Marketing Blog

If you’re familiar with Facebook, you’ve no doubt heard at least one of your Facebook friends complain about the popular social networking site’s new look. (If you’re not familiar with Facebook, stop reading this article and join the 175 million users around the world – after you’ve done so, come back, finish the article and learn how the new Facebook can be beneficial to your business).
 

What may have been lost in the shuffle amongst the discussion over the look of the personal profiles is the...

Sometimes we need a reminder to do our homework – especially when launching a national rebranding campaign of a popular product. Tropicana recently provided us with a text-book case study of why it pays to know your audience before you go to market.

Only months after introducing a new look for its Tropicana Pure Premium Orange Juice, the company is scrapping the new packaging to return to its classic look. The change came after Tropicana was flooded with letters, emails and blogpostings...

What does it take to keep employees happy and motivated?  Surprisingly, not as much as you might think.  Outlined below are several low-cost or no-cost ways to motivate and retain employees.  Whether you’re managing staff yourself or advising your company’s Managers on how to keep employees engaged and satisfied, these effortless techniques can really make a difference. 

• Make the time to tell employees how much you appreciate them:  A simple thank you, public recognition of an employees efforts...

Have you ever finished reading a new product press re but by the end of the article still had no idea what the item did or why it was important? The most likely culprit? Jargon. We become so familiar with our jargon at work that, often times, we forget that not everyone uses TPS reports.

Dropping jargon into casual conversation with those outside your company might not cause too many problems, but jargon can be dangerous to a public relations campaign. A recently released survey of 1,214 American...

We are very pleased to announce that on December 1st, we will be opening the doors to our new Akron office. The office will be located at 3875 Embassy Parkway, Suite 200, in Fairlawn.

With an increasing portion of our clients and employees based in the Akron area, we realize the significant potential for growth that the area holds. An Akron office will allow us to serve our Akron client base more efficiently and effectively. Additionally, this office will further our goal of continuing to attract...

When forming an entity, do you know the pros and cons of a C corporation versus an S corporation? What about the advantages and disadvantages of a partnership, LLC or sole proprietorship?

These classifications may not seem important now, but they can have significant tax and liability consequences depending on your future plans for your business, especially if you are looking to sell.

For an overview of how entity type can affect your business, we invite you to view the August issue of Smart...

Please note that Ohio’s sales tax filing requirements have changed. Starting with January 2009 sales tax (due 2/23/09), the state will no longer accept paper monthly sales tax forms. You will now need to file electronically using Ohio Business Gateway. To view the complete notice, click here.

You can find more information about electronic filing methods at www.tax.ohio.gov.

Looking for Cleveland or Akron tax accountant? Contact Skoda Minotti at 440-449-6800.

On October 3, 2008, President Bush signed into law the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. Along with the much publicized financial markets rescue plan, the bill also contains $150 billion in tax relief. 

Other highlights of the Act include:

• Over 290 Changes to the Tax Code
• 2008 AMT Patch
• Tax Extenders
• Disaster Relief
• Energy Incentives
• Revised Preparer Penalty Standard
• Enhanced Child Tax Credit
• Broker Basis Reporting 

For a complete summary of all of these highlights, we recommend that you...

In what is seen as a victory for Ohio businesses, the Ohio Healthy Families Act has been removed from the November ballot.

The Act would have provided seven days of paid sick leave to many Ohio workers.

The union-backed coalition that had been pushing for the initiative has decided to remove the issue from the ballot. Service Employees International Union District 1199 President Becky Williams said that issue would be removed because, “It became clear that a shrill and vitriolic ballot campaign...

As you may have heard, the American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 became law on July 30, 2008. What does this mean to you?

The three changes most likely to affect taxpayers include:

• Temporary tax credits for first-time homebuyers

• Temporary property tax deductions for non-itemizers

• Unfavorable new rule for properties converted into principal residences

There were also a number of other important changes, including:

• Corporations can use R&D and MTC carryovers instead of claiming...

Financial institutions need to be aware of new regulations under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act’s (FACTA) Red Flag Regulations.

Under these new regulations, all financial institutions and creditors must have programs in place by November 1, 2008 to prevent and minimize the risk of identity theft. There are three new regulations:

• Financial institutions or creditors must develop and implement an Identity Theft Prevention Program in connection with both new and existing accounts. It...

We wanted to take a moment to make you aware of a great charitable venture going on in Northeast Ohio.

We’ve all heard of class action lawsuits being settled for tens and sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars to be split amongst very large groups of people. Have you ever wondered how they managed to actually track down all of those people due to be compensated.

The answer is that often times, they can’t. And, unfortunately, if the awardees cannot be tracked down, that money often goes straight...

For an Ohio small business looking for additional funding to grow its employment force, the Small Business Linked Deposit Program may be an enticing option.

The program, which is run through the Ohio Treasurer, provides reduced rate loans to businesses that use the funds to create new, full-time jobs. One full-time equivalent job must be created or saved for every $50,000 requested. A maximum of $400,000 may be requested.

The loan is a two-year loan with a possible two-year renewal if all...