Last year, Advanta launched a website called ideablob.com where entrepreneurs and small business owners are invited to share their business ideas. In simplest terms, users submit business ideas and community members give (and get) advice related to those ideas. Each month, the community votes on the best idea, and the idea with the most votes wins $10,000 from Advanta.
This month, all eight finalists are women, which is very exciting. The businesses include an afterschool science program, an eco-friendly women-owned clothing company and more. If you want to vote for your favorite (or submit your own ideas), just visit ideablob.com, register and join the conversation.
I think this is a great idea, and I’m happy that Advanta isn’t burying the usefulness of the site in ads and marketing messages. I’m certain they’re gathering user information and using it to market Advanta credit cards in some way, but I suppose that’s to be expected. What do you think? Have you used ideablob.com?
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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