Hold your slice of the spotlight These five techniques can help your small business retain its part of the spotlight, summarized from this become.co article. Study the Competition Understanding how your big competition operates can provide you with valuable information on industry trends…
How do you make the most sales with the least effort? Consider the 80/20 principle (Pareto's Law). The principle states that 80% of results are returned from 20% of effort, which applies in many aspects of life. In marketing and sales, you…
Marketing is more than just your ads and flyers. Successful marketing includes all the touchpoints you have with your customer. This article from B2B Marketing summarizes the 10 most important marketing tools nicely. Put your energy into these ten first! Online identity. All companies need…
You've heard or found out that Canva is a great tool. It turns out regular people can make good-looking posts in a snap! Follow these tips from Canva (shortened by Kerri) to get better design results. No graphic designers were harmed in the making…
While it seems it should be simple, Managing a not-for-profit's social media can be quite a challenge. Here are some steps to make it easier. (They work for businesses, too!) Find out what your audience is using. A simple poll or a…
An automated or "drip" email campaign is a series of emails automatically sent to your subscribers based on a specified action. Automated campaigns save you repetitive work and remove the potential for forgetting to send them. You set it and forget it.…
Do you use email for marketing? How about cold emails? The following summarizes an interesting article by a business owner who discovered what works with her email marketing. Perhaps it will work for you.
This week continues with four more ideas for investing time into marketing from the Wordstream article on low-budget marketing. Add these to your options: Use free trials and packages to begin "pay-per-click" marketing. Check out free advertising opportunities here. Don't jump into too fast, though.…
In my previous article, I discussed the "free and fast" section of Wordstream's article about low-budget marketing. The set of tips for this week take more time, but the price is still low to none. If you have more time than money, these are…
This Wordstream article is packed with more low-budget marketing ideas like this. Even the overwhelmed business owner will be able to carve out 15 minutes to tackle these marketing techniques. The price is right (free), and the time commitment is minimal. Make Your Free…
Postal Mail is not a thing of the past. Email may be quicker, but postal mail is still needed, and nowadays can be a novelty. How do you give your mail a better shot of being read? Try these ideas from me…
Google Analytics is free software that monitors your website visits and provides insights about who sees it and how they engage with it. You add a line of code to your site and google starts logging the activity. Some of the data…
In our quickly changing world, continually evaluate and reevaluate these seven Ps to achieve maximum sales results. As gleaned from Million Dollar Habits by Brian Tracy, these seven Ps are: ProductPricePromotionPlacePackagingPositioningPeople Product "Is your current product or service, or your mix of products and services,…
As the world slowly returns to in-person networking, you'll again need that little card you can leave behind to keep working for you. Q: What should it include? A: Whatever it needs to meet the needs of its purpose. What is your…
Your email gets to their inbox, but does it get opened? Improve the odds that your message is read with these simple strategies from Constant Contact. Invest Time in Your Subject Line Your subject line should draw people in and get them interested. Generic subject lines…
This week we have tips from a Courier Weekly newsletter article on subtly giving a facelift to your branding. If you're not quite ready for a professional rebranding, try these ideas to refresh your brand. Realign your core values and mission. Make sure they…
Content, in the form of articles, stories, and discussions on your website, is essential to help search engines match searchers with your site. But, it is no small feat to continually add fresh content. Now and again, refresh existing content and bring…
In recent articles, Media Trends and Influencer Marketing you read about sharing posts of influencers and even recruiting them to be a brand ambassador. The inherent risk of this approach is sharing or standing behind a topic that turns out to be…
They have different approaches. Multichannel marketing uses multiple channels to be seen by consumers and strengthen their brand, i.e., email, social media, in-store promotions, website, snail mail. In a previous article, we discussed the Rule of Seven: it takes at least seven…
Are you using Upselling? Upselling is the process of adding to a sale-in-progress with a premium option or a package price. You see upselling in all industries, including discounts for adding items to your order and good-better-best packages that add bells and whistles…
Types of Brand Ambassadors Small business owners often prefer to be their own brand ambassadors. Bloggers or industry leaders already have authority in highly specialized fields. Current enthusiastic customers can be encouraged with a free product or discounts. Consider inviting them to…
A brand ambassador program enlists or creates vocal advocates for your product(s) and increases awareness, credibility, and new customers. Brand Ambassadors use the most credible form of marketing, word-of-mouth, to create a buzz about a brand. Their credibility boosts brand awareness and…
For Business to Business (B2B) marketing, you need to take a very personal approach. Start with these four Rs. (Adapted from this YouTube Video "B2B Marketing is Different") Reality First, consider what the reality is with your current marketing. There are so many options…
Influencer marketing promotes products and services by partnering with popular social media users, bloggers, or respected and visible community members. According to Single Grain, Return-on-investment from influencer marketing is comparable to or better than other marketing channels. Who are these Influencers? Influencers are people…
The term "Guerrilla Marketing" pulls from "Guerrilla Warfare," which employs atypical tactics to achieve an objective. In 1984, creative director Jay Conrad Levinson introduced the term in his book, Guerrilla Marketing. He worked for the advertising giant Leo Burnett. Guerrilla marketing, also called…
Target your audience's most active time on social media to get more impact with each post. To find out when your best times are, look at how many impressions and reactions you are receiving on each post using the data available. Your…
The waterfall technique is pouring your time, budget, and efforts toward one goal. All in or not in! Waterfall Time Management If you want to give a project a chance for success, you must invest time. You have to focus hard on one big…
Looking for ways to update your social media to get more attention? Stay current with these trends forecasted to work well in the coming year. Use Nostalgia. Using memories from your customer's youth is a sure way to get a smile and maybe a…
Some days are like that. When you are having a day, one of THOSE days and your big planning will have to be put off until tomorrow, what is the one thing you can do that will never be a waste of…
Calling All Like-minded Customers You are more likely to open an email if it is highly relevant to you. When you bulk email your customers, take advantage of the features in most group email programs (like Mail Chimp) to divide your list…
Weekly? Monthly? Twice a week? How often should you email your mailing list? The first guideline: never email unless you have something good to share. The most important feature of your emails is not quantity. It's QUALITY. If your business emails provide interesting…
Email lists naturally lose members, so you need to work to keep the list growing. Providing exciting and relevant information that your potential customers want is the best way to keep your email list readers happy. Let others know about your great content to…
When and why do you need to scrub your email list? If your open rate is dropping, you have a reduced click-through rate, or your unsubscribes are picking up, it may be time to scrub your email list. Spam complaints are also…
In the impossibly long list of emails in your customer's inbox, weeding is necessary. A quick scan of names and subject lines often determines if your email is ignored or read. How can you get your email or article chosen from the…
An email is a handy tool in your marketing toolbox. To get the best results from your email marketing, be sure to follow the rules! These guidelines will get you better results and readership. Email Marketing Don't List Don't wing it! Have…
Sales are the goal and the ultimate measure of social media success. Unfortunately, results are not immediate. To make your efforts worth your while focus on building relationships for the long term. Improve results by using these tips. Set your target on…
Trends and algorithms come and go, but these fundamentals are timeless. Make sure to incorporate these principles into your marketing plans. Actions speak louder than words. The only marketing research you can trust is actual sales. If you offer a product and…
Few of us consider us writers, but everyone in business must write. We produce proposals, articles, letters, and presentations that we rely on to communicate. For the non-writers, try these eight basics to improve. Simple, Not Complex. Be direct; eliminate unnecessary words,…
If you want your website to deliver contacts and customers, it has to have a few essentials. You would be surprised how many websites are missing these common-sense elements. What do you do? Ensure that your website immediately lets people know what…
Are you making the most of your social media efforts? Keep in mind that your posts are only a small part of the big picture. Social media is not about your posts; It's about the conversation. Building relationships. Forming a community. Don't…
How do you take your content ideas and unfurl them over the year for the best results? Think it through and use a calendar. When we see our work laid out in a calendar it seems more manageable, so use one like…
Using Content to Lead in Your Field Website content is King! It is the most critical piece of setting you up online as a trustworthy, valuable expert. Let's build your credibility with a series of articles that establish you as a ruler…
Content marketing is your effort to provide relevant, useful information that your clientele wants to know. Sure, it takes planning and effort, but it is worth it. More than half of marketing professionals make consistent, high-quality content a high priority because it is a…
You may think price or service, but the reason that customers choose a brand and stay there is emotion. Consumers prefer brands that give positive feelings, and stay because the experience continues to make them happy. Researchers have found that 95 percent…
Google users have two options for storing photos. They can save pictures on Google Drive or Google Photos. Which should you use? These two separate applications serve different purposes and have different features. Both have a huge advantage of off-site storage and…
For those of you who use Instagram, with mixed feelings, I would like to give you something else to think about: your post grid. Once you see it, you can't unsee it, so only proceed if you want to up your Instagram…
When someone asks me, "what do you do?" I could answer, "I am a graphic designer." You want to keep it short, but no job title sums up your work. Rethink how you respond. Make the most of every opportunity by sharing…
What is your marketing budget limit? Regardless of how much (or how little) you spend to market your business, these five marketing essentials will help you get more marketing punch from your daily activities. 1. SEO Learn SEO basics. From blog articles…
So, you've found a natural referral partner in your network. You want to help them out and let them help you and maximize the results. Here are some things you can do to optimize the relationship: Get personal! For referral partners to…
If you are not familiar, the visual rule of thirds is a classic guideline for arranging visual images. From your social media posts, photos, and artwork on your walls, it works! Picture your image divided into thirds both vertically and horizontally. You want to…