If you want to be relevant in today’s business world, you need to be able to market to mobile customers. And Bing is now making it easier for businesses to target mobile advertising on its platform.
Another way to stay relevant is to keep an eye out for new opportunities — like selling to the growing market for import products in China. You can learn all about those opportunities discussed at this week’s Gateway ’17 event, along with more small business news below. Read on for more in this week’s Small Business Trends news and information roundup.
Local Marketing
Bing Rolls Out Mobile Ad Targeting – Now on Par With Google
Bing Ads fully rolled out the pilot launch of its mobile ad platform recently, setting the stage for competition with Google AdWords putting Bing Ads on par with the undisputed search leader’s ad network. The update to Bing Ads brings with it expanded device targeting, allowing for greater control of bids specific to device type.
Economy
Alibaba Takes Detroit By Storm With Sold Out Small Business Conference – #Gateway17
Gateway ’17, an inaugural small business event aimed at businesses interested in exporting goods or otherwise expanding their customer base in China, took Detroit by storm this week. The sold-out event features big name speakers like Founder and Executive Chairman of Alibaba Group Jack Ma, CEO of UPS David Abney, and style-maven Martha Stewart.
Trump’s Rule Changes on Cuba Cause Worry, Will U.S. Businesses Suffer?
President Donald Trump visited Miami Friday, where he announced a tightening of the rules on trade and travel enacted under former President Barack Obama.
Looking for a New Customer? How About the Pentagon?
There’s been plenty of focus on American manufacturing lately. Much of that focus has been placed on benefits like job creation and local economic growth. But there’s another factor that not many have considered — national security. And this is an area where American manufacturing still lags behind.
70 Percent of Small Businesses Support Buy American-Hire American Policies
Small business owners continue to back President Donald Trump. Seventy percent of small businesses are in favor of the President’s Buy American-Hire American executive order. If approved, it will require the government to review its current H-1B visa program. Meanwhile, 52 percent rate Trump’s first 100 days in office as a success.
Ranking Democrat Calls for Relief from Tax Burden on Small Business
Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), ranking member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, recently issued a statement calling for removing the burdens the U.S. tax code imposes on small businesses. The statement by Sen. Shaheen was made June 14 at a Senate hearing examining the impact of the current tax structure on American small businesses.
Employment
Small Businesses in the Midwest Are in Hiring Mode, Others – Not So Much
No matter where your small business is located, if you’re hiring right now, you’re likely competing against big demand from small businesses in the Midwest. Small businesses in large portions of the nation’s breadbasket are looking for a lot more breadwinners. Midwest Small Business Job Market New data from the job site Indeed.
Marketing Tips
10 Smart Tips for Marketing Your Brand to Chinese Consumers – #Gateway17
So you’re interested in selling in China? Great! There are plenty of opportunities for companies looking to expand into the Chinese market, according to speakers at Alibaba’s Gateway ‘17 event this week. But it’s not as easy as just listing some products and arranging shipments to China. You actually have to learn how to market to Chinese consumers.
UPS and Martha Stewart Talk Growing Global and Exporting Your Brand – #Gateway17
What do CEO and Chairman of UPS David Abney and style-maven Martha Stewart have in common? They both think that growing globally is a great way to expand a business. Global Expansion Tips Both spoke at the Gateway ‘17 event in Detroit today, sharing their thoughts on opportunities for small businesses in China and beyond.
Retail Trends
20 Products Most In Demand with Chinese Customers – #Gateway17
With a middle class of 300 million that’s growing annually, there certainly are plenty of opportunities for selling products to Chinese consumers. But some products are more in demand than others. To help small businesses attempting to enter that market determine which is which, online seller Alibaba held its Gateway ‘17 conference in Detroit this week.
What is Tmall and How Can You Use it to Reach Customers in China? – #Gateway17
At the Gateway ‘17 business conference this week, entrepreneurs learned about the different methods you can use to get products in front of Chinese consumers. One of those is Tmall. Tmall is an online marketplace where Chinese consumers can purchase anything from health food to athletic shoes. But there’s more to it than that.
Vistaprint Gets New Brick and Mortar Store in Toronto
Almost 20 years after Vistaprint (NASDAQ:CMPR) began providing small business owners with professional marketing services and products, the customized marketing materials specialist has opened its first ever bricks and mortar store. Vistaprint’s retail space is located in downtown Toronto. The Vistaprint Studio enables customers to physically feel and touch Vistaprint’s products.
China Needs Your Small Business Products – #Gateway17
China is the next big frontier for small businesses, according to a Keynote from Jack Ma, founder and chairman of Alibaba, at Gateway ‘17 at Detroit’s Cobo Center today. When the internet was booming in the mid ‘90’s, Ma did a search for “beer and China” and found no results.
Moving to the Mall: How the Death of Department Stores Could Benefit Small Retailers
Once a staple of suburban life, America’s malls are going through a sea change. A recent rash of department store closures, including many Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Sears locations, is making news. However, although more than 300 department stores are slated to close this year, this is just the latest wave in a trend that’s been going on for years.
Small Biz Spotlight
Spotlight: Bryson City Bicycles Offers a Friendly Atmosphere
If you’ve ever been to a bicycle shop, you may have been struck by how exclusive or unwelcoming the environment was. But that’s where one shop, Bryson City Bicycles, aims to set itself apart. Read about how this destination bike shop has built its business around a simple philosophy in this week’s Small Business Spotlight. What the Business Does Sells bicycles and more.
Small Business Operations
10 Things Small Businesses Should Know About the New 833 Toll Free Phone Exchange
The FCC just released a new toll-free prefix on June 3, meaning there are now a whole new series of toll-free numbers for businesses to claim. The 833 prefix opens up more vanity numbers and combinations that are easy for customers to remember. And those numbers may provide some unique benefits to certain businesses.
Microsoft Dictate Types While You Talk
If there is one word synonymous with digital technology, it is efficiency. And the folks at Microsoft Garage have released a new tool which will make you more efficient over typing on a keyboard, Dictate. As the name implies, Dictate is an add-in designed to convert speech to text by letting you speak what you need to type.
Is FourKites Tracking Technology a Game Changer for Small Trucking Companies?
The bigger trucking companies like UPS and FedEx employ expensive and sophisticated tracking technology to pinpoint where a package is at any point in its journey. Retailers like Amazon have added two-day shipping and real-time tracking to heighten consumer expectations. The result? More pressure on smaller trucking companies and businesses to compete.
Social Media
Twitter Introduces a New Look, But Will It Revive Anemic Traffic?
Twitter (NYSE:TWTR) just unveiled its latest redesign with a new interface, which is mostly cosmetic. The company is refreshing the brand as it looks to increase its user base by, “making it feel lighter, faster, and easier to use.
Startup
Shocking! Fake News Now a Booming Business for Hire Online, Report Says
Twisting the truth and spreading it online is no longer just a fad. It’s a growing industry with a range of services on offer, a new study finds. The whole business of making money by spinning lies of course presents a moral dilemma. But its rapid growth creates a business opportunity that many people are apparently finding hard to resist.
Technology Trends
YouTube Introduces Heatmaps for Virtual Reality Videos
YouTube recently introduced heatmaps for virtual reality (VR) videos with over 1,000 views. The Google-owned video site said the heatmaps will give you specific insight into how your viewers are engaging with videos created in VR.
White House Tech Summit Good News for Small Businesses? Hope So!
The White House wants to improve technology across government agencies. And that could lead to some opportunities for small businesses.
BBB Says Fake RFP Emails are Targeting Small Businesses
You’ve got mail! And it could be a scam. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) says fake malicious emails are circulating right now that target small businesses. The emails purport to contain an RFP (Request for Proposal). That’s usually an easy hook to get a small business to open the email. After all, it could mean more business.
One in Five Americans Can’t Get Enough GIFs
Looking to promote your small business on social media, your website and in emails? You might want to consider using GIFs for quick how-tos, product demos or even lighthearted ads. According to a recent study by Gfycat, a popular user-generated GIF platform, 63 percent of Americans are GIF users — and one in five Americans can’t get enough of them.
Restaurant Owners, App Use Among Foodies is Up 70 Percent
If you have a restaurant, this is one data point you can’t afford to ignore. Since 2014, food app usage among foodies has increased by around 70 percent. A Revealing Restaurant App Trend A 70 percent positive increase on any other segment of your restaurant business would be cause or excitement.
New Google Backup and Sync Tool Gives Small Businesses More Cloud Power
Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) just released a new app that could help businesses backup and sync files more efficiently. Backup and Sync is the aptly named application that will essentially replace parts of the existing Google Drive desktop apps for Mac and PC.
Bing Mobile Photo via Shutterstock
This article, "Bing Mobile Ad Targeting, Gateway ’17 Make Small Business Headlines" was first published on Small Business Trends
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