A Quick Review of This Week's Small Business Trends

From Facebook to Royal Wedding mania, we've got a wrap-up this week's most interesting news stories related to small businesses. Take a look!



Facebook Jumps into Crowded Coupon Market (Reuters)



With the new service, Facebook becomes the latest Internet heavyweight to jump into the red-hot daily deals market pioneered by Groupon a few years ago. Last week, Google Inc began marketing a new daily deals service dubbed Offers to users in Portland, Oregon, with plans to expand to San Francisco and New York, and Amazon.com invested $175 million in LivingSocial in December. (Read More)





Smartphone Users Are Using Their Phones In The Bathroom (HuffPost Tech)



It's clear that the portable quality of the smartphone has a great deal to do with they way its used. Search engine sites were the most popular type of site that users visit, and ninety percent of mobile searches ended in an action of some kind, such as buying a product or visiting a restaurant. (Read More)







SMBs Need Real Plans For Social Media (InformationWeek)



Without clearly defined goals for social media activities, small and midsize businesses risk chasing an elusive return on their investment in the technology. (Read More)







5 Reasons Why Effective Marketing Makes Your Business More Valuable (WebProNews)



If indeed you have any vision of selling your business in the future you’ve got to focus on marketing instead of simply focusing on sales. (Read More)







The Entrepreneurs’ Princess (Wall Street Journal)



When this couple says their "I dos," the royal family will officially be wed to the dreams and aspirations of millions of entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom and throughout the world. (Read More)