Social Commerce is taking off -- beyond Pinterest

We're starting to take all these things for granted -- for someone else's business. No one here would ever offer a Groupon, but stop and think: it didn't even exist a couple of years ago and now it's an unremarkable household and yes, small-busineess term. Note that Groupon is still in business, and could still find a pivot to take advantage of its huge awareness.

Then there's Pinterest. People in the online business know that it has passed Facebook in sales effectiveness, but do small businesses realize that? Let's enlarge those product photos! Now Tumblr is in position to start making money by "privileging" brand posts. You can read about these and many more in detail, for the fair price of a free trial of Business Insider.
Social Commerce Daily Deals Photo Apps - Business Insider:

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Why Rotating Picture Sliders Could Be Killing Your Conversions | Crowdvert Blog

My instinct has always been against such a huge commitment of real estate on a home page, but now there is hard evidence from multiple witnesses to support my position:

Why Rotating Picture Sliders Could Be Killing Your Conversions | Crowdvert Blog:

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Imagine your customers...or meet them?

Both Steve Blank (Startup Manual) and his former student Eric Ries (Lean Startup) preach simplicity and focus as key to your "Minimum Viable Product." But how do you decide which features to keep and which to postpone? Jolay Welner and Ilay Avni want to help you identify your killer feature. Welner and Avni suggest constructing a simple graph by asking yourself and your team (you do have a team, don't you?) what value each feature would have in the minds of your potential customers, and what percentage of customers would use them. This process should scatter dots and make it clear which rank highest on both scales. The problem, of course, is that, as Steve Blank says, you haven't "left the building." You've imagined leaving the building, but you can do better than that. Get up, get outside. Talk to someone. Or use that neglected feature on your pocketsize communications device - the "telephone." Now you can compare your imagined customers with a few real ones. It's a great feeling when your "feeling" for your future customers is confirmed, but you should be just as happy with whatever you hear from the real world. After all, that's where your product will actually live.

The $20 ad campaign: small businesses find alternatives to Google AdWords — paidContent

Alternative ad brokers/scouts can place your ad on numerous small but targeted sites, for pennies per keyword, vs. dollars per through Google Adwords. Doesn't really replace the search results page positioning, but as long as you're getting business at an excellent ROI, do you care?

The $20 ad campaign: small businesses find alternatives to Google AdWords — paidContent:

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How To Go Viral (almost true)

Actually, they'll probably succeed...This is a parody for all those of us who report to pointy-haired bosses who say, "Make this go viral." Not sure the phb will get it, though, so be careful in sharing this!
News Talk 610 CKTB :: How To Go Viral - Larry Fedoruk :: Larry Fedoruk Blog:

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Are You Serious About Your Startup Idea? Here's Your Chance.

A true startup/entrepreneur curriculum, in just 4 weeks, involving the most successful startup accelerators (TechStars, etc.) and other groups that know what they're doing, and want to see viable companies emerge -- in just 4 weeks!
10,000 Startups – Startup Weekend Next « Steve Blank:

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Agency Wants You to Pitch to Them...But Will Reward a Winner

Clever way to get attention for the agency, maybe get some good clients (the ones that don't win the prize), and in any case a good opportunity for your company:

Agency Flips Pitch Process, Offers $100K in Services to Most Deserving Brand - Adrants:

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