New York SBDC Research Network

From eMarketer : This year, driven by display ads, mobile will account for 69.9% of all digital advertising. With a 33.9% share of total US ad spend, mobile will pass TV as the leading advertising medium in the world’s largest ad market—and we expect that share will grow to a whopping 47.9% by 2022. "Advertisers are pouring dollars into mobile due to growing mobile commerce activity. Conversions from mobile display ad placements have already surpassed those of desktop," said Corey McNair, forecasting analyst.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns (CBP) program has released its 2016 ZIP Code statistics. This is an addition to CBP's recent release of U.S., state, metropolitan area, county, and congressional district statistics. The ZIP Code data cover more than 7.7 million U.S business establishments. Employment and payroll data are available for all U.S. ZIP Codes with a business establishment. Data for the number of establishments by employment size are available for nearly 1,200 industries. CBP's ZIP Code statistics are obtained from Census Bureau reports and administrative records from other federal agencies. CBP defines employment as all full- and part-time employees who were on the payroll during the pay period that includes March 12. Statistics are presented in comma separated value (CSV) files for download and manipulation on the CBP website . CBP data can be accessed using multiple tools available via the Census Bureau website, including American FactFinder

From Bplans : Everyone’s talking about branding for a good reason: Your brand is the identity of your company. It’s what sets you apart from your competitors. Everything about it should evoke certain thoughts or feelings in your customers, compelling them to want to do business with you. Because your brand is your primary means of communicating what your company stands for, it extends far beyond just your logo or website. Branding is even more important now that people have increasingly more access to products and services from anywhere in the world. A standout brand is the best way to attract their attention, but first, you need to know exactly who your customers are and what appeals to them. You should view the process as an opportunity to get more deeply in touch with your customers’ perspectives and expectations in order to craft a brand identity that truly speaks to them. Research is the key to successful branding. Business Branding Guide

From Bank Rate : The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides the most comprehensive economic and health-related assistance for vets and their families. However, there are some limitations. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a total of 3.8 million veterans had a service-connected disability rating as of 2014. Service-connected disabilities are wide-ranging, but consist of a disease or injury obtained during active military service. While not every individual faces the same problems after service, the top three economic challenges tend to be unemployment, poverty, and homelessness. Veterans with service-connected disabilities, who are in need of specific home modifications and medical treatment are among the most at risk of experiencing some kind of debt that can lead to bad credit. Government assistance for veterans There are various resources for veterans with debt. One example is called the VA Medical Care Hardship Program. In addition to receiving help with some co

From Small Business Administration ,Anita Campbell, Guest Blogger There are certain pages every website can’t be without. A small business’s site needs to give visitors what they are most likely to be looking for. If you’re getting a website together for your small business or reinventing an existing site, take a look at the five essential pages every small business website needs. We include three other recommended pages as well. Homepage Your homepage is the virtual lobby of your business, the first thing people notice when they visit the site. It’s therefore vital that your homepage presents your business in a professional and engaging light. Make a great first impression! As research from the Neilsen Norman Group highlights, you have less than 10 seconds to convey your value proposition. Get to the point about what your business is about. Keep words concise, punchy and compelling to hook visitors and get them to explore deeper into your site. About Us People (includi

From MarketingProfs : Enter for a chance to win..." I see that call to action—or something similar—all over. You do, too. Social media is certainly no exception. Contests, competitions, and sweepstakes are raging hot across the major networks as a go-to strategy for so many content marketers. Why? The answer is that we humans are wired to get involved in contests. We want to play, compete, and, of course, win. As a copywriter and marketing strategist, I've been probing what makes people tick for decades. I know a fair share about what engages people, but I'm no psychologist. So I did some research because I wanted to know why "contest marketing" is so compelling. I picked up these insights from Sander van der Linder PhD on Psychology Today: For most people, there is something inexplicably compelling about the nature of competition. "Competitiveness" is a biological trait that co-evolved with the basic need for survival.

From Outpost Blog : For someone who prefers knowing that I alone control the outcome of a project, trusting others to hold up their end wasn’t an easy thing to do. It felt so blind; maybe my teammates would do a good job, but maybe not. Maybe they wouldn’t do the work at all, and I’d be left to pick up the pieces. Sometimes I’d throw up my hands and just take on all the work; hey, at least then it’d get done, right? Other times, I’d delegate like crazy and cross my fingers. Still, the entire process always felt a bit hellish and not conducive to putting out great work. It’s an experience that probably rings true to many new entrepreneurs and small business owners. In the beginning, it was likely just you—you were the only one running your business, making key decisions, and doing the work. You did the whole “group project” on your own; while it may have meant a lot of late nights and gnashing of teeth, you could be confident that everything was being done to your standards, a