Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
Washington D.C.
West Virgina
Wisconsin
Wyoming
WHEN TO APPLY FOR A PATENT
June 20th at 6:59pm
Under U.S. patent law, you must file your patent application within one year of the first offer to sell your invention, or within one year of your first public use or disclosure of your invention. There are Three Steps to Discover Whether an Idea is Patented Already. Go to the official website of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Use the “Full-Text and Image Database” search to verify any present patent applications and pictures. You can find filed applications and pictures for patents filed after 1975. Once you add legal fees, non-provisional patents usually cost between $8,000 and $15,000 or more. Filing a non-provisional patent with lawyer fees will usually cost the following for each invention type: An extremely simple invention,…
THE BASICS OF SOCIAL MEDIA
June 13th at 11:16pm
Lay the foundation of your social media marketing plan before you get post happy: 1) Identify Your Objective Understanding your goals ahead of time will inform all of your decisions in the more detailed planning stages. 2) Choose Your Platform(s) Your game plan will vary based on the social media channel you choose. For help choosing a platform, check out this post. 3) Build Your Profile Pages The more information, the better. Fill in the “about” sections, locations, add photos, create headers and choose profile pictures, customize URL’s, etc. 4) Create a Posting Schedule Consistent posts should be a primary objective in your social…
HOW TO MARKET AN INVENTION
June 6th at 11:04pm
Create a comprehensive, cost-effective marketing plan for your new invention to let customers know who you are and what your invention has to offer. The inventor should know the marketplace, have the ability to demonstrate the invention and explain the value of the product. It’s not difficult to market an invention, but it’s a process that takes time Plan to market an invention. Establish a fair market price. Market your invention using every possible method available.Take your invention on the road. Contact local newspapers. Consult with companies or businesses that carry similar products. Think about working with a marketing firm to help you with the licensing and advertising of your invention. Do…
HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT INDUSTRY FOR A NEW BUSINESS
May 30th at 10:54pm
A solid business idea requires creativity, planning and soul-searching. Use these three tips to choose the right business idea. 1. Focus on your skills, experience and passion Go with what you already know or don’t mind learning fast. You don’t need to be an expert right away, but leveraging skills and experience you’ve gained can increase your chances of success. 2. Evaluate business-lifestyle fit If balancing work and family life is important to you, then avoid businesses that could require working 60 hours a week. 3. Test your idea Before jumping in, make sure you’ve done your due diligence . No matter what business…
HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
May 23rd at 10:46pm
Nearly three-quarters of American adults use social media—making it a critical part of any business strategy. Indeed, social media is one of the best ways to connect with people who already love your brand. It’s also important for reaching those who haven’t heard of your business yet. Using social media to promote your small business is more than just maintaining a regular posting schedule and inviting people to like your posts—although you should do both! There are more creative ways to draw followers and prospective clients using your social networks and you don’t need to be a marketing wiz to do it. Your goal is…
HOW TO KEEP A GOOD RATING WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU
May 16th at 10:37pm
When you become accredited by the Better Business Bureau, you show that your company supports the BBB’s efforts to promote truth in advertising and integrity in business. Your BBB Accreditation permits the BBB to offer your customers and community important dispute resolution and inquiry services. BBB ratings represent the BBB’s opinion of how the business is likely to interact with its customers. The BBB rating is based on information BBB is able to obtain about the business, including complaints received from the public. BBB seeks and uses information directly from businesses and from public data sources. BBB assigns ratings from A+ (highest) to F (lowest). In some cases, BBB will…
BEST SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM FOR ADVERTISING
May 2nd at 4:14pm
New social media networks come out every week, most of which will never gain any sort of traction. Social media advertising, or social media targeting, are advertisements served to users on social media platforms. Social networks utilize user information to serve highly relevant advertisements based on interactions within a specific platform. In many instances, when target market aligns with the user demographics of a social platform, social advertising can provide huge increases in conversions and sales with lower cost of acquisition. The 6 Best Social Networks for Ecommerce Advertising Facebook. Facebook is THE universal social media network. With more than 2 billion monthly users, Facebook hosts over a quarter…
BENEFITS OF SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING
April 25th at 4:09pm
Why is social media advertising your best advertising bet for quick ROI? Because… Most channels require significant lead time to yield an ROI. For example, content marketing works best over time after it has been able to yield backlinks and SEO traction. Some channels yield quick results but not day in and day out. For example, influencer marketing can earn you quick results in terms of sales for low effort (though high cost). But those results don’t continue occurring over time. Instead, you earn sales on a per post basis, and often less each time it is posted. Some channels are consistent but time…