New York SBDC Research Network

From Carmen Sognonvi, who is co-owner and general manager of Urban Martial Arts in Brooklyn, NY. Part 1: how to get media coverage without having to pitch any journalists and how to position yourself as someone a journalist absolutely must interview for their story . Part 2: how to avoid the biggest mistake you could make when you first get a call from a journalist . Part 3: how to ensure that the journalist picks a quote of yours that makes you sound smart, interesting, and compelling .

For more than 90 years, AMS has provided current, unbiased price and sales information to assist in the orderly marketing and distribution of farm commodities. Reports include information on prices, volume, quality, condition, and other market data on farm products in specific markets and marketing areas. Reports cover both domestic and international markets. The data is disseminated within hours of collection via the Internet and made available through electronic means, in printed reports, by telephone recordings and through the news media. In particular, check out the Commodities Area , which provides current prices for COTTON, DAIRY, FRUIT AND VEGETABLE and LIVESTOCK AND SEED.

An interesting discussion on the internal SBDC listserv recently. Some of the info has been redacted for confidentiality reasons. One of our advisors has a service provider client who has been in business for more than 10 years. He recently had a telephone call from a customer complaining about his work. He explained to the customer that he had not done work for her and after further investigation of her receipt she realized that the work was done by another company with a very similar name. Unfortunately both company’s are even located on the same street (different towns). Upon further investigation of the new company my client discovered several dissatisfied customers. He contacted the new business owner who is not willing to change his company name. My client is wondering if anyone has any suggestions on ways to distinguish his company from the other. He is currently in the process of meeting with managers of local home improvement stores to make sure they are aware of the situ

Wise Words with Chris Riley | Springwise : 'via Blog this' I couldn't resist. This interview is with a local graduate (SUNY Albany) who has developed, with his partners, a great product that I can imagine a number of our clients would be interested in. With the popularity of eBooks and the growing trend of self-publishing, Chris Riley has developed a product aimed at writers and artists. Moglue is a desktop application to create interactive eBooks. Riley discusses the genesis of the company and the product.

Social media platform connects farmers with local buyers | Springwise : 'via Blog this' Not to beat the social networking drum too loudly, I believe networks will resolve themselves into something that is actually useful and needed. Once again, a favorite site of mine, Springwise , is there to show how people are innovating. This article introduces Sustaination , a UK site that hopes to facilitate hooking up local buyers and producers. It is a review and recommendation site for local farmers, growers and buyers. Sustaination has produced a video to explain how it will work. http://vimeo.com/eddowding/sustaination Website: www.sustaination.co.uk Contact: www.sustaination.co.uk/contact Spotted by: Benj Street

Based on responses to a survey, local media spend in the US is forecasted to hit $149.4B in 2015 with $37.9B of that being online/digital. Local search is forecasted to hit $9.1B by 2015 – up from $5.1B in 2010. The percentage of ad budget spent online continues to sit around 25%. Businesses that are between 4-6 years old spend 33% of their budget on online advertising. Businesses that are less than 3 years old spend 38%. 40% have a Facebook page, 14% have a blog, 14% use twitter, and 10% have YouTube videos. 22% intend to create a YouTube video in the next 12 months! Those siting the importance of online ratings and reviews rose from 42% to 54% since last year. Over 50% are buying online advertising on their own – though sometimes with assistance. More HERE .

Improving the skills, knowledge, and credential attainment of American workers is an urgent priority. Labor market forecasts point to significant skills shortages looming in the future, despite high unemployment. If left unaddressed, these shortages could slow the process of economic recovery and reduce our competitiveness in the global economy. Career pathway systems offer an effective approach to meeting these challenges. Through better alignment of education, training, and employment services among public agencies, they hold the promise of increasing the number of workers in the U.S. who gain the industry-recognized and academic credentials they need to work in the most in-demand occupations. The new toolkit , released by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration, provides a road map for States and local areas interested in applying the career pathway approach to solving pressing workforce challenges.