In the last few years, the marketing landscape has changed. Drastically. Changes in buyer habits due to technology advances such as: Google, smart phones, social media, podcasts, and readily available or broadband internet access and wifi are the primary causes. But you knew this already, right? As a marketing strategist to small business owners and […]
Archives for 2013
How to Use Twitter for Business
Twitter is one of the most popular social media networks with over 200 million active users. It’s also the one social media channel that most small business owners understand the least. Because of Twitter’s 140 character or less constraint, (some would call it a limitation) many people consider it to be a platform to simply […]
The Importance of Business Reciprocity
We’ve all heard the old adage, “you’ve got to give to get.” No matter if you call it karma, paying-it-forward, reaping what you sow, doing unto others as you’d have them do unto you, or the golden rule. The point is, when you give first, you will get back in return. Business reciprocity as a […]
The Importance of Email Branding
Email is one of, if not the, single most important business communication tools around. Everyone has at least one. If you’re like me, you have many. Email branding. It’s probably something you’ve never even thought about, but what impression is your email address saying about your business? How does your email effect your branding? For […]
SEO 101 – A Quick Primer
Like any business, you need customers. Potential customers look for things online. If they search Google for a product or service you offer, will they find your business? I’ve written before about SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. Today we’re going to dive into it a little more. SEO is the technical process of optimizing a webpage (or […]
Do You Own Your Digital Platform?
Yahoo has agreed to purchase Tumblr for 1.1 billion dollars. (that’s billions, with a capital B!) Right now you’re probably asking, “what does this have to do with my business?” A lot more than you’d expect, actually. Tumblr is a free website and blogging service that anyone can use to create a quick & easy blog […]
Marketing is Not a Campaign
Many business owners like to refer to any new type of marketing or advertising as a “ marketing campaign.” I’m here to tell you that this in incorrect, and here’s why: A Marketing Campaign? A campaign has a start and end date. Marketing does not. Marketing is a process. It’s a process that doesn’t end. […]
Branding vs. Marketing: What’s the Difference?
Most traditional marketing agencies will advise you to focus on building your brand. They say it’s of utmost importantance to advertise your business name and logo as often as possible in order to build “brand recognition.” But do potential customers really care about your logo or the name of your business? The answer is “of course not.” […]
Why Your Website MUST be Mobile Friendly
Recently I was driving through the campus of our local university and noticed a striking similarity between the majority of students walking to and from class. What was that similarity you ask? They were all walking with their eyes focused firmly on their smart phones. I have no idea if they were texting, tweeting, updating […]