US construction spending rose a more-than-expected 2.7% m/m in April, the most since August 2000, to a seasonally adjusted $869.09 billion annual rate, after an upwardly revised 0.4% m/m increase in March, data from the Commerce Department showed. April construction spending fell 10.5% y/y.
When it comes to marketing we always lean towards direct response over branding campaigns.
That is, when we engage in a marketing campaign we expect a particular, measurable outcome. Whether that’s new customers, number of visits to our website or fans on Facebook. Our latest marketing campaign is no exception.
We’re using Wyatt and Napoleon (pictured right – both fictional, of course) to help promote our $35,000 ecommerce makeover contest all around the Internet. If you’re slightly geeky (aren’t we all?) then you’ll probably see them popping up all over the place on the websites you visit. We’re using a powerful concept called retargeting to implement this through Google AdSense, but I’ll keep that our little secret for now.
When I think about memorable marketing campaigns they always have at least one of two elements: sex or humor. It bores me to tea
The top 5 tips weekly post is always full of hints and tips for small, home & micro business owners.
1. Be there as much as possible. Even if you have brilliant staff, standards will inevitably start to slip if you are not around to keep an eye on things.
2. Make sure that you understand every detail of your business, right down to the everyday minutiae.
3. Keep stakeholders (customers, staff, suppliers etc.) informed and create regular dialogue with each of these interest groups.
4. You must set an example with your work ethic. If you are slacking off, expect your staff to do the same.
5. ‘Hands-on’ does not mean micro-managment. Interfering too much will ultimately be disruptive and lower morale.
If you have additional tips, please share them in the comments section.
U.S. consumers took a pause in April, refraining to spend for the first time since September 2009. Should we prepare for a more significant bout of softness? We do not think so. Spending in April was dragged down by 1.4% decline in energy prices, the biggest drop in a year (recall that the output of U.S. utilities was also down in April due to unusual weather conditions). Excluding energy, personal consumption expenditures were actually up 0.2% (or 0.1% in real terms), a very respectable showing. The thing that keeps us confident about the prospects for higher spending is the fact that personal income, which rose a robust 0.4% in April, is no longer dependant on transfer payments. As today’s Hot Chart shows, the wages and salaries component of personal income has picked up markedly in recent months on the back of improving labour market conditions. Since U.S. households were not held back by a lack of spending power in April, expect a pick up in spending as soon as next month.
There are many reasons to want to get new plastic: maybe you want another open credit line, or need a back-up credit card, or are interested in bonus rewards or cashback. Whatever the reason, getting a new credit card is exciting, but can also lead to a bad decision of getting the wrong card, getting hit with surprise fees, or damaging your credit score.
If you’re in the market for new plastic, consider these three simple points first.
Topic: CDs AND INVESTMENTSWho is affected: CONSUMERS AT EVERY LIFE STAGEDEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: EASYWhat you’ll need: SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, DRIVER’S LICENSE, BANK STATEMENT, BENEFICIARY INFORMATION Opening a brokerage or CD account online isn’t much different from doing so over the phone or in person. Either way, you’ll still need the following information: After you assemble this information, it’s time to do a little research on prospective institutions. If it’s a CD account, choosing the institution is pretty easy.
What you need to know