The future of advertising is here—and it’s mobile. Social networking websites, such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, provide a new (and inexpensive) way to reach out to potential consumers.

It’s not as difficult as it sounds. And you can measure the results. Andy Sernovitz explains in Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking (Kaplan Publishing, $24.95) that there are five Ts to a well-planned word-of-mouth campaign: Talkers, Topics, Tools, Taking Part and Tracking. To begin planning your campaign, you need to determine who your core talkers are—they can be your best or newest customers, bloggers or friends, but they have to have enthusiasm for your products and gallery. Give them a reason to talk by offering …

Retiring from your business means more than finding a new owner. John M. Leonetti, author of Exiting Your Business, Protecting Your Wealth, helps you formulate a profitable plan.

If you saw your fourth-quarter sales slip last year due to a slow holiday season, now is the time to start forming your game plan for a stronger showing in 2009. According to The Conference Board in New York, N.Y., consumer confidence rose more than expected in August, an indication that shoppers’ outlook on the economy may be improving.

Although it’s difficult to gauge when the recession will begin to abate—even business experts find it impossible to come up with a solid forecast or corresponding numbers—there are things you can do to encourage customers to bring their holiday shopping lists through your doors.