The PDF file format has become the publishing standard for most companies and businesses worldwide, particularly in the last decade and half – and with good reason. Turning your documents into PDFs makes them immediately smaller, more mobile and generally easier to use. The versatility of the PDF is another aspect that makes it so perfect for business documents. This format enables you to deliver, share and store your business documents in an increasingly versatile and cost-effective manner, and it provides guarantees that the person to whom you are sending the PDF will receive a document that is universal and…

Are you in this precarious position? Sales are flat. You’ve downsized as much as the business can stand. You’ve streamlined your processes to be more productive. You and the staff haven’t experienced a raise in some time. Moral is tenuous. What to do – what to do? It’s a scary position but every entrepreneur carries the word risk with them every day. About 10 years ago I too was in this position. We wished our sales were flat. They were actually declining and the credit line was growing. We were looking for solutions in a fast changing economy. We discovered…

We have all heard the word differentiate before, but… 1. What does it really mean? 2. How does it really work? The term “differentiate” is defined by dictionary.com as “to form or mark differently from other such things; distinguish”. As a brand positioning specialist, I define “differentiate” as a means of distinguishing one’s business over its competition. The most important aspect each definition communicates is the need to look at the other guys in your space and find out what makes them special/unique. You then want to do the same with your own business and then compare. This keeps you…

There are a plethora of worries to juggle when starting a small business. Between financing, distribution, physical location, and consumer growth there’s no end of dire concerns. These seemingly never ending problems will keep many small businesses from focusing on considerations such as branding, slogans, and logos. It’s not surprising these things fall by the wayside, given the potential problems a small startup company can face, but it is extremely important that small businesses find the time to deal with the issue of branding. Definition of Branding Technically speaking, branding is the development of a name, slogan, symbol, image, sign,…

Customers are more likely to buy if they call you than if they visit your website, so here’s the big question: where should you advertise your phone number? 1.  Your Website – This is the most obvious place to put your phone number. Put it in a prominent place on your website. You would think that putting a phone number on your website would be a no-brainer. Well, it’s surprising then, how few people have brains, because there are many websites that do not have prominently displayed phone numbers on them. 2.  Your Facebook Page – What does all this…

It continually comes to my attention that a good deal of businesses don’t do as they preach. As a brand (which to my reasoning is your reputation), you have a responsibility to deliver an authentic experience to your marketplace. A basic example of this off-brand thinking is a real estate agent who buys a home from a private seller. When they are out pitching their services they tout the benefits of dealing with a professional sales person on both fronts – buyer and seller. What does this say about their integrity if their system is good enough for you but…

Branding is critical in understanding where your company fits into the grand scheme of things. In the public domain, discussions on branding are almost exclusively focused on multi-national brands. Brands we see in our daily lives. Brands such as Apple, General Motors, Google and McDonald’s. In discussing these powerful brands it becomes hard for small and medium size enterprises to recognize the value of branding. To these entrepreneurs, branding is the domain of world companies. Not so. Small to medium size businesses are the main employers in our marketplace. From my experience a great majority of them do not take…

Your marketing is working. You are running an effective Google Adwords campaign. Your social media efforts are generating leads. Your Google Pagerank is increasing. And, you are attending tradeshows and utilizing local SEO. You are a medium-sized business and these advertising methods are generating 30 – 40 BtoB leads a day. Each of these prospects filled out a form asking for a product demo, more information or free content. They contacted you first. Sounds great doesn’t it? But here’s the problem: your revenue is not increasing. Your sales numbers are not going up. Why? There are only five possible reasons…

Quotes are incredibly useful and powerful. This simple truth applies to the press releases incorporated in your marketing mix. In addition to having an interesting news angle or memorable title, a key element of a press release is the quote. Quotes that support the focus of a press release enhance its message. Whether quotes are from people in the industry, others who have experienced what the piece is about or even those from famous individuals that inspire action, these personal touches can drive a message home. When press releases are included in their marketing mix, businesses can use quotes to…

Let’s just get right to it… ONE: I can’t think of a better way to increase my ‘expert profile’. Putting your opinion out there through blogging is a terrific way to show your audience what you’re made from. It allows to to control the conversation about you. Teaching your audience by providing valuable content shows your confidence and willingness to reach out. It also proves that you do indeed know what you’re talking about. TWO: I love the publicity I get. One of the benefits of blogging that took me by surprise 7 years ago when I started blogging was…