Ascentium Capital Blog

What would you think of a 14-hour light bulb? Probably not much, but that was the length of time Thomas Edison's bulb lasted – which in 1879 equaled the duration of burning 30 candles. Today, lights are something you might not think much about – you flip on the lights when opening your business, and the last one out shuts them off. Some office buildings even leave "night lights" on; a certain level of lighting that is less than during work hours but doesn't plunge your business into total darkness. But did you know that energy used by lights alone can be 20-50% of your electric bill? Upgrading your business to light emitting diode (LED) lights can be a powerful savings tool that you shouldn't over look. (Read More...)

Is direct mail part of your annual marketing mix? If you answered no, you may want to reconsider. With so much in the media about social marketing campaigns, mobile coupons, and opt-in for multichannel marketing efforts, you may think direct mail marketing campaigns are disappearing like the dinosaurs. You would, however, be mistaken. Direct mail has adapted to the changes in technology and can give small to medium-sized business (SMB) marketers a cost-effective way to stay in front of prospects and clients while delivering measurable ROI. (Read More...)

If you know anyone who has been exposed to identity theft, you know how it can turn their world upside down. We rely so much on our identities to conduct business, make payments, apply for a job and a whole host of other every day activities. We cannot operate when our personal identity has been stolen. (Read More...)

Kris Zachary of Burns Towing shares her insightful examination of why working with a lender like Ascentium Capital has paid off for her and Burns Towing – and allowed her team to continue building on their customer loyalty by delivering great customer experiences. (Read More...)

When the deadline for EMV compliance came and went last October, it was probably no surprise that only 40% of U.S. cardholders actually held the new chip-enabled cards in their wallet. The transition to EMV (EuroPay, MasterCard, Visa) with the October 2015 deadline was established several years ago by the U.S. credit card issuing companies in an effort to combat data security issues, as well as close the gap with Europe – the leaders in implementing credit card chip technology. (Read More...)

Over the last several weeks we've introduced tips and best practices for the SMB with little to no social media presence, in order to establish their social brand. As we've said, social media is all about making connections and engaging with your new followers instead of selling to them. For our last post in the Get Social series, we want to share tools you should be leveraging to continue growing and optimizing your social presence. (Read More...)

Now that you have an idea of what you want to accomplish, and have selected the platform, you'll need content. The type of content you create will be heavily influenced by your target audience and your business industry. (Read More...)

In our Get Social for SMBs series, we’ve explored how to set up a basic website and how to use social networks to build your brand and social presence. Now that you’ve established your social presence, it’s time to add to it by developing a blog strategy for reaching new customers and selecting a platform for your new communications. A blog will give you the proverbial soapbox to tell your story. (Read More...)