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In a past blog post, “Marketing and Small Business – Questions to ask yourself,” one of the questions I posted that you should ask was about referrals:
Do you ask for referrals? Many small businesses have to rely on referral sources to keep business steady. Have you asked your current customers for referrals? This is a marketing channel that in many cases can be very (more…)
In a past blog post, “Marketing and Small Business – Questions to ask yourself,” one of the questions I posted that you should ask was about referrals:
Do you ask for referrals? Many small businesses have to rely on referral sources to keep business steady. Have you asked your current customers for referrals? This is a marketing channel that in many cases can be very (more…)
As a marketer, I’m often asked about social media and the role it plays for my company. Many business people I network with ask if it’s right for every business and how would a company know if they should be a part of the social world. The answer is never simple, so I often answer, “It depends.” I bring this up, because I was just asked this question at an event yesterday, so I thought maybe others would be interested in my two cents….if not, I won’t take it personally.
For example, let’s create a hypothetical business: Ike’s Pet shop. Should Ike be in the social space? Well, that depends. What are Ike’s business goals? Does he want to reach a mass audience? Is that audience local, national or global? For argument’s sake, let’s say Ike only sells pets to the Maryland area. What kind of pets does Ike (more…)
It’s tough enough keeping up with the latest technology as it applies to your business. The list of technology “Got To Dos” from the top marketing gurus (as well as those who just claim to be) are multiplying like rabbits. It seems like only yesterday when we were told that we weren’t a “real” business unless we had a website. Then we were told we couldn’t stay in business unless we consistently optimized our website to come up on the first page of Google’s search engine results. Almost immediately thereafter it was explained to us that the latest research shows that potential (more…)
During a slow economy, many small businesses tend to either hunker down and stop marketing altogether or they dive headfirst into an advertising frenzy that leverages every new marketing tool available. Much has been researched and written about the pitfalls of halting marketing efforts during an economic downturn. Just remember that the marketplace has a short memory and if you stop all marketing, your branding and key messages will soon be forgotten. (more…)
How does your product line or services offered differ from the competition? Ensuring that you have a distinguished approach to what products and services you offer is key to success. If your product or services are similar to the competition how do you stand out? (more…)
One mistake that many businesses make when it comes to marketing is that the business can’t tell you who their target audience is or why they should identify this audience. Identifying a target audience is important to starting a successful marketing plan. (more…)
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