You probably don’t have three million dollars to spend on a TV spot at the Super Bowl, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn from the commercials anyway.  This year’s Super Bowl commercial hits and misses provide some valuable insights for small businesses attempting to connect with consumers. Here are a few of the commercials and the marketing lessons learned. What did you think?

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force: Marketing lesson: Inject personality into your promotions. When you’re promoting your products and services, it’s important to strike a chord with consumers.  How does what you do relate to them?  Marketing…

2010 was a big year for local online services, but it was especially big for Foursquare, a company whose service allows mobile users to “check-in” to locations using geo-targeting technology.   The young company (which launched in March of 2009) was considered social media fringe not too long ago. Having doubled its user base to six million in the last five months, it is now invading the mainstream.  Recognizing the inherent business potential of that reach, Foursquare recently launched Foursquare for Business in a bid to attract SMBs. 

So what is Foursquare for Business, and what can it do for…

Looking for a sales role in NYC? Come and "discover Yodle" to see if you've got to be part of our team. Join us on February 17th in our NYC Headquarters for presentations, meet & greet with some of the current Yodle sales team and interviews for our open jobs. 5pm-8pm. No advance RSVP required. Please remember to bring a resume!

It is 2011 and the United States has a Chief Technology Officer. His name is Aneesh Chopra and he is charged with using technology to make the country better, which includes everything from job creation to national security. Today, as part of that initiative, StartUP America was launched. This is a public/private partnership to promote innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship. These are essential elements not just for the future of our country but also to the millions of Americans who own and operate the millions of small and local businesses out there. StartUP America is a crucial acknowledgment of…

Today, we stumbled onto this Wall Street Journal article about solo entrepreneurs and their usual hesitation to take on help.  We know what you’re going to say: You don’t have the cash flow to warrant a hire. News flash: You don’t have to make a traditional hire! You can hire someone for a temporary contract, or you can hire someone for a specific project.  If there is a silver lining of the tough economy, it’s that the market is flush with professionals, who, by necessity, have had to become entrepreneurial themselves.  The good news for you is that there…