variety of IT solutions that stay within your budget. For IT-related projects big and small, our experience, expertise, and variety of services allow us to provide the support you need to meet your business needs. Contact us today and let us solve all of your IT needs!

Subscribe to our blog today to stay up-to-date with Computer Service Now and follow us on social media.

Xponex

For more than 20 years, Xponex Marketings’ comprehensive web and marketing services experts have been providing businesses large and small with technical services, marketing consultations, and social media services. Our goal is to provide our customers with the customized websites and tools that suit their business or organizational needs. We work closely with our clients to create personalized solutions that help them grow their businesses, including web design, SEO, content development, and marketing analysis.

Get your free website audit and 30-minute consultation from Xponex Marketing to help you identify some of the most effective solutions to help you improve your digital marketing, build a better website, and grow your business.

Subscribe to our blog today to stay up-to-date with Xponex Marketing and follow us on social media.

From our SMBs to yours

As SMBs, we understand the unique daily demands and stresses of running a small or mid-size business. Though the specific function of each member of our family of businesses is unique, they all have one thing in common: a commitment to helping your SMB succeed. Whether you’re bringing on seasonal staff and need to rent some additional office equipment, expanding and need to install a security camera system to keep an eye on your store, need a comprehensive IT solution so that you don’t have to hire another staff member, or need to revamp your website to help drive traffic to your site, we’re here to help you – whenever and wherever you need us. Happy National Small Business Week!

Service and Etiquette Tips for SMBs

April 25, 2019 by Robert Beagle Leave a Comment

If your small or medium-size business does service or sales calls to customer locations, everything the customer sees, hears, or smells is an integral part of your marketing efforts. Your field employees and contractors are the face of your company, and it is impossible to overestimate their role in marketing your company. The Tech Army offers these tips to help make sure that you and your team are presenting the highest level of service and etiquette.

No smoking

It should go without saying but smoking while on a sales or service call is always unprofessional. Many business sites are smoke-free zones, but even if they aren’t you and your technicians should still act as though smoking is prohibited at all customer facilities. Vaporizers and smokeless tobacco products should also be avoided, along with never going to a job site while under the influence of alcohol or any other drugs.

When you are on a job at the customer’s location, you are there to work (and you’re probably billing them at a high rate). Don’t insult your customers by taking time out to smoke. Whether you’re in your company vehicle or a designated smoking area, smoking while on a call at a customer’s location is unacceptable. If you must smoke, do it between calls – preferably in the open air outside the vehicle so that you don’t smell like smoke when talking to the next client.

Be attentive

Your attention while on a sales or service call should always be on the customer and the task at hand. Believe it or not, we have heard stories about contractors falling asleep at a customer’s facility – dozing in their company vehicle in the parking lot or while inside the building! When you are at a customer’s facility, you need to be working and ready to address any concerns that your client may have. If you find that being tired in the middle of the day is a concern, consider building in a short nap during scheduled breaks or during your lunch period.

Always be courteous

Always be courteous and professional when working with clients. If you’re visiting a client or making a service call, dress appropriately and display your company’s logo. If your company provides polo shirts, dress shirts, or t-shirts for contractors to wear, be sure that they wear them when meeting with every customer. Make sure that all of your employees or contractors have business cards or identity badges that let the customer know that they’re with your company.

Customers can sometimes be chatty or, worse, combative. Even when a customer is rude, you and your employees have a job to do. Being rude in response only hurts you and your brand. If the actions of a customer impact your ability to perform the work requested, just do your best to complete the task. Take notes on the situation immediately afterward and address the issues with your primary contact at the business at the appropriate time.

Mind the Mess

Just as you would be upset if someone came into your office and made a mess without cleaning up, customers understandably get upset when contractors leave a mess behind. You should always leave the work site exactly as you found it. Always wear shoe covers when entering the customer’s premises to avoid tracking in mud, dirt, or other debris. All of the trash or packaging from items you’ve installed or brought into the site are your responsibility to dispose of – never leave boxes or other packaging for the customer to clean up.

If the space you’re working in was seemingly messy or cluttered when you arrived, resist the urge to clean up. While you may think that you’re doing the customer a favor or helping out, you should never do anything outside of your scope of work.

Professionalism at its best

From competing with bigger companies to trying to match the prices of larger businesses and attempting to win larger customers, small and medium-size businesses have enough to worry about. The best way for SMBs to differentiate themselves from their larger competitors is to provide the best customer service possible – make sure that your employees in the field and your contractors share that same commitment.

Running an SMB can be a challenge. SMB Now provides tips, expert advice, and information about the services that you need to help make running your business easier. Visit us often to stay up-to-date with SMB Now and follow us on social media. Join in the discussion by commenting below.

How Visa Issues Can Impact Your SMB

January 29, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

When news outlets talk about how US visa issues impact the marketplace, they’re really talking about how these disruptions affect large businesses and multinational corporations. But delays and problems with the issuance of visas disproportionately impact small- and mid-size businesses who often lack the resource of their larger competitors. If you are looking to bring international workers to your American company or frequently bring in foreign investors or partners, here are just a few of the roadblocks you may encounter as visa issues continue to plague American companies.

It’s all about timing

Even at the best of times, depending on the type of visa your visitor or international worker needs, the processing time for issuance of a visa is usually measured in weeks to months. Increased scrutiny of applications and tightening restrictions has led to growing wait times and a jump in the number of visa denials.

These delays can be costly for SMBs who are often working on tight deadlines or without long-term business plans. To avoid unnecessary delays in hiring or having to reschedule meetings with foreign players, begin planning well in advance of your target date. If you’re planning on hiring internationally, plan to start recruiting at least 18-24 months in advance of your target hire date; and don’t try to plan meetings with international attendees less than three to four months in advance.

What kind of visa do you need?

Another costly issue with visas is the often-confusing nature of the language that the State Department uses to determine the type of visa that a visitor or nonimmigrant worker needs. Recent changes to visa rules have led to some visa holders being denied entry to the US when using the same visa type with which they previously entered the country.

Generally, if you’re hosting a business meeting or talking to potential investors, your guests should be able to apply for and enter the country using a Business (B-1) visa, which covers activities like attending conferences and conventions, business meetings, and negotiating contracts.

International recruitment

It’s no surprise that Fortune 500 companies have a leg up on SMBs when it comes to international recruitment. Not only do these bigger players have greater brand recognition and reach, but they’re also much more familiar and better equipped to handle the visa process.

Many SMBs need highly-specialized employees and sometimes, these employees must be recruited internationally. The H-1B visa allows employers to sponsor non-immigrants for specialized, temporary employment in the US. These employees may work for up to six years in the US on an H-1B visa and the skills they bring can be invaluable for SMBs. However, the long processing times (up to one year), costs, and paperwork requirements can be so daunting that many SMBs aren’t capable of completing the process. Not to mention that their bigger competitors often unfairly take large chunks of the 85,000-person cap on H-1B visas.

Don’t let visa issues hold your business back

The US visa application and issuance process is a complicated, time-consuming, and expensive. Working with a quality employment specialist and seeking the advice of immigration and visa attorneys is highly recommended if your SMB is planning an international meeting or looking to recruit internationally. At the end of the day, planning, working with experts, and a lot of patience can help save your business from being negatively impacted by visa issues.

Are visa issues disrupting your upcoming event? Instead of cancelling, consider remote attendance solutions with laptop rentals and other technology rentals through Rentacomputer.com. Anything from remotely viewing the same presentation via Google Hangouts to virtually attending the event using VR headsets is now a very real possibility. Don’t let your event be ruined because some of your attendees or speakers fall victim to the ever changing visa requirements.

Running an SMB can be a challenge. SMB Now provides tips, expert advice, and information about the services you need to help make running your business easier. Visit us often to stay up-to-date with SMB Now and follow us on social media. Join the discussion by commenting below.

New Year’s Resolutions for Small Businesses

December 20, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Running your own business brings with it a lot of pride and the ability to set your own course – but it also brings a lot of stress and anxiety. Your own financial well-being and that of your employees is on your shoulders at all times. As we head into the new year, here are three New Year’s resolutions you can make to help your small business grow and succeed in the new year.

Managed antivirus solutions

Considering that more than 60 percent of small businesses that have been hacked or the victims of viruses go out of business within six months, topping your list of New Year’s resolutions for your small business should be protecting your computers and servers from viruses and malicious activity that can seriously impact your ability to do business.

An agile and reliable antivirus program can protect your business from intrusions, alerting you to potential threats, and preventing your computers and network from receiving malicious software, viruses, malware, and ransomware. Unlike unmanaged software-based antivirus programs, a managed solution makes sure that your system is free from risks.

Instead of leaving the vital protection of your network to a random staff member, our IT security professionals are able to focus on keeping your business secure. Computer Service Now provides industry-leading virus and malware protection, making sure that your antivirus solutions are active and that your subscriptions remain current.

Make education a priority

Staying up to date with the latest industry knowledge and trends is key to remaining on top of your game. Take advantage of online educational opportunities, conferences, and seminars to help keep yourself and your team competitive. No matter your industry, a quick Google search is sure to return a plethora of training and educational events across the country.

Want to conduct a company-wide training off-site? Rentacomputer.com’s experts can help you with all of your computer, tablet, iPad, and other business meeting needs. No matter where your event is, Rentacomputer.com can help. Get a quote for all your equipment needs today!

Install or upgrade your security cameras

Security cameras can help you identify everyday lapses in protocols that undermine the integrity of your safety program. Catching these slips allows you to prevent injuries and helps remind employees that safety is a priority for your company. Additionally, security cameras can help you identify areas where additional precautions are needed or specific groups of employees that could benefit from additional safety training. Not only will you be more compliant with OSHA and industry regulatory standards, but you’ll also be able to minimize injuries to employees that can lead to lost productivity for your company.

Camera Security Now is a leader in the workplace security camera industry and can provide long-term storage for all of your workplace security video for reference, training, and compliance purposes. We offer motion detecting, infrared, fisheye 360º, and Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras and cameras with audio recording abilities. Our expert technicians will install all of your equipment and can answer any questions your IT department may have. Get a quote for all of your workplace safety and security camera needs.

Make the most of your new year

The Role of Social Media for Small and Mid-Size Businesses

December 14, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

For small businesses with limited budgets, the role of social media in growing and advertising your small and mid-size business is enormous. Having a social media presence is a must for most small businesses, especially if you don’t have an established website. Your presence on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn can be your primary advertising opportunity and helps potential customers find out more about your business and services. With all of the responsibility of running your own small or mid-size business (SMB) it can be difficult to find time to set aside to properly manage your social media accounts but poorly managed social media accounts can spell the end of your emerging business. Read on to learn more about the role that social media plays in helping you build and establish your business and your company’s reputation with customers.

Lack of social media presence

With our increasing reliance on the internet for information, a potential customer’s first resource for finding a new business or service is often a quick web search. Developing a website takes significant time and effort, but establishing your business on social media is a quick solution to helping customers find you online.

Your social media accounts can also be used to consolidate your customer referrals and reviews. Your Facebook or Twitter page provides customers looking for your services with access to reviews of your business. If you don’t have a presence, it will be more difficult for potential customers to find you and they’ll be more likely to turn to another business that is easier for them to find.

Your social media persona

When you build your business from the ground up, you often become synonymous with your business. If your business and personal pages are intertwined, it’s more difficult for potential customers to distinguish between your SMB and you personally. Establishing a persona for your business that is separate from you as the owner is important for many reasons.

If your business’ social media page contains profanity or inappropriate or irrelevant content, you are probably doing great harm to your business and its professional image. You should also be careful to moderate your social media pages. Business pages can typically be set to require the page admin’s approval for comments to be visible to other viewers. If you receive a post comment that is inappropriate, simply block the comment from appearing on your page.

Handling negative reviews

It’s a fact of life for business owners – negative reviews will happen. Addressing these critiques with professionalism and ensuring that issues are dealt with appropriately can be an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive for your SMB.

Don’t engage in arguments with customers, competitors, or random commenters on your social media pages. Whenever possible, contact customers offline, either via email to get a better understanding of their concern and to correct any valid issues. After you’ve corrected the situation, ask your customer to post a new review or a revision to their existing review.

Always show your best face when dealing with customers. By truly listening to your customers’ complaints and taking the time to make it right, you are demonstrating to other existing and potential customers that you are dedicated to delivering quality customer service.

Show off a little

In an increasingly socially conscious world, customers want to learn more about the company’s they are doing business with. Your social media accounts can help your customers get to know more about your business, your social commitments, and your expertise in your industry.

Use your social media accounts to help customers become more familiar with your products, your manufacturing processes, where you source materials from, who your employees are, and all about your community efforts. Post associate spotlights singing the praises of a highly dedicated employee. Share photos of your volunteer day your larger customer community. Show off the awards and certifications that your business earns from community and industry groups. Are you hosting a company event? A great way to show off your business and get your audience engaged in your social media page is to have a live feed of your social media account during trade shows or corporate events using HDTVs, video walls, or tablet rentals!

Your social media should also be used to establish your business’ expertise in your niche. Posts should be relevant to your customers and encourage them to learn more about you and visit your location. Share relevant information and posts from other sources so that customers get used to coming to your page for information they need on your industry. The more information you provide, the more clients will see you as a trusted source they can turn to when they need services in your field.

Learn to use social media like successful businesses do

Just because your business is small or mid-size doesn’t mean that you can’t play the social game like the big boys in your industry. By setting aside time to carefully curate your content and create thoughtful posts you can help potential customers discover your services while setting yourself up as the go-to business to meet their needs.

Running an SMB can be a challenge. SMB Now provides tips, expert advice, and information about the services that you need to help make running your business easier. Visit us often to stay up-to-date with SMB Now and follow us on social media. Join in the discussion by commenting below.

How to be authentic in business

January 5, 2017 by Alex Burton Leave a Comment

The catchphrase ‘be your authentic self’ has been used for some time now. Steve Jobs threw the spanner into the works and the world noted. If for example you are a woman in business, you have to be authentic to succeed. The catch phrase was meant for women initially but it has now come to be embraced by all.

So what does it mean to be authentic?

Being authentic basically means that you are in your true element. This definition encompasses the things that you do and the people you serve. In a business environment, we have values, benefits and humans to interact with.

What do you achieve when you become authentic in business?

Rise above competition
Adds substance to your business
Improves relations between you and your clients
Helps portray you as a trustworthy person

Now that you know what it means to be authentic and how it can help you, you may be asking yourself how you become authentic? well its built on over time but generally speaking you will need to do the following:

Act real
Be altruistic
Avoid contradictions

FULL ARTICLE

5-Step Financial Checklist To Complete Before The End Of 2016

December 22, 2016 by Alex Burton Leave a Comment

There’s no time like the end of the year to take stock of your financial life. The end of the year is a great time to take a high-level overview of what you have, both assets and liabilities, to prepare for the year ahead and any financial milestones or challenges you may face including; marriage, home-buying, kids, and retirement. Below are the most important money steps to take before 2016 is over.

1. Take Financial Inventory

2. Revisit Your Estate Plan

3. Update Beneficiary Forms

4. Make Smart Tax Moves

5. Assess Your Path To Retirement

See Full Article Here

Why SMB’s Have to Switch to HTTPS

December 19, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Attention SMB owners, Google has announced huge changes to the way Chrome displays unencrypted HTTP pages that will scare away your visitors with alarming warnings.

Un-encrypted pages are less secure than encrypted pages. You can tell un-encripted pages because they begin with HTTP. Encripted web pages begin with HTTPS.

Right Now HTTP pages display an information icon within the address bar:

Visitors to the page can click the icon to view information about the pages, including security details.

Alarming Change
Roll out date guesstimate is Friday January 13 2017 for Chrome Version 56.

Why Friday the 13^th? Maybe because for many SMB websites it will be a very scary date. One that you will remember for years to come. It could even mean death to your website.

When Version 56 of Chrome is released all HTTP pages that collect passwords, credit card, or other secure information will be labelled by Chrome as Not secure.

‘Not secure’ will appear ahead of the page address within the address bar. Here is what the first warning will look like:

It gets worse
In future releases, perhaps Version 57, the ‘Not secure’ logo will have a red warning icon with red letters such as below:

The red warning will be displayed on all HTTP pages, even if no data will be collected. The average user will not visit any website with such a warning. Worse yet, Google will have likely removed your webpages from Google search results. Your traffic will likely be cut significantly.

What can you do?
If you noticed, this site and all other sites hosted by Xponex automatically come with HTTPS.

You could move your site to Xponex media or purchase a security certificate from GoDaddy, Network Solutions, DigiCert to name a few.

If your SMB is interested in working with an SMB host company with real people who answer the phones, try Xponex. The website is Xponex.com or call 513-422-3101.

513-422-3101