Stephanie Miles
PUBLISHED
Street Fight
7 Social Media Strategies for Small Business Owners
Investing in free social media tools is one of the most cost-effective things a small business owner can do to increase brand recognition and awareness, and yet fewer than 20% of SMBs currently have websites that link to popular social media networks like Facebook and Twitter. (more)
Smart
Brief
Going Global: Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses
Social media is revolutionizing the world of small business marketing, creating new avenues for merchants to promote their companies at a low cost. By creating free profiles on popular social-networking websites, small businesses are able to forge deeper connections with potential customers in their target demographics. (more)
OPEN
Forum
Promoting Customer Loyalty With Swipely
Who says you can't get something for nothing? With Swipely, customers can earn points and cash back rewards just for using their credit and debit cards at local businesses. And merchants get access to all the shopping data they need to create detailed marketing plans, including transaction averages, visitor frequency and spending trends. (more)
Gawker
Rush Limbaugh's Gaudy Fifth Avenue Penthouse Is Now For Sale
It looks like Rush Limbaugh is moving ahead with his threat to leave New York City. He's (finally!) put his tacky Fifth Avenue apartment up for sale. The cost of ridding NYC of Rush once and for all? $13.95 million. Limbaugh promised that he'd sell his Manhattan apartment last March after the Paterson administration proposed raising taxes on New York residents who make more than $500,000 a year...(more)
Working
World
Which Credit Card? Let Us Help You Sort Through the Options
Without many options available, choosing a credit card can be overwhelming. Do you prefer a credit card or a charge card? Airline miles or cash back rewards? An annual fee or a high APR? Unless you have a Ph.D. in economics, sorting out the details can seem all but impossible. It doesn't mean you should give up on trying to figure it out though...(more)
AppVita
DIRECTR – Becoming a Filmmaking Pro
The proliferation of smartphone cameras means anyone can be a filmmaker these days, but the editing on most home movies leaves something to be desired. DIRECTR fills a void in the marketplace, offering dead simple video directing and editing tools that anyone can use make short films that people will actually want to watch. (more)
GetApp
User-Friendly Project Management
WorkZone is a web-based project management application that hits the sweet spot for larger organizations and marketing departments, combining the sophisticated tools typically reserved for high-end platforms (like Microsoft Project) with the intuitive design that entry-level task management systems (like Basecamp) have become known for. (more)
Bundle
Other People's Money: Handbag designer Lori Chalmers
Just before the global economy went to hell, Lori Chalmers created Cha Cha handbags, her own handbag and accessories company. Good timing? Actually, not so bad: Chalmers' creations have since been worn by celebrities including Lady Gaga, Fergie, and Audrina Patridge. (more)
Simple
What are Derivatives?
If you've dabbled in the markets or tried your hand at investing in recent years, you've most likely heard the term “derivative” tossed around. Maybe you've heard money managers use the word to describe options based on assets such as stocks, while financial publications dive into the use of credit default swaps when writing about the 2008 financial crisis. The rest of us, however, are often left on the outside of these conversations, not quite sure what derivatives are or how they might affect us. (more)
Street Fight
Case Study: Hotel Chain’s Hyperlocal ‘Microsites’ Increase Online Bookings
In an industry filled with homogenous hotel chains, Red Lion is hoping to separate itself from the pack with a recent push into the hyperlocal space. Spurred by industry research showing that today’s travelers are more interested in creating memories than receiving discounts, Red Lion has launched a hyperlocal initiative that involves developing local “microsites” for each of the company’s hotel properties, along with localized menus, new transportation signage, and even employee nametags that offer localized tips for guests. (more)
AmEx
Knowledge
Center
How to Use Apps to Improve Customer Service
Providing top-notch service is one of the most effective ways for a small business to stand apart from its competitors and generate loyalty among customers. Although smaller businesses have difficulty competing with big box retailers when it comes to pricing, they can easily make up for that deficit by providing customers with the best quality service and most attentive salespeople possible...(more)
Copywriting
Redding Hip Replacement
I crafted website copy for ReddingHipReplacement.com, the professional website for Redding joint surgeon Dr. Troy A. Miles. (Redding Hip Replacement)