Email has changed – take a look at our new Microsoft website and find out how. Mail solutions have become more flexible, scalable and economical and you can choose the option that suits you – hosted, on-premise or a mix.

Did you know you can now get a web-based or hosted email service directly from Microsoft or from a partner? An online subscription means you can reduce your hardware investment and get a professional service at an affordable monthly rate.

If you’re upgrading or moving to Exchange 2010, you can get big benefits, including large storage capacity, anywhere access to email, voicemail & instant messaging and additional security protection.

Want to know more? Visit the website and watch the video – Email shaped to fit your business.

Source: Microsoft Small Business

Cedric Chambaz, my colleague in Microsoft Advertising, has written a great article search marketing, which is published on Utalkmarketing.com - How to do search marketing as an SMB. Busting the myths that it’s too expensive, too time-consuming and too difficult, Cedric clearly illustrates how small businesses can use pay-per-click (PPC) to boost business. Here’s a snippet to whet your appetite:

“..search marketing is one of the most suitable ways for SMB’s to get involved. Paid-search solutions enable SMB’s to advertise against chosen keywords to ensure their website is reaching engaged consumers.

The engagement of consumers can be measured through click through rates, and not only is this measuring the effectiveness of the advertising in use, it also ensures that SMB’s are only paying for the clicks on their advertising. This allows SMB’s to minimise ineffective ad spend in a much more comprehensive way than would be possible across other media.”

Related post: When search engines become free intelligence tools for SMBs.

Source: Microsoft Small Business

Continuing our quarterly SMB panel discussions on the economic and business climate for SMBs, we’ve now got videos of the discussions on the Small Business website.

There are three videos, focusing on the following areas:

1. 
   
   How do you view the economic climate changes for SMEs since the panel met in July 2009?


2. 
   
   How would you summarise 2009 for SMEs and are there any particular trends you would highlight?


3. 
   
   What changes do you see taking place within 2010 and beyond?

Panel members included Robert Epstein, Head of Small Business, Microsoft SMB UK; Stephen Pegge, Communications Director, Lloyds TSB Commercial; Stephen Alambritis, Head of Public Affairs Federation of Small Businesses; and Henry Eldelbaum, Director of AIMS, Accountants for Businesses.

Points arising from the discussions included:

• 
  
  A note of caution that although we may be nearing the end of the recession this is still a very difficult time for small businesses, and productivity and efficiency remain vital watchwords.


• 
  
  The panel expects to see the growth of an era of collaborative and flexible working, where innovative SMBs who are able to add real value to their customers, will prosper. ‘We will see the growth of the ‘network’ business, as opposed to the isolated individual. People will collaborate on certain projects but not be tied to one relationship or deal. SMBs will work together with a larger number of suppliers and customers with far greater fluidity than ever before; focusing on their core business and bringing in specialist as and when required.’


• 
  
  Technology lies at the heart of driving these remote and flexible working practice and ‘cloud computing’ or hosted online services will become widespread as businesses take advantage of agile IT infrastructures.

Read more about the panel’s findings and watch the videos: The changing shape of SMBs.

Source: Microsoft Small Business

Digital marketing – what is it? How do I do it? Do I need to do it?

To answer the last question first, yes, you absolutely do need to do it. We’re living in a digital age and the traditional world of media is going through an exciting revolution.

What is it? Well, anything online really – if you send an email to prospective clients you’re doing digital marketing. What you do with your website is digital marketing. So you’re probably doing it already.  

How do I do it? Start by downloading a free digital marketing guide from MSAdvertising. Tony Wardle, Principal at Marketing Mentor and Former founder and chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi Business says in the introduction, “We aim to take the “IT” out of digital, to cut through the technical mystique and replace IT with What and Why and How. That’s not to say that the technology isn’t important — it’s the IT that helps deliver the audience you want to reach — but it can sometimes be a barrier to entry to the digital media world. So this book, like all good digital messages, focuses on being fresh, brief, easy to consume and easy to share with colleagues and agencies.”

Content includes:

·        More than a banner ad: the online options

·        Getting to know social media

·        How do I measure results?

·        10 Top Tips to better email

Here’s a taste of the email tips - you’ll have to download the guide to get the other 7!

·        Consider timing. You can control delivery time quite accurately, so make use of it.

·        Spend a lot of time on the subject. Don’t be too clever. Check the latest list of ‘risky’ words that could send your email straight to the spam box.

·        Who’s it from? Use a sensible sending address, preferably someone’s name, to make the email appear more personal.

Source: Microsoft Small Business

In one of today’s news stories ‘Small firms urged to establish websites’, Steve Pogorzelski, chief executive of ClickFuel, claimed that firms without a web offering are at a severe disadvantage in the modern business climate. He claimed that bringing a brand online, even with a small website, is “an enormous step” towards driving greater awareness.

“Today’s consumers conduct most of their research online, whether they are looking up your address, trying to find your hours of operation or hoping to make a purchase,” he added.

Setting up your own website is obviously something heartily endorse - especially when you can sign up to Office Live (free) and get a free website and free business email too! You don’t need to be a techie wizard, a nerd or a geek (with apologies to all self-confessed nerds and geeks). You just need a couple of hours. Even if all you have is a single page with just your name and contact details, it still provides a way for prospective customers to find you.

Microsoft Office Live Small Business is a set of internet-based tools to help small businesses quickly and easily create a professional web presence, completely free of charge. Register now  to get:

• 
  
  Website hosting with 500MB of storage


• 
  
  Easy-to-use website design tools


• 
  
  100 x 5GB business e-mail, calendar and instant messenger accounts


• 
  
  An online WorkSpace with 5GB storage


• 
  
  Contact Manager and Document Manager


• 
  
  Detailed website reports


• 
  
  Free email support

And you can get £30’s worth of free clicks with Microsoft adCenter if you fancy trying your hand at a bit of online advertising http://www.microsoft.com/uk/smallbusiness/business-goals/find-customers/promoting-your-website.aspx.

All you’ve got to lose is customers…..

Source: Microsoft Small Business