If you are just starting a business or creating a new product line or service offering, I bet you’re struggling to come up with a name for it. That’s not surprising—good branding is hard work. It takes dedicated time, thoughtfulness, and research. Here are three sure-fire ways from an intellectual property perspective that can really…
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Imagine if Amazon did more than just sell you stuff. Imagine that they manufactured and delivered stuff – and competed with other ecommerce sites like Overstock, manufacturers like Sony and Cannon, and shipping companies like FedEx and UPS. It would be a miracle if they excelled at any of those functions. No one outfit could…
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If you’re not creatively marketing your company on social media with photos and videos, you might as well not be using Facebook or Twitter at all. Make it a lot easier on yourself using a very interesting photo advertising tool developed by 3 former Sony employees. In a nutshell, PhotoTouch lets you take a photo…
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There are tips, lists, products, and services plastered all over the web that can help manage your online conversations, but Minneapolis-based Zingstring wants to make it even easier. For those times when you can’t respond to tweets, posts, and emails – maybe you’re in a meeting or traveling or, you know, sleeping – they created…
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Ladies, we may be unwitting victims of a red-shoe war. That’s because a dude judge recently told Christian Louboutin that he doesn’t think that those hot red-soled shoes are worthy of trademark protection. This lacquered red color alone may be protectable as a trademark if it has become distinctive in the high-fashion shoe industry for…
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When many of us think about IVR (interactive voice response), we often think of the “robo calls” we receive during election time, or even the clever celebrity wake-up messages that consumers could sign up for a few years ago (courtesy of a fast food chain). Where we don’t always make an immediate connection is with…
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Two words: Dress Barn. Seriously, is that a brand that is suppose to make a woman feel sexy and desirable? I can just imagine a woman saying to herself, “Hmmm, I’d like to find me some clothing amongst domesticated cattle.” “Great Moo Moo, Shirley!” “Thanks, I got it at Dress Barn.” I don’t claim to…
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This is a guest blog post written by Tyler York, CEO of Trisse. A few months ago, before we started working on Trisse, my co-founder and I created a 99 Designs submission for a side project called Stash.ly. We never ended up implementing the project, but we learned a lot about how to work with designers…
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If you are like me, once you have a grasp on how to leverage social media, and the narrative is set for whatever your objective, you start to run wild with different ideas. There’s something about having some success thinking outside the box that makes you want to stay there. That’s a good thing. After all, there is nothing wrong with having a…
Read MoreWhy is it that though you are bombarded by ads from big national chain restaurants showing everyone having a grand time, you prefer to eat at your neighborhood restaurant down the street? Do you ever wonder why you’d rather go to the smaller venue? The reason is simple: it’s because of deep personal connections. When you eat at big chain restaurants,…
Read MoreBring your loyalty program into the 21st Century with New York-based startup SNAP. Their service enables brands to integrate gift and loyalty programs with social networks and reward customers for their in-store purchase activity and social network sharing. SNAP, which stands for the Social Network Appreciate Platform, has some really cool, social-media integrated features that…
Read MoreSmart companies realize that they no longer control their brand. Social media has given voice to the consumer and democratized public opinion. Brand’s have become like NASA-launched deep-space probes. You build them, design them and then launch them into the ether and hope you maintain contact, can exert some control and avoid being hit by…
Read MoreBest selling author and former Kodak Chief Marketing Officer Jeffrey Hayzlett kicked off this week’s Search Engine Strategies Conference and Expo in San Francisco with a hilarious and to-the-point keynote on digital marketing tips for now and the near future. As marketers, we know that our consumers’ views are shifting and now, more than ever,…
Read MoreEditor’s Note: This article was written by Ross Kimbarovsky. Ross is the co-founder of crowdSPRING, an online marketplace for creative services ranging from graphic, web and industrial design to copywriting services. Follow Ross on Twitter @rosskimbarovsky and @crowdSPRING. As I wrote last week in 10 Tips for Startups on Naming Your Company, coming up with…
Read MoreEditor’s Note: This article was written by Ross Kimbarovsky. Ross is the co-founder of crowdSPRING, an online marketplace for creative services ranging from graphic, web and industrial design to copywriting services. Follow Ross on Twitter @rosskimbarovsky and @crowdSPRING. Naming your company can be challenging and time consuming. If you need help or simply don’t have…
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There are a number of startup accelerator and incubator programs in the United States. We are fans of these programs (not to be confused with... Read More
Two months after the iPad 2 debuted in March, around 40% of users surveyed said their iPad was their primary computer, up from around 30%... Read More
With our Startup Mixology Conference coming up next week followed by our classic Tech Cocktail DC Summer mixer which will showcase a handful of early-stage... Read More
Coming off of one of our biggest Tech Cocktail mixer events in Chicago this past week, which showcased 14 early-stage start-ups, we thought it would... Read More