Show :  Toolkits and Marketing Tips for Your Small Business
Guest : Marilyn Johnson, VP of Market Development, IBM
             Anita Campbell, Editor of Small Business Trends
Aired : Sunday February 3rd, 2008

Marilyn Johnson of IBM visits us again to share information about their newly launched SME Toolkit. IBM and the International Finance Corporation, a private sector of the World Bank, partnered to launch the US version of the toolkit.  The SME Toolkit gives companies, from start-up to experienced, more than 500 pieces of high value content and tools that address business needs such as accounting, finance, business planning, human resources, legal and insurance, sales and marketing, operations and technology. Information on how to start and help businesses grow and succeed can be found on the site.  The site also houses how-to articles, business forms and software, on-line training, and self assessment quizzes.

Leading an organization responsible for developing IBM’s strategy for and marketing to businesses owned or operated by Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Women in the United States, Marilyn also gives us her take on how these groups are investing in technology to compete, thrive and survive in today's marketplace.

We're also joined by a good friend of the show (FOTS) Anita Campbell to talk about a very interesting post she wrote for her site SmallBizTrends.com.  Anita invited a great group of A-list marketers to share one of their best kept marketing secrets.  The likes of Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Tim Berry and a host of other great marketers, including Anita,  shared some really great tips that can be put into play right away.  Plus you can add your tips in the comment section to be included in a document Anita is putting together.   


Marilyn Johnson is Vice President, Market Development based in White Plains, New York. In this capacity, she leads an organization responsible for developing IBM’s strategy for and marketing to businesses owned or operated by Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Native Americans and Women in the Americas. She recently expanded her mission to include women owned and women led businesses in selected global markets.  She is an executive with extensive management experience in sales and marketing in the information technology industry. Ms. Johnson’s previous IBM positions, with US and worldwide responsibility, include director of financial services sector marketing, director of eBusiness infrastructure, and director of worldwide sales operations.

Anita Campbell is CEO of Small Business Trends, LLC, a media and information company. In that role she closely follows trends in both the small business market and technology. A respected speaker and emerging trends resource, Ms. Campbell's expertise has been noted or her opinion quoted in numerous major business and entrepreneurial publications.  Her popular website, Small Business Trends, is regularly noted as a rich informational resource. In 2005 the site won the "Best of the Web" award for small business blogs from Forbes and numerous other awards and honors.

Listen NOW! 
or   download here

Show : Building a Presence on the Web
Guest : Anita Campbell, Publisher of Small Business Trends
Aired : Saturday August 11th, 2007

Technology has made it easier to create and distribute all kinds of content over the web, which has enabled almost anyone to get up on the web quickly.  But the biggest challenge still remains...getting people to read your blog or stop by your website on a regular basis.  In fact the challenge grows tougher every day as more people become creators.  So how do you create a captivating web presence in 2007 and beyond? 

Our guest this week is Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends.  Anita knows all about what it takes to create a compelling web presence, compelling enough to attract 57,000 people to subscribe to her site's RSS feed as well as 5,000 newsletter subscribers.  Anita talks about how she was able to pull off this, what expectations you should have for building an effective web presence, what she would do differently now, and what steps new comers should take to get off to a good start.  You're in for a treat with this one!
.
Anita Campbell has been an entrepreneur at heart her entire life. A lawyer by training, she has a wide range of interests, as reflected in her varied background in banking, information technology, human resources, marketing and eCommerce. Today she is the CEO of her own business, Small Business Trends LLC, a media and information company. In that role she closely follows trends in the small business market and trends in technology.

Before starting her entrepreneurial journey she held various executive positions in the corporate world. Most recently she was a senior executive with Bell & Howell Company, including serving as CEO of a technology subsidiary of Bell & Howell. Her popular website, Small Business Trends, is regularly noted as a rich informational resource. In 2005 the site won the “Best of the Web” award for small business blogs from Forbes, Honorable Mention from MarketingSherpa as Best Small Business Marketing blog, and the #1 Most Practical Blog for Entrepreneurs from About.com.

Listen NOW! 
or   download here