Feel like you don’t have time for marketing? You’re not alone, according to John Jantsch, writer of the Duct Tape Marketing Blog. He hears this concern from many small business owners. But successful marketing takes intention, and the only way to find time to do it is to plan to do it, Jantsch writes in a recent post. He suggests creating a marketing theme for every month and building daily and weekly activities around it. For instance, he recommends following a plan like this:

•September: Send out press releases and build relationships with journalists in your community.
•October: Bolster your network of strategic partners to improve your referral leads.
•November: Blog to increase your Internet presence.

By focusing on a different area of marketing each month and breaking it down into action steps, the task will seem less daunting and time-consuming—and you’ll see greater rewards for the time and effort you invest.

The Republican National Convention is almost over, which means we’re heading into the final stretch of the 2008 election. It also means that it’s time to nail down exactly where the candidates stand on the issues that matter to you as a small business owner so that you can make the best decision for your business on Election Day.

This WSJ.com article breaks down where Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama stand on two of the biggest issues facing small business owners: healthcare and taxes. We’re working on a more detailed comparison for the October/November issue of MyBusiness (hitting homes Oct. 1), so check back here in a few weeks or be on the lookout for the magazine in your mailbox.

In the meantime, check out www.NFIB.com/politics for voting resources like early voting dates, polling places and a list of candidates running for office in your state.

Don’t bring your problems to work with you. It may sound like your hope and dream for everyone who works for you–but it isn’t realistic, especially if any of your employees have money troubles. That’s why lots of small businesses are starting to offer free financial planning advice to their workers.

This MSNBC article explains how a Michigan-based plastics maker requires its 127 employees to get one-on-one advice from a financial advisor on company time. The experts aren’t paid a commission based on the advice they offer, but they can answer detailed questions about company benefits, 401(k)s, college savings plans and other debt management tips.

A spokesperson for the small business says it’s not only good for workers, it helps the company, too. Workers with financial problems are more likely to be distracted and unmotivated on the job.

Ever since I discovered the photo-sharing site known as Flickr, I just can’t stop uploading and also checking out other people’s collections. But Flickr isn’t “just for sharing cutie photos” as business owners are now using the service to increase their Web traffic and reach out to potential customers. If you’ve never used Flickr before, review the three steps in today’s Tools and Tips article on NFIB.com:

• Determine how you’ll use it. Think about the ways your business uses (or could use) images, and then determine what you want to get out of the site.
• Organize your photos. Assign each photo to one or more sets, and add tags that properly describe it to help others find it in searches.
• Join the community. Connect with current customers who have Flickr accounts, link your business account to your employees’ accounts and network with others in your field.

Just a few minutes ago I got an e-mail from my Nigerian banker alerting me that his e-mail has changed. That’s thoughtful and great to know, but for one thing: I don’t have a Nigerian banker. So I moved the message to the special folder I have for all of my e-mails from Nigeria.

A lot of small companies still haven’t figured out how to rein in the spam. It’s a problem that comes in waves, and frankly, it’s probably just a lot easier to push delete a few (or more) times a day than it is to dedicate the resources to stop the problem for good.

But the problem with that is this: There are more tech problems lurking around the corner for small businesses, says this Wall Street Journal article. As more workers use personal smart phones to check in at the office, hackers and spammers will access those smart phones using spyware. In most cases, the article says, it will just be a nuisance and a means for hackers to send out even more spam (just what we all need). But savvy hackers with an interest in your particular business could be after more—such as company secrets or a client list.

But don’t run and hide just yet. The article also explains that protecting your business from prying eyes via your employees’ personal smart phones isn’t as hard as, say, blocking e-mails from my Nigerian banker. Just make sure your employees’ phones include security software that “encrypts email traffic, or monitors phones for suspicious activity,” the Wall Street Journal advises.

With Election Day just around the corner, it’s time to get serious about researching the candidates and their stance on issues that will impact your business. Not sure where to start? Check out this article on BusinessWeek.com, which narrows down where Sens. McCain and Obama stand on the issues that matter most to small business.

When you’re done with the BusinessWeek.com article, take a look at NFIB.com/politics for more information about what your representatives are doing for small business in your state.

Even if you don’t get involved in politics, politics will interfere with the way you run your business, so make sure you’re prepared to vote for small business in November.