Leveraging social media as a marketing channel has become unavoidable, but they also require business owners and marketers to utilize them in the best way possible. That means much more than ensuring you have the best content and add value with images and video. Hashtags in social media marketing are critical for topic discovery, audience engagement, and much more. In today’s post, we’ll take a quick look at how to leverage hashtags for business, starting with answering the question, “What are hashtags?”

Differentiating your brand is imperative to thrive as a business in the long term. This tasks can seem impossible for a small business, especially if you’re in competition with a larger global brand or your product or service is available online. Globalization and the Internet have certainly made it harder to stand out from the competition, but there are still many ways to differentiate your brand.  

You’ve taken the time (and money) to post the job position, interview some great candidates, and pick the perfect person for the job, but the onboarding process of the new employee doesn’t stop there. A new employee needs to feel welcome and like they belong. Everyone is busy, but no one should be too busy to train a new employee and make them feel like they’re part of the team.

Retail stores often struggle to get the customer traffic necessary to thrive in an increasingly digital world.  It’s even more difficult for stores that aren’t located in a high-traffic area. While a good location definitely helps, it’s not the only way to drive traffic to retail stores.

If you love to cook, bake, or create a one-of-a-kind delectable that puts a smile on someone’s face when they eat it, then maybe you have considered selling your unique dish as a product. However, jumping into the business side of things to get your product to customers takes planning, knowledge, and resources. Before you turn your recipe into a product in the marketplace, first ask yourself these six questions:

Running an exporting business can be an exciting venture, and a profitable one as well. In one year, American export companies have accounted for over $770 billion in sending/selling goods to more than 150 different countries. When considering global export and jumping into the international business trade, here are some important factors to keep in mind:

While most people might think of a young, ambitious, risk-taker when referring to an entrepreneur, the truth is that a growing number of people over the age of 50 are starting their own businesses. According to a recent study by National Trends, those ages 55 to 64 have a higher rate of new entrepreneurial activity than the 20-34 age group. These “encore entrepreneurs” are putting the skills and talents they’ve acquired over their lifetime to start a new challenge. Encore entrepreneurship allows older individuals many of whom have been downsized, to pursue alternative ways to make money, to start the business they have always wanted of simply to start something whereby they can leave a legacy..

Article originally posted on AARP Oregon on June 1, 2017.

Entrepreneurs often want to start their own business because they have a passion for a certain product or service and have some expertise in how to deliver it. However, there are many facets of running a business that are equally important to its growth..

If you own a small business, or you’re thinking of starting one, you may believe the best way to market your business is to get your message out to everyone. The more people you can reach, the more sales you can achieve, right? The problem with that approach is it’s a bit like trying to catch all the fish in the sea. If you try to do that, you’re going to waste time and resources. That’s why you need to identify your target market. The most effective and efficient way to market your business is by focusing on the group of consumers that is the best fit for your product or service — the ones most likely to buy what you’re selling. The Small Business Development Center has put together a list of 5 questions you should ask to help you identify your target market.