The R3 Blog

Thumbtack.com is your marketplace for local services.  They are changing the way people buy and sell services -- making it easier, safer, and more affordable to. As a marketplace, Thumbtack is in the business of generating transactions--this is how they create value for  their users. They monetize by charging merchants for the new busi ...

 IS YOUR WEBSITE MOBILE READY? By the end of 2011 more than half of Americans will own a smartphone.Did u know that without a mobile version of your website, your small business could be losing potential customers and revenue?According to a recent mobile internet report (Morgan Stanley),  over the next five years, more and more users wil ...

With the tremendous increase in the number of mobile phone users accessing the internet on their handhelds, it is important for website owners to get a mobile version for their websites. You need to make yourself easily accessible to this audience when they look for you or need more information. It is just like a regular website, but designed speci ...

Practicing random acts of kindness is one of the most fun ways to create an inspirational story.  We would like everyone to to do one or more Random Act of Kindness this holiday season. After you have done this,  we'd like you to come back here and share your experience with us!   Let's hear how you positively surprised someone, ...

  First came Black Friday, then came Cyber Monday, and now, on November 26th comes the 2nd annual “Small Business Saturday.” A day to support the small businesses that we care about. A day to celebrate the small businesses that boost our local economies and preserve our neighborhood character. While Black Friday and Cyber Monday drive sales ...

Social Media Marketing, otherwise known as SMM, can be an extremely effective marketing tool for small business owners to promote themselves, however most small business owners do not utilize these powerful platforms effectively.  Here are just a few things to keep in mind before you really start pushing the SMM. First Rule of Thumb is Consi ...

If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share? I have been blessed to be able to use my creative skills and and be able to offer my customers TOP NOTCH work without the HIGH Costs !! Secrets to share : Well if I shared them would they be a secret ? Do you do any sort of continuing education to sta ...

If you seem to be throwing lots of time and money at advertising with dismal results then these five questions could save you money and build customer loyalty. Most business owners steer away from asking their customers what they really think about their products or services for fear that they may find fault. This is a "bury your head in the sand" ...

Social Networking is a very inexpensive means for advertising what your business is and does and what services and products you offer. Many of us actively use sites like Twitter and Facebook to promote our businesses. And those of us looking to connect with more business-related contacts may turn to sites like LinkedIn to develop relationships with ...

When you meet a potential client the first time, you want them to like and trust you right away. You spend time in a conversation looking for  common ground and building rapport. Nowadays, that first meeting happens on your website. Do you have elements and content on your website that build rapport and make connections? If not, potential clie ...

Web 3.0 will expand on web 2.0 technology, which allows users to self-publish data and interact with one another through various social networking sites. web 3.0, which will enable websites to interface with one another, processes that data, creates meaning out of it and makes intelligent decisions based on it, Ailoch says. In the 3.0 realm, for ex ...

Networking is one of the  best ways for small businesses to pick up new customers. One of your 2012 resolutions should be to join a new community or neighborhood group and/or attend a new networking event. It’s important that you keep talking about your business. Networking in today's environment sometimes is "only one opportunity" and if you ...

STAY AHEAD OF YOUR COMPETITION If you feel that your competition is beating you in a certain area of your business, don’t feel as if you have been beaten and get mad, instead, understand that they have just found a smarter practice and you might want to emulate that, without copying them. Competitors can be inspiring yet intimidating at the same ...

Email is a very powerful option for marketing, if used correctlY.1) It's essential that every single person on your email list has opted- in via a form on your website. Sending unsolicited emails will only hurt your company's reputation. As tempting as it may be to purchase a list of one million prospects from a lead broker, you run the risk of ...