If you own a business or are developing a brand, you undoubtedly have heard the term ‘intellectual property’.  Some of you may have efficiently filed the term somewhere in the back of your brain in the ‘Down the Road’ or “Boring But I Guess I Should Take Care of it Someday” file depending on your organizational methods—let’s face it, it is far more interesting and may seem much more pressing to focus on product development, packaging, marketing, or sales.

That being said, intellectual property is a huge asset for your business that should not be overlooked, and working with someone who can establish a solid baseline level of intellectual property protection does not need to be prohibitively expensive and is well worth going through the process to promote longevity of your growing brand.  My clients range from at-home one-woman ventures to businesses with many corporate offices around the world, and I firmly believe that a business of any size can work to establish strong intellectual property.  Read more . . .

Most entreperneurs dream about their favorite star using their product. Getting your products into celebs hands can be a lot of work (and money), but depending on your product it may be well worth your time to contact a celebrity. Here’s how:

My experiences

I’ve had mixed experiences with contact a celebrity attempts.

Two years ago, I worked with a PR company that invited celeb stylists to visit the office to see new products. I gave away 30 of my former company’s t-shirts to Dancing with the Stars cast members among others. To date, I’ve never seen a photo of those celebrities wearing my tees.

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Google+ is one of the most overlooked social networks, but for business owners looking to expose their content to a wider audience it’s a bonanza. Google marketing can help you reach new users, boost your search engine ranking and gain a reputation as a source of relevant content. This social site recently topped 500 million users, nearly half of which are active daily.

What is Google+

Google+ is a social network, but so much more than that.

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If you’re a regular Launch Grow Joy reader, you know that I’m a big advocate of using Pinterest marketing in to boost your business. But if you’re new, you may still be trying to learn the in’s and out’s. To help kickstart your efforts, here are 4 things you should know about Pinterest marketing:

Know why you’re there

For most entrepreneurs, the decision to create a Pinterest profile was partly driven by the assumption that you must be on the newest social site. While it’s true (your competition likely already are), you also need to keep your goals in mind.

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Video is the fastest growing segment on the internet. In addition to desktop streaming, more and more users are streaming video on mobile phones and tablets, offering you the opportunity to reach them anywhere. Which is why you don’t want to miss out on YouTube marketing!

Everyday I speak to business owners who are missing out on this marketing channel because they mistakenly believe their business isn’t suited to video. Any business can make attention-grabbing videos with these five easy tips:

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LinkedIn marketing isn’t just for job seekers or Fortune 500 CEOs anymore. Today more small business owners are taking advantage of the business networking platform to find new customers and build their brand.

Here are 5 simple steps to get you started:

Begin with your personal LinkedIn profile

Instead of simply listing your experience, use your LinkedIn profile to tell the story of your professional life. Include phrases that highlight your brand’s message and build up a list contacts that know you and have done business with you. When it comes to contacts, quality bests quantity. Ask your contacts to write recommendations that describe why they choose you. Next, move on to your company profile.

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