As business owners we are always looking for opportunities to promote our businesses and the products and services we provide.
Without such promotion where would we be?
Less known and less profitable, that’s certain. [Read more…] about Values vs. Sales, Is The Timing ALWAYS Right?
I bet if you were hanging out with your friends or family and a controversial subject came up, whether you voiced it or not – you’d probably have an opinion about it. Conversationally, it’s a plus to be able to debate opinions or discuss facts in a give and take manner. Some folks can’t do that. But if you’re the entrepreneur who generally reads our blogs, you can probably hang with the best.
If you have ideas for business – something not agreeable in the mainstream – instead of sitting there with your opinion safely tucked inside your head in a box labeled, “not politically correct,” I want to encourage you to take action. Take a risk by doing or saying something out of the norm that can be useful to others. It could be the thing that makes your business stand out. [Read more…] about Where Do You Stand on That?
We get a lot of questions about content marketing. As my mentor and co-worker, Shari Voigt, pointed out so well in her post to Express Marketing Memo, it’s the many ways you present your company interactively online. Useful information is in constant demand, and quite frankly, it’s hard for most businesses to offer content effectively and still do the day-to-day activities involved with running a business. Many companies choose to outsource that function, but you can do it yourself.
Shari and I were talking about the difficulties beginners face when it comes to content marketing. As we mulled it over, we started talking about what doesn’t work. Basically, there are businesses we would never respond to because of their annoyance factor or the poor presentation. I’m sure you wouldn’t want that to be you.
Let’s hit on those issues so you’re better prepared when you hit the online world.
[Read more…] about 3 Things That Don’t Work When Content Marketing
I’m often involved in conversations with small business owners regarding their marketing materials, and lately I’ve notice a disturbing trend. There’s an increasing gap between companies who hold integrity dear, and their competitors. A prospect has to dig pretty deep to know who’s good for what, and you’re left with two large responsibilities – business ethics and conveying them so a customer has a clear choice.
When you provide a service or product that exceeds client expectation, you increase your competitive edge by a wide margin. When they can see it coming because of the way you present yourself, you do even better. Knowing how the ‘dark side’ does things helps you stay above the fray and show others what to avoid, too.
When sales decline, budgets tighten and typically, the first area to be scrutinized for cutback is promotion and marketing. Part of the magic of marketing is the ability to create perception. Businesses must create and maintain a perception that they are critical, viable and resilient.
An example of this is your local auto dealership. Even when sales are in a slump, they continue to run weekly ads in local newspapers. Why? To maintain their customers’ perception that things are just fine. Of course the automobile is an intricate part of the American psyche. Give the perception that the local automobile dealership isn’t viable and the ripple effect can reach far and wide. [Read more…] about Your Customers’ Perception Of You Is Your Brand
