Almost every business will experience some kind of off-season, but you can survive those winter (or summer) blues.

For retail and service providers the summer is generally slow compared to the boom of holiday shopping in the winter. For businesses like ice cream shops and aquatic centers winter business can be almost non-existent. However your business functions, there are ways to survive those blues. 

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Well, actually you've had that power for a while with Google Places, but it just got a LOT easier. 

Google Places is a location based search result on Google accompanied by a map of the region in question, so potential customers can more easily find you. Even better though, the tool allows business owners to manage the information that appears on Google's search results. The new dashboard has the same look and feel of the current Google and Google+ and is slowly transitioning from Google Places to Google+ Local for better integration with the social media aspects of Google+. Google+ users can "check-in" at local businesses and write reviews that post directly to Google+ Local (Google Places). 

"Google+ is the most important social media platform that most people never use." -Amanda Norris of The Marketing Zen Group  

In order to keep up with Facebook's ever-changing look and feel, Google+ has made a few changes of its own. Sara McKinley, Google's product manager for the social network site says that Google+ is constantly sifting through user feedback to drive improvements and changes to the user interface. It is great to hear that the user voice is being heard.  

Would you pay more for a product or service if it was ten times better than a lower-priced competitor? Are there services you already pay more for because they just do a better job? Do you buy generic brand soda, but name brand potato chips because the generic potato chips just arent the same?

Small business owners can learn a lot from the added-value purchasing habits of consumers. People WILL pay more, if the product is worth it to them. 

Kick the spammy updates to the curb with this easy 8-step guide.

Not sure about you, but I could definitely live with less junk mail. Of the three email addresses I regularly check, one of them is nearly all junk mail all the time. How does this even happen? As marketers we want to make sure these spammy emails cease to exist, and I'm sure you won't mind either. Below is a list of the top 8 ways to create an effective email. 

1. Write an Informative Subject Line

Why should a person open your email? Tell them. Do not use a generic subject line; instead tell the consumer exactly what they are going to receieve after opening this email. Unless you send a monthly newsletter, the subject line should invite them to do or experience something, and please calm down on the exclamation points. 

Don't: "Receive 20% Off!!!!!!!!!!"

Do: "Receive 20% Off of Our New Line of Sneakers!"

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