June 16, 2017 How to Ensure the Success of your Brand? Is it advertising? Spending thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands on radio, television, billboards, and magazines? All that money for art directors, media buyers, and lots of time spent on decisions about commercials, photography, and graphics. Lots and lots of lead time from concept to completion. And then, you are paying for thousands, or possibly millions, of eyeballs and ears that probably don’t even buy what you are selling! Maybe it is social media? Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Google Plus, Yelp etc. Trying to figure out how to get your message out, how to measure your results, how to…
October 8, 2010 Mining For Data Gold Information is power. You and I both know that, but you may not realize just how powerful information can be or how it can be used. Think of the marketing power behind what you know. The children’s shoe shop that collects the names and birthdays of its small customers can use that data to send out personalized postcards with a birthday coupon. Flower shops can keep track of anniversaries. Vets can send out updates about shots. Your database represents a goldmine of information for all your marketing plans…but many small businesses are awful at maintaining a great database. Are you?…
October 1, 2010 Is Busyness Hurting Your Business? All too often the “shoemaker’s kids have no shoes” effect takes place in businesses. Many business owners get so wrapped up in the day-to-day struggles of staying afloat that they forget to step back and look at the bigger picture as often as they should. Whether you are a small, independent business or not, you should have a marketing strategy that ensures your company is properly equipped and focused to move in the right direction. Sit down with a pencil, and write out your objectives; your long-term goals and vision; your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; and what you can…
