Since it’s inception in 2010, Instagram has come a long way from just double-tapping. The photo-sharing application recently announced its plan to experiment with video ads via Instagram Stories. Give your small- or medium-sized business a competitive edge by understanding and utilizing Instagram Stories.

The right technology investment can lead to business success. With customer relationship management (CRM) software at the helm of your sales and marketing efforts, you can nurture long-lasting business relationships and improve your bottom line. If you need a little bit more convincing, we’ve compiled five more reasons why your business needs CRM.

Grows with your business
The ol’ Rolodex may have been useful for managing a few clients, but you’re going to need a better solution if you plan to maintain relationships with hundreds, possibly thousands, more.

One of the biggest innovations in business and technology is marketing automation. Previously reserved for well-funded enterprises, marketing automation is now accessible to small businesses, thanks to affordable cloud solutions. In fact, there are five explosively profitable benefits to automating some of your most mundane tasks.

Every company wants to get more business out of social media. But to most small- and medium-sized businesses, a social media strategy is limited to the most popular platforms. There are at least a dozen more options however, and we want to take some time to cover the best sites that you’re probably not using, here.

Out of all the numerous social media platforms, Instagram is playing in the big leagues with over 400 million active users. But since most companies are acquainted with Facebook and Twitter, Instagram has essentially been overlooked as a marketing tool.

We all know you can buy ad space on Facebook. And while ads on the world’s largest social network are generally quite affordable, they still cost money - which as a small or medium sized business owner, may be in short supply. Thankfully, there are many ways to market your business for free on Facebook.

As a small business owner, you only have so many hours in the day, and managing your social media accounts is likely at the bottom of your to-do list. But while it can be easy to simply put off those social media updates, you know in the back of your mind your business can surely benefit from them.

A lot of businesses are still mystified as how to measure just what kind of value they are truly getting from social media. Because it is a medium that is still evolving, it can be hard to understand just what works and what doesn’t when it comes to social media and measuring its value.

YouTube is one of the most powerful tools for video marketing out there, especially for businesses who want to create an online reputation in order to generate more leads and revenue. It allows you to introduce your company’s unique brand and personality to the online community.