As a business owner do you spend more on office supplies than you do on marketing your company? By marketing, I mean any activity whose goal is to grow new and existing business. This “investment” is an integral component in brand building. I can’t tell you how many small businesses I’ve spoken with over the years who put more value in the decor of their offices than the quality of their brand. They had no issue purchasing the latest office equipment, and lavished up their surroundings so that they are professional in their space. When it came to their brand…

I really don’t know how I would ever live without Basecamp. I was going to put together a huge list for 2009 of all the great tools that I use like Aweber for my email list and Basecamp for all things business. As I was on Twitter tonight I mentioned how I my outsource staff and I were having another LOVE fest. Truly, I love the 3 main gals that work with me and when they get essentials back to me lickity split I usually let them know how much I love them. Here’s how it goes…. VERA: Will you…

Could you use 51 flash points to avoid that could negatively impact your brand? If so, check out The Brand Corral. You all know a few things to watch out for, so I’ve punched that up a bit so that you can keep an eye out for these situations that could leave your brand gasping. Here are five to wet your appetite: You know your brands gonna suffer when: You look to the competition for inspiration. You know your brands gonna suffer when: Your business card looks different than your signage which looks different than your websites. You know your…

In the past when you asked someone what outsourcing was, they would probably tell you something regarding sending work to be done overseas to an individual or company that would do that work dirt cheap. We can all picture calling a North American company for support and end up speaking to someone half way around the world that doesn’t speak English well enough to help us with our problem. Although that is a form of outsourcing and can be extremely frustrating, that’s not what I mean when I talk about small/home business and outsourcing. Outsourcing for a small business owner…

As if juggling all your day-to-day tasks isn’t enough, as marketers we really need to keep track of the trends that will have impact on our business, services and products. The shifting population is a trend that is definitely going to change the way we all do business.  The world is getting smaller, literally and figuratively. Here are some facts associated with the trend. Currently in the United States, on average, women of child bearing age are having fewer children than ever before. Starting around the year 2015, more people will die than babies will be born in the US. …

Our culture loves a good story.  Stories are how information, principles, traditions, historical events have been passed down for generations.  Oprah has built a billion dollar mega corporation simply by telling ‘stories’ of the human kind.  Ronald Reagan, considered by many to be one of the greatest politicians was a master story teller.  The unconscious mind seems to work more with patterns that details, so stories and metaphors can be very useful to communicate ideas to the unconscious mind.  When it comes to selling or print material the same holds true. Whether you are creating a short ‘pitch presentation’ or…

It’s the new year, so it’s time to mark your calendar and address your brand in 12 monthly action plans. For each month, develop targets for these initiatives. This way, you are better able to gage your success each month. If you successfully carry out the entire year’s brand activities, you WILL increase business, so let’s get started! January Start your business year off respecting those around you who are most responsible for your success. These stake holders are your employees, suppliers and customers. Treat each of these groups with the level of respect they deserve. A genuine appreciation for…

It is no secret that I like and regularly recommend WordPress to clients. Not because it is the popular software although that carries some weight. As a developer WordPress is easy to understand and easy to get your hands dirty with. One of the biggest frustrations for any developer is having a client who uses proprietary or lesser known technology and the client expects you to ‘fix it’ to do what they want. Problem is, because the technology is proprietary, or is lesser known, you are either limited to what you can do with it or there just isn’t enough…

Just a quick update on Nola’s Graphics Club for you today. When I first wrote this post I wasn’t aware that Nola’s pricing was actually going up this Wednesday January 7th, 2009 to $95/year  (that saves you $35.05/year) which is still an incredible deal compared to others, plus I love Nola’s work (award winning) so I highly recommend her. Here are some reasons WHY you need graphics on a regular basis. 1) if you have any new websites or projects 2) new fresh graphics for affiliates to use and promote your affiliate programs 3) reports you are giving away to…

Ready or not, 2009 is here.  By now, you should have your marketing plan for the year completed so you can hit the ground running. But…the percentages say you haven’t even started. Would you like to know how you can significantly improve your business right out of the shoot? If you’ve got it in you, here’s a tough but very smart way to jump start that planning. Make a list of customers who were with you on January 1, 2008 but aren’t still with you today. Then, swallow your pride and pick up the phone. If you demonstrate a little…