Considering all the words I write on branding, essentially all I’m saying is that if you’re not playing, you’re losing. That’s not to say that you’re not successful, but that you’re not being the best you can be. I’m saying that marketing can be a little easier when you compete as a leader not a follower. Most companies advertise by using campaigns to inspire consumers to buy in the moment. They use any number of proven techniques to get the attention of you the consumer. A number of these techniques have even taken on a life of their own. Ie:…

As a small business owner or CEO trying to broaden your internet target and get noticed, I’m sure you’re aware of the significance of new, fresh, recurring content on your site of all kinds. When it comes to written material on page copy or blogs and articles, you need to have the ability to write well, inform and entertain, that’s obvious. That’s for your followers. But if you can’t write as well for Google and the other search engines to maximize your material for Search Engine Marketing, you are the proverbial tree in the forest that falls when no one…

In the fast-moving environment we live in today, those who jump to the top have fantastic communication skills, and that means better business writing than the competitors. You’ve heard the cliché, “the pen is mightier than the sword.” Well, in business, you’d better be able to flourish a pen or else you may just fall on your sword. In the Information Age in which we reside, it’s an inescapable conclusion that your capacity to communicate is one of the most critical talents you can master. In business, you’ve got to communicate with clients, employees, providers, attorneys, consultants, maybe even legislators.…

Sometimes I think I should put an branding eye-chart on my website for companies who have a hard time seeing the truth about their brands. If they were only 20/20 they’d be able to take on the competition from a leadership position and have clarity in their actions. If these 5 observations leave you squinting then maybe it’s time you addressed your branding optics: 1) “It’s not time to address my brand as we’re too busy. When things slow down a bit, maybe we can do something.” The time to address branding deficiencies is now. Waiting only compounds problems and…

There are more than 27 million small businesses in the U.S., and in this tough economy, the competition can be intense. As a result, online marketing is playing an increasingly crucial role for attracting and retaining customers. The first step to marketing your business online, of course, is to create a website. But then what? Most local merchants don’t automatically think of online scheduling as the second step to growing their business. Perhaps they aren’t aware these solutions exist, or think they are too complicated or too expensive to implement. However, even a fully featured online scheduling solution like Genbook…

Your business needs to work everywhere. In this day and age of endless connection with others, it is becoming more imperative that businesses not be tied down to a physical business aspect that limits their capabilities. If you’re looking for more mobility, then welcome to the cloud. Cloud computing is delivering host services all over the internet. So instead of hosting your software, servers or documents internally, they can instead be made readily available through the internet. Cloud based computing uses many different servers of its own across the internet, ensuring that your information is never in one single place…

The other day I was speaking with a prospective B2B software client who needed to better differentiate itself in its market. When I asked the President of the company to tell me what makes his product more special than the next provider, he referenced the following: Our product is easy to install We provide incredible service Our product is available at a very competitive price point My reply to this business leader was something you might expect. I told him that at least five of his top competitors can not only say the same thing, but they already are! Like…

Does your brand have it’s own niche audience to speak to? I should probably start by explaining that a niche audience is a database of businesses that you market to. It is sometimes referred to as, “my list.” This is an important cross-section of people who have at some point in time asked for something from you, and are now accepting more information on a regular basis, (hopefully). This is what is called an opt-in list. There are lots of strategies on how one might acquire this list, but one of my favourites is what I call an eMail harvester.…

Online and off, one the most important services I am often engaged to perform is the development of a positioning strategy for small to medium size businesses. A positioning strategy is not simply a cleaver slogan but a powerful and dynamic stand that your brand takes in your category. Right now as you read this, I believe that you are sitting on something that would absolutely position you as the leader in your marketplace. All too often, we as small business people think that advertising an inspirational tagline, will draw in customers. But that really isn’t enough to make them…

Have you noticed how much more money you have to shell out for your groceries lately? If you’ve truly been paying attention to your bills, you’d know it’s been going on for a couple of years. It’s not just the price tag. Packaging has changed too. Sometimes you find less product for the same price. Heres one we noticed recently. A pack of little smoked sausages used to be 16 oz. It is now 12oz. The price is the same but you get 4 oz less. Some manufacturers have introduced entirely new packaging with different sizes so it is difficult…