9 Reasons to Sign up for the GrowSmartBiz Conference

Some of you might know that I’m on the Network Solutions Social Web Advisory Board, so sometimes I get emails from them announcing events and webinars.  Today, I received an email about the upcoming GrowSmartBiz Conference in Washington, D.C. on September 29, 2009 along with a discount code to get two registrations for $99 (a $500 discount) that I’m happy to share with KeySplash Creative Conversations readers.  Following is the email I received from Network Solutions with all the details:

Nine reasons to sign up today for the GrowSmartBiz Conference in Washington, D.C., Sept. 29!

1. Get an opportunity to network with small business owners and entrepreneurs – learn and grow your business at the same time!
2. Gain insight – including tips and strategies – from more than 20 of the nation’s top small business experts.
3. See Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and author of The Long Tail and Free, as the conference keynote.
4. Walk away with executable, cost-effective ways to market, promote and grow your business.
5. Find out what others are doing to weather the current economic storm – and pick up strategies and tactics you can apply to your own business.
6. Learn how to navigate your way through what can be a financial maze from people who hav[e done it – and succeeded.
7. Expand your marketing arsenal – figure out how to enhance your current promotional efforts by integrating social media.
8. Score lots of free stuff – including a free domain name from Network Solutions®, a copy of Chris Anderson’s best-selling book, Free, and business planning software from Palo Alto Software.
9. TODAY ONLY, REGISTER TO RECEIVE TWO ADMISSIONS FOR JUST $99 TOTAL – A SAVINGS OF NEARLY $500! But, you have to act fast – the offer is only good Wednesday, September 9 from 12 a.m. EST to 11:59 p.m. EST. REGISTER NOW by using the promo code: GSB999 and clicking here!

How to Effectively Market Your Small Business in a Downturn Economy Webinar

KeySplash Creative President and CEO Susan Gunelius will join a panel of marketing professionals in leading a webinar sponsored by Network Solutions on August 26, 2009 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Eastern Time.

The panel is called ‘How to Effectively Market Your Small Business in a downturn Economy’ and Susan will be joined by Jay Ehret of The Marketing Spot and Jay Berkowitz of Ten Golden Rules.

You can get more details and register for the webinar here.

Related Posts:
Susan Gunelius Joins Network Solutions Social Web Advisory Board

Susan Gunelius Joins Network Solutions Social Web Advisory Board

Network Solutions has put together a group of thought leaders respected for their opinion and ability to offer insight to form a new Network Solutions Social Web Advisory Board.  KeySplash Creative’s President and CEO, Susan Gunelius, was invited to join the Network Solutions Advisory Board along with several other savvy business people and social media experts.  Read more about the Network Solutions Advisory Board members below (via the Network Solutions blog).

Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is President and CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a full service marketing communications provider offering copywriting, business communications, blog, book and article writing, and marketing and branding consulting services. She brings with her over 15 years of experience working in the marketing field for some of the largest corporations in the world (including divisions of AT&T, HSBC, Household International and more).

Susan is a published author with three books available in book stores and online (Harry Potter: The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon through Palgrave Macmillan, Kick-Ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps through Entrepreneur Press, and Google Blogger for Dummies through Wiley). Her fourth book, Building Brand Value the Playboy Way, will hit book stores (through Palgrave Macmillan) in Fall 2009.

Susan frequently writes about marketing for various publications. She is a featured columnist on Entrepreneur.com where she writes about marketing communications, and you can find some of her marketing-related articles on websites such as WomenEntrepreneur.com, MSNBC.com, FoxBusiness.com, BusinessWeek.com, WashingtonPost.com, TheStreet.com, SmartMoney.com, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! Small Business, and more.

Susan is also an active blogger authoring the KeySplash Creative Conversations blog about branding, marketing and advertising for her company, KeySplash Creative, Inc., as well as one of the leading blogs for women working in the field of business, WomenOnBusiness.com. She is a contributing author at Corporate-Eye.com where she writes about corporate branding, and she writes about small business marketing for Cox Communications’ Kudzu.com Business Success Center where she authors the Everyday Marketing blog. Additionally, she is the Guide to Web Logs for About.com (a New York Times company). [Read more]

Network Solutions Delivers Small Business Success Index

This month, I was asked to provide my responses to some questions about the new Small Business Success Index study developed by Network Solutions and the University of Maryland Robert H. Smith School of Business. 

I’m happy to share the link to the interview here on KeySplash Creative Conversations.  You can follow the link to read my thoughts on the SBSI.  Following is a snippet from the interview:

Network Solutions: What did the study reveal to you about the success of small businesses in 2008?

Susan Gunelius: I was pleasantly surprised to learn that small businesses are doing better than one might think based on what we hear from the media.

Network Solutions: The study captured six dimensions for measuring success: Capital Access, Marketing and Innovation, Workforce, Customer Service, Computer Technology and Compliance. What do you think are the top priorities for making small businesses more competitive?

Susan Gunelius: Certainly, Capital Access is critical.  You know the old saying, “it takes money to make money.”  There’s a reason why those old sayings stick around for so long.  Also, Customer Service remains a top priority.  It generates positive word-of-mouth marketing, which is essential to small businesses and helps to position them against the competition, particularly larger companies with deeper pockets.  Together, Marketing and Computer/Technology are also important.  We’re in the age of social media, and leveraging technology and marketing via the tools of the social web is a significant differentiator.

Read the rest of the interview here.