Grow your business one day at a time

Welcome to Midnight Oil: Resources & Tips! This week's edition features tips to effectively market to new audiences, ways to grow your revenue streams, and unavoidable costs to account for when starting a new business.

This is the condensed version of CO- by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s weekly Midnight Oil newsletter. Sign up to receive the full version packed with small business news you can use.

Top Tip of the Week

“Increasing what we know about each of our customers to better serve them is a major focus this year, and the ability to quickly turn those insights into relevant communications for each customer is going to be critical.”?

— Ed Walloga, vice president of lifecycle marketing at BARK.

Smart marketing for small businesses

In today’s competitive business climate, staying up to date and improving marketing strategies is crucial. Though B2B marketing was once focused on logic-based metrics rather than an emotional connection with a brand, it is now evolving to include approaches that were once reserved for B2C only.?

Incorporating new methods that optimize and tap into different audiences can make your small business stand out. Improve your B2B marketing strategy and stay ahead of the game with these smart marketing tips.

Food for Thought

58% of small businesses have been impacted by at least one security breach, data breach, or both, demonstrating the importance of budgeting for cybersecurity.? Discover which?costs are truly necessary — and which you can cut — when starting a new business.

Grant Opportunities

• Financing company Nav offers quarterly grant competitions with a grand prize of $10,000. This quarter’s round of applications is now open until the end of April. To enter, business owners must sign up to be Nav members (which is free) and then use social media accounts to promote their personalized voting links. The business with the most customer votes will win the grand prize. To enter, visit the grant page.
• IFundWomen’s annual fund was started to honor women and their small businesses through monetary support and business guidance. This year, the organization’s Entrepreneur of the Year will receive a $100,000 equity investment, plus access to educational resources and other cash grants. The program criteria and eligibility requirements are outlined on the IFundWomen website. Applicants are due June 8!??

Find more small business grants and funding opportunities here.

The CO— Corner

Small Business Update

Join us on?May 5?at 12 PM EST for?SBU: Economic and Policy Outlook.?Experts will discuss the trends/policies impacting small businesses, resources available to help, and strategies for success in today’s business climate.?

Dream Big Awards 2022

Apply for a chance to win $25,000 and celebrate the success of your small business by signing up for the Dream Big Awards. Applications close July 8.

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