The Obamacare Website is Broken and Slowing Healthcare Sign Up |  |
- The Obamacare Website is Broken and Slowing Healthcare Sign Up
- Five Offline Marketing Ideas to Help Get Your Business Noticed
- IRS Delay Shortens Filing Time and Slows Refunds
- 4 Hot Retail Trends to Jump on This Holiday Season
- Apple Claims iMessenger Secure from Hacking
- 10 Must Have Amazing Customer Service Apps
| The Obamacare Website is Broken and Slowing Healthcare Sign Up Posted: 25 Oct 2013 02:00 AM PDT
If you own a small business and intend to offer your employees health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, you may face some hurtles. Officials admit the Obamacare website, HealthCare.gov, intended to help small businesses and individuals browse and sign up for a plan, isn’t working properly. No, businesses don’t have to provide healthcare for their employees until 2014. And, yes, small businesses with fewer than 50 employees are exempt. But things are different if you work for a business that doesn’t provide insurance or are a self-employed solopreneur, and don’t currently have healthcare insurance. In either case, you’ll need to be insured by 2013 or face a penalty. Some small businesses may also want to get started buying healthcare insurance for their employees a year early. Maybe they hope the new government established marketplace intended to create more competition among plans will make providing insurance more affordable than it’s been in the past. Maybe they don’t want employees to have to go a year without insurance knowing they’ll have to pay for it next year. The government is promising a fix to the faulty website and says it is working with experts to resolve the problem, USA Today reports. Here’s how the online healthcare marketplace was supposed to work: HealthCare.gov Should Provide Simplest Way to EnrollAlternatives to online enrollment for individuals involves first writing in to find out whether you may be entitled to any assistance in affording a plan. Then you’ll need to contact a government call center by dialing 1-800-318-2596 where a customer service representative will help you sign up and enroll . (Of course, you must still check the website to look at what’s available so you will know what plan you want.) You can also find local help to sign up and enroll by going to LocalHelp.HealthCare.gov and searching by city, state and zip code. (This worked quite well when I tried it and gave me 194 agencies and individuals in my area who could help me with the enrollment process.) The trouble is that with time running out to enroll, the Obamacare website should provide the most hassle-free approach…if it was working properly, that is. The Obamacare website ought to offer a seamless sign up and enrollment process without the need for busy small business people to spend extra time on the phone or away from the office just to buy insurance. Employees and self-employed workers who have no insurance have until March 31, 2013, the last day of enrollment, to sign up and avoid penalties for non-compliance, The Washington Post now reports. But businesses interested in insuring their employees in 2013 and others could have a plan in place by January 1, 2013. Image: Healthcare.gov The post The Obamacare Website is Broken and Slowing Healthcare Sign Up appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Five Offline Marketing Ideas to Help Get Your Business Noticed Posted: 24 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT
So much is made of the whole online marketing thing these days that it’s hard for small business owners, like you, to find useful information that pertains to offline marketing, which is marketing performed strictly in the offline world. The idea of offline marketing can definitely be a misnomer in this day and age, due to the fact that social media and other web-based marketing channels are always beneficial to offline business. But that doesn’t mean you have to go that route every time you’re developing a marketing plan for your latest customer-acquisition project. You can, in fact, cross-promote your online and offline marketing. The five following offline marketing channels can pertain to both new and established businesses. Granted, there’s nothing particularly ground-breaking, but perhaps you’ll see something that has been long forgotten and consider adding it to your bag of tricks once again. Offline Marketing Ideas1. NetworkingThere is a whole world full of people out there who are either:
Focus your attention on the following groups that pertain to your business:
2. FlyersFlyers have been around forever. Now that most marketers have taken their game online, you might find that there’s a significant opening in your area to hand out, post and downright shove your business’s name right in people’s faces. While that might seem a bit dramatic, think about hiring some young, energetic marketing-minions to stick a flyer on every car windshield in a local mall parking lot. Oe on every telephone pole within a certain area or simply drop your flyer off at local businesses that could use your services. Consider flyers in your local newspaper for an additional offline marketing option as well. 3. Business CardsThe real ones not the digital kind. This is particularly effective for your “old school” customer or business contact. There’s something that’s just so tangible about having a well made, snappy business card with your name on it. It’s also one more avenue that could pay off indefinitely, with very little expense. You can print them off yourself quite cheaply these days (use good material) as opposed to going to a local business depot like you would have in the days of old, and paying out the nose for the service. 4. NewslettersNewsletters can be just as effective as flyers to the right crowd of customers, or like-minded business contacts. Think outside the box here. When we choose to read something, we’re looking for something that pertains to our interests and that provides value of some sort. Try to make the newsletter an “indirect” selling tool, where you give the reader some useful information that they don’t have to pay for. For instance, say you’re in the pest control business. Your newsletter could be about how readers can “pest-proof” their home for the winter months, or how to keep their pets safe from diseases that are spread by vermin. See where this is going? If they respect you, they’ll likely buy from you. Especially when they don’t want to confront the ‘rabid’ raccoon in their attic, or the ‘scary’ snake under their daughters bed. 5. SponsorshipWho says chivalry is dead? We live in an era of cost-cutting, particularly in public and private school systems. You can sponsor almost any person or cause that needs money and it will help expand your marketing reach. Look at sports teams. Let’s say baseball, children or adults. Watching a little league game at your local baseball diamond, do you notice how the player’s uniforms have the names of their sponsoring companies on the back? How about your local hockey arena? There will be local and national sponsors advertised all over, in BIG BOLD letters. Sponsorship gives your karma an instant boost, too. Your Mission for TodayGive some of these offline marketing avenues a try once again. See if one of them doesn’t increase your business’s reach. Just like fashion, marketing trends fade in and out – and back in again. Whether they work is all a matter of luck, timing and a little knowledge. Marketing Concept Photo via Shutterstock The post Five Offline Marketing Ideas to Help Get Your Business Noticed appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| IRS Delay Shortens Filing Time and Slows Refunds Posted: 24 Oct 2013 01:30 PM PDT
If you thought the impact of the recent government shutdown on U.S. businesses was over, well, think again. The Internal Revenue Service announced this week it would delay acceptance and processing of tax filings from January 21 to between January 28 and February 4. The extra time is to allow for programming and testing of tax processing systems following the 13 day government shutdown. Specialists in the tax preparation industry say the delay will shorten filing time by at least two weeks and delay any refunds you might be expecting. In a recent press release issued on behalf of cloud accounting software maker Zero, the company urged small business owners not to procrastinate with a two week delay on filing. “My gut feeling is its going to be longer than that,” said Jody L. Padar, CPA and CEO of New Vision CPA Group. Padar says regardless of the IRS delay in accepting or processing filings, the key is for small businesses to speak with their accountants as soon as possible. Make sure all the expenses you want to deduct are incurred before the end of the tax year, of course. Then see that you get tax information to your accountant as soon as possible, despite the filing delay. Padar says the IRS delay in accepting and processing fillings will definitely mean more work for accountants by narrowing the window to submit returns before the April 15 deadline. But accountants can work to assemble your return early even if the IRS isn’t prepared to receive it yet. “I believe this is going to be a trend moving forward,” added Padar. She noted that delay in passing tax legislation in 2012 led to similar delays in the start of tax return processing last year. Refunds May Also be DelayedAnd, of course, tax filing and processing delays may also lead to delays in getting your refund, Padar said. This will be the case even for early filers. Since the whole process will likely be delayed, Padar said, don’t expect returns you might have hoped would help you cover extra expenses until at least March. How will a late start in tax filings affect your small business? Shutdown Photo via Shutterstock The post IRS Delay Shortens Filing Time and Slows Refunds appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 4 Hot Retail Trends to Jump on This Holiday Season Posted: 24 Oct 2013 11:00 AM PDT
All year long I keep track of trends on my blog and in my email newsletter. As retailers gear up for the holiday sales season, I thought I'd share some hot retail trends I've noted that could help you boost your sales. 2013 Hot Retail Trends1. ThanksgivingkkahThe first day of Hanukkah falls on Thanksgiving this year (November 28, 2013), which could affect retailers in several ways. First, people will start Hanukkah shopping earlier this year, which means that if you live in an area with a large Jewish population, you'll want to start your holiday marketing campaign earlier than usual. Just be careful you don't discount too deeply before you have to. Marketwatch predicts there might be two Black Fridays this year. And the fact that Thanksgiving is becoming a shopping day in itself could boost sales even more. Some savvy entrepreneurs have already taken advantage of this holiday oddity (it won't happen again for 70,000 years.) On the downside, there are fewer shopping days than usual between Thanksgiving and Christmas, which could hurt retail sales overall. 2. Teen ConsumersTeen spending is on the rise. What are they spending their money on? Beauty products (skin care and cosmetics) are hot items for teens, as are mobile devices (both tablets and smartphones). However, clothing is a particular bright spot, with one particularly hot area being lingerie for teen girls, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. The trend started with Victoria's Secret's Pink line for college girls, introduced nearly a decade ago. But as younger girls strive to dress more like their elders, companies are jumping on the trend. With lingerie sales overall topping $11 billion a year, per market research firm NPD Group, there's room for growth. And before you get offended at the idea of "lingerie" for teens and tweens, know this is just cute, pretty underwear—nothing overtly sexy. Teens are buying beauty products, lingerie and tech devices for themselves, of course, but for the holidays, try stocking them as gift items. You can market the more affordable items to parents, grandparents and teens themselves (to give their friends as gifts), while targeting the big-ticket mobile devices to parents (promote their usefulness for school and for safety). 3. Oil It UpJust about every holiday shopper has a gourmet item on his or her gift list these days. If you own a restaurant, food store or other cooking-related business, cash in on the olive oil trend. The trend of olive oil bars is taking off nationwide, American Way magazine recently reported. Driven by the popularity of the Mediterranean diet, olive oil is being touted for its health benefits and is even used in beauty products. This isn't just plain olive oil, however. It's flavored gourmet versions. Consider adding it to your store shelves and attracting strolling shoppers with olive oil tastings to introduce them to the variety of flavors. Events like swap meets and street fairs are also a great place to sell your olive oil (and promote your retail store). Make sure you and your employees are well-versed about the oil, as expertise is key to successful selling. 4. Nail ItTeen girls mentioned above are a hot market for nail polish, but they're not the only ones. Nail polish sales hit an all-time high last year, reaching $768 million, an increase of 32 percent from 2011. New lines started or endorsed by pop stars and fashion designers are driving the trend, as are innovations like stick-on polish and designs, glitter, crackle surface treatments and nail art. These creative nail products are attracting everyone from tween girls to conservative adult women and even men. Yes, men are getting in on the nail polish act. Market researcher Mintel reported last year that 25 percent of men ages 18-34 have had manicures or pedicures. Entrepreneur Josh Espley started Alpha Nail to make nail polish:
Unless you're in a large, trendy city, you may not sell too much nail polish for men just yet (try selling it online). But nail polish makes a great stocking stuffer for just about everyone. Try adding it to your boutique, retail store or salon and merchandising it at checkout as a last-minute impulse buy. Whatever type of retail store you have, hopefully you can make at least one of these hot retail trends work for you this holiday shopping season. Shopping Photo via Shutterstock The post 4 Hot Retail Trends to Jump on This Holiday Season appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| Apple Claims iMessenger Secure from Hacking Posted: 24 Oct 2013 08:00 AM PDT
The Apple iMessenger instant messaging service cannot be hacked by anyone, not even the company itself, says Apple. This is after a security company called QuarksLabs presented research suggesting Apple could hack the instant messaging system if it wished. But Apple told AllThingsD recently such hacking would require a complete re-engineering of its system and that it has no intention to do so. Whether Apple can or can’t re-engineer iMessenger is hardly the point. Demand for online security has become huge. The Demand for Security IncreasesThat demand has grown since revelations about the National Security Administration’s online spying activities both inside and outside the U.S. surfaced. But it’s also fed by high profile hacking cases at major companies which show how easily sensitive personal and business information can be obtained. For small businesses this is a huge issue, too. The fear is that passwords or other confidential information communicated through email or other online messaging can be intercepted or read. This could put your data or the data of your clients at risk. Eccentric tech entrepreneur John McAfee, creator of McAfee Anitvirus software, even has a solution. In an interview in the New Yorker earlier this month, McAfee detailed D-Central, a pocket-sized box. It will sell for less than a hundred dollars and will create wireless networks between computers and other devices. These networks can allow private transmission of messages but don’t connect to the Internet. Security Provides Huge Business OpportunitiesThe data-privacy market offers huge opportunities in the near future. But few U.S. companies may be able to exploit it. That’s because reports about NSA spying create doubts about whether U.S. companies can keep that data secure, reports Minyanville. In fact, two startups focused on providing encrypted emails for enhanced privacy have shut down. One is Lavabit, the one-time email service of NSA leaker Edward Snowden. Owner and operator Ladar Levison said in a post on his site he couldn’t reveal the reasons for the shutdown. But he did imply government intervention was involved. In August, Silent Circle CEO Michael Janke told TechCrunch the company had decided to shut down its own email service because of similar concerns. Image: Apple The post Apple Claims iMessenger Secure from Hacking appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
| 10 Must Have Amazing Customer Service Apps Posted: 24 Oct 2013 05:00 AM PDT Sponsored Post
Recent additions in technology make this the new golden age of customer service. It's as simple as getting the right customer service apps to serve your customers. Customer Service AppsBrandifyCustomers are talking about your company right now. This solution monitors your company's online assets and reputation to make sure you hear all the good and bad things your customers are saying about your brand. Schedule MaxCustomers don't want to call you to schedule appointments and then wait on hold. Now they can do it online on any mobile or desktop device. It will even send them reminders of upcoming appointments. Starts at $15 a month. Live ChatCustomers often surf your website and have questions. Use this embedded chat window to know which page your customers are on and to talk to them directly when they need help. Starts at $39 per agent per month. Sage OneManage customer projects so you know the status of each of them at a press of a button when customers ask. Starts at $29 a month. Click With Me NowIn order to offer the best customer service, you often need to share the customer's screen. This solution does it in one click without downloading any software or registering for an account. Call it the best form of social shopping! Request a demo to get pricing. Parature for FacebookCustomers talk to you through Facebook. Parature's cloud-based software lets you integrate a customer service center into your company's Facebook page. This can include a self-service knowledge base, a ticket customer support system and chat. Ask for a free trial. Desk.comThe explosion of communication channels has made it more difficult to monitor all the ways customers want to talk to you. From Salesforce.com, this solution sets up one universal inbox for a multichannel strategy including Twitter, Facebook, phone, email, and chat. Prices start at $3 a month per agent. Get SatisfactionWith the Internet, other loyal customers can provide support answers to current customers (and it's free). This solution enables you to create a customer support community where customers can share problems. Your team and other customers contribute answers to create a user-generated knowledge base. Starts at $425 a month. Help ScoutResponding to customers over and over again for the same issues can be time consuming and tedious. This solution makes it easy for the support center reps to focus online customer engagement through customizable email templates and automated responses. Free for up to 3 users. NextivaA phone system used to be simple to buy since all your employees were in one location. Now with virtual employees working from home and other mobile locations, Nextiva provides a unified communication solution so your customers think you are right next door. Starts at $20 a month. What is a customer service app that your company can't do without? Apps Photo via Shutterstock This article, provided by Nextiva, is republished through a content distribution agreement. The original can be found here. The post 10 Must Have Amazing Customer Service Apps appeared first on Small Business Trends. |
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