Attention Small Business Experts!  Here’s a New Way to Add Dollars to Your Bottom Line! There is nothing that a marketing person loves more than finding new ways to add customers and profitable revenue to the bottom line.  So when the folks over at Mindflash approached me with their latest innovation, I got really excited because I just knew that you would be too. A Little About Mindflash I was originally approached by Mindflash when they launched their online training platform.  At that time, this product was aimed at larger organizations who had internal training needs and wanted to save … Read more »

The following is a guest post from Daniel Frank is an online marketer and trade show expert with some great ideas on how to prepare for a trade show. Trade shows can be a great way for an up and coming company to get their name out, attract clients and network. But they can also be a waste of time and money if you fail to prepare properly. Hopefully the following tips will help you avoid spending hard earned cash only to spend two days standing in a crowded hall. Decide what you want from the show: This is a … Read more »

A big part of online promotion is creating content that can be shared.  This includes email newsletters, article submissions, press release distribution, and blog post writing.  Social media is a great place to share this high quality content once it has been created.  Social media is important for numerous reasons.  It helps to build a brand and improves SEO.  Businesses are realizing that it’s not just a fad and that it’s time to get involved, if they haven’t already.  One of the most important decisions that needs to be made is who will be the social media voice that represents … Read more »

This post is part of a “Blog Carnival” that’s being hosted by Tea Silvestre from The Word Chef Blog.  The theme of the carnival is “Building Business Relationships” it’s part of a series of posts on the subject from a variety of small business experts. Building referrals is just as important now as if was in the past.  In fact, I think it’s much easier and more cost effective now to develop and build those relationships than it had been in the past.  What I think is more difficult is keeping those referral conversations alive and focused. Social media tools … Read more »

This is a guest post from Sander Daniels, Co-Founder of Thumbtack.com a new outsourcing service for small business.  At some point, even DIYMarketers have to outsource in order to get it all done and grow their business.  In this article, Sander gives some fantastic advice on how to outsource painlessly and get the results you’re looking for. So you’ve heard about all this ‘outsourcing stuff.’ You’ve run across a few sites that say they can help you find people for work you need done. You think it might be a good thing to look into one day. But you just … Read more »

With everything going digital, there’s nothing like the human touch to liven up your marketing materials.  Cartoons are a fantastic way to add a human touch to your marketing materials, especially if your business is technical, industrial or B2B. Why Use Cartoons Cartoons, by definition are drawn by hand.  That alone makes them interesting and different, because they are hand drawn, each one is unique by definition and it’s that irregularity and uniqueness that draws us in. Another wonderful reason to use cartoons is to convey those subtle emotions and conversations that we all know exist in the stratosphere, but … Read more »

There’s beauty in the immediacy of social media marketing — instantly you get feedback from customers on your products, service, brands, and campaigns. But the downside of that immediate exposure is its short shelf-life. What’s relevant one day is moot and forgotten the next. Even old-school networking has its drawbacks. A great first impression may be made but there’s not always time for the kind of personalized follow-up you’d like to initiate. Read on for ways to make sure that your marketing message goes beyond the lifespan of a tweet or the fleeting moment of a handshake to make a … Read more »

The holy grail of “marketing automation” continues to be the reining “shiny object” within the marketing industry.  First reserved for B2C, then for large enterprise B2B, marketing automation has now expanded into the small business market.  But too often companies think they need marketing automation and implement a full system right off the bat. Before you buy, creating a detailed plan of your goals, resources and expectations can save you thousands of dollars in the long run.  It is important to evaluate the problem you’re trying to solve and set clear goals for what you are trying to achieve before … Read more »

Do it yourself marketing has seen several evolutions in the past several years. With the advancement of internet technology and then the social media revolution, DIY marketing has had to make several adjustments. In many ways, marketing has become intrinsically married to the internet and social media culture. For many DIY marketers, this can be a struggle. While it’s impossible to market something without it being seen or heard by the public, it is also a challenge to manage new technologies and multiple social media accounts. These three tools can help you manage your various social media accounts for simpler … Read more »

Sure, we know effective branding is crucial for a company’s viable success, but that doesn’t get us any closer to knowing how to implement a realistic branding strategy. Branding can be even more challenging for small business owners who might not have the funds needed for extensive marketing platforms. Fortunately, small businesses owners still have a number of inexpensive avenues they can explore when looking to brand a new enterprise — they might just have to think outside the box a bit. When branding a new business, you should really take the time to explore all of the options thoroughly … Read more »