Welcome back to the latest edition of This Week in Small Business.
In this week’s episode, I’m sitting down with video production and livestreaming expert Monique Johnson to talk about the top stories that graced the pages of Small Business Trends this week.
To kick off our discussion, we checked out 10 Ways to Move Beyond the Marketing Basics. Monique talked about writing the best email copy you can to attract and convert readers into customers.
And to add to the chat, I mentioned the benefits of machine learning in driving a better Facebook campaign.
We then turned our attention to 15 Amazing Small Business Owner Titles: Which One is Right for You?
This is a great topic and a question a lot of small business owners should take the time to answer. I was not surprised that Monique chose Chief Disruptor as one of her preferred titles.
I also talk about why I’ve chosen and stuck with Managing Partner as one of my titles for another business.
Sunsetting Klout was a Top Story
Finally, we wrapped up this episode talking about the demise of Klout, which will be shutting down at the end of May. Monique and I talked about what — if anything — sunsetting Klout will mean to small businesses.
I’ll be back next week with another episode of This Week in Small Business.
This Week in Small Business is proudly sponsored by Salesforce and powered by the headlines at Small Business Trends.
For more on what happened this week in small business news, check out this roundup of the other headlines on the site this week:
Economy
Cities Remain Best Sources of Specialized Freelancers, Fiverr Report Says
While freelancers can be found anywhere, large cities are still the best source of specialized freelancers in creative, technical and other professional fields. This is the main takeaway from a study commissioned by Fiverr, which provides a platform for freelancers and the gig economy.
Marketing Tips
10 Things You MUST Know About Social Media Marketing with Your Pet
There’s no shortage of animals who have become stars on social media. From Grumpy Cat to doggo memes, people love looking at pictures of cute pets on Instagram and similar platforms. Some businesses have even begun to leverage the popularity of pet accounts for marketing purposes.
Retail Trends
Shopify Announces Major Upgrades for Small Business Users
Shopify has unveiled the latest developments in its ecommerce platform to help businesses and entrepreneurs in three key areas. The announcement was made at Unite, the annual conference bringing together the international developer community for the Shopify (NYSE: SHOP) ecosystem.
Small Business Loans
60% of Small Business Owners Never Apply for Funding to Support Innovation
The Creating Wealth through Business Improvements report from BMO Wealth Management reveals 60 percent of small business owners never apply for funding to support innovation.
Small Business Operations
Nextiva Launches NextOS Communications Platform with AI
Nextiva, known for its leadership in voice technology and cloud capabilities has launched a comprehensive, unified communication platform that uses AI and machine learning. Nextiva NextOS is designed to corral a number of usually siloed communications tools into a single dashboard. This single platform is intended to make customer engagement better, easier and faster.
Startup
Ted Allen’s Awesome Tips for Future Restaurant Owners
The National Restaurant Association recently hosted the 2018 National ProStart Invitational, an industry event where students who are interested in the restaurant industry get to show off their skills in front of professional chefs and restaurant owners.
Technology Trends
Your Employees May Be Sickened By the Thought of Losing Their Jobs to Automation
Automation may be the key to making your business more profitable and efficient, but it may also be making your employees sick. Automation is seen as an existential threat to the jobs many employees have in today’s workforce. And according to a new study, this belief could be responsible for illness, both mental and physical.
GDPR: Should You Worry? What Small Business Owners Need to Know (Infographic)
With the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) deadline only weeks away, many organizations are still not compliant. Caunce O’Hara, a UK commercial insurance broker, has created a handy infographic with everything you need to know about the regulation.