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Amazon has an app to lure customers out of your stores. EBay's offering incentives to shop online

%excerpt% Continue reading here: Big Marketing Mistake You May Be Making

Survey shows business owners expect a hectic holiday season and 2012.

Avoid common mistakes in your startup's infancy. Take the advice of Jake Nickell, founder of Threadless.com

Engage your customers in an authentic, ongoing online relationship. Plus, Ben Huh, chief executive of Cheezburger Network, a humor website, on how to get your audience to come back every day.

Keep your customers coming back! Tips from Birchbox founders Katia Beauchamp and Hayley Barna on inspiring customer loyalty. View the video on Inc.com at: http://www.inc.com/video/201111/ask-gerber-win-repeat-business.html

It's no secret that part of your customer service and help desk strategy can be handled more efficiently using programs and web-based software. With so many to choose from, here are a few we recommend. Chris Selland, vice president of sales and marketing for Terametric says because GetSatisfaction is easy to use and inexpensive, Terametric uses it as part of its Optimizer for Twitter product, which enables social media marketers to measure many aspects of Twitter marketing campaigns

You may be familiar with SAS 70: an audit standard used for businesses that provide a service relating to their clients’ finances. If you feel like you just figured out SAS 70 audits, I’m sorry to say that from now on, you will be undergoing Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements 16 (SSAE 16) assessments instead.

Twitter hosts town hall meeting, App store hits 15 billion sold, Facebook fights back, and more. President Obama tweets

Are your customers likely to recommend your business to their friends? The answer can make or break your business. Most start-ups know whether their customers are satisfied

John Warrillow, author of Built to Sell, answers questions from readers about building a sellable business.

If you're reading this blog, chances are you are a small business owner or self-employed professional (at least that's our target audience - others welcome, of course). But are you a local business? What makes you "local"?