November 2011
3 posts
Get You Started eMarketing →
I started my online presence with a small retail services business in 1996. Learning how to change my framed site with ftp transfers was not easy but I figured it out and changed my site regularly (customers like changing content). I then moved on to pay-per-click Google campaigns, strong online marketing promotions, email campaigns and jumped onto Forums to connect with other like-minded...
Client: I can't wait to write blogs, I have so much to write about!
Me: Awesome! Most people have a hard time coming up with that much content.
Client writes their "blog". Turns out it is 4 sentences.
Client: There's my first one!
Me: Ahhh, we need a lot more content. Like 4 more paragraphs?
Client: Really?
Me: "..."
5 tags
BOLD Advertisement for work - Hire this woman!
Here is a post I found on a Spa website several years ago. It really caught my attention and I admire this woman - putting herself “out there” so assertively. If I had a rather large spa and needed someone to not just run it, but make it flow smoothly - she would certainly get an interview.
How do you find a job? Are you bold enough to try something different and stand out?
...
March 2011
2 posts
8 tags
Kindle and Amazon. The New Way to Publish Content...
I went to a meeting yesterday and discovered that the whole Kindle excitement is more than just a way to read thousands of books without buying a hard cover old style book. It is a cool, new way to get your content out to the masses.
Hmm, what you say? But I am doing that with my blog.
Well, the whole blogging thing is a tad cluttered. The endless amounts of tweaking and commenting on other...
What does "being fit" mean to you personally? →
January 2011
2 posts
Simple Marketing Tactics - New School and a few... →
Employees - the (usually) Untapped Well of...
Your best supporters are right there in front of you all day long. Your employees. They come in to work and do a good job and expect a fair wage and go home to their families. Simple, right? Not really. Employees understand how your business runs and flows and they “get” the dynamics between people - even if you don’t because you are on a whole other level. So, when your business...
December 2010
1 post
Pretty Websites that Do Nothing
As I talk with business owners and marketing professionals in my community I sometimes check on their specific work. This lets me know if what they told me verbally is matching up with what is on their specific websites or portfolios if they are a web design company. Often, there is a disconnect. The website looks graphically gorgeous, but the content is either blah or overly simple and the...
September 2010
3 posts
“Please opt-out of the Dex Phonebook by calling 1-877-243-8339 (unless you really...”
– - signed, a beautiful tree.
Image is Still Important
What kind of business do you have? Is it a gardening place or do you sell candy or scrapbooking supplies or skincare products? Think about the overall look you want your business to have when a client walks into the initial area where you would greet them. Is this a comfortable room and does it give the potential customer a feeling of ease - “aaahh yes, HERE is the garden shop I have been...
June 2010
7 posts
4 tags
But I'm Doing ok.......(not really)
Client's Daughter: I am doing all the marketing for the business.
Me: Can I assist in Google PPC or Facebook PPC Campaigns?
Client's Daughter: Well I am doing that now in between dog training and my staging biz.
Me: Alright, but the phone is not ringing here....it is so slow....can I assist you in taking it up a notch and market?
Client's Daughter: Well it is slow here...so I have time. I wish more people will call, they go to the site and stay only 2 minutes.
Me: Will you do me a favor and go to your site? (we go online and their site pops up) Ok now, with what is in front of you right now......Show me the phone number . . ?
Client's Daughter: Ahhh well it should be here.....(scrolls to the VERY bottom) oh here it is! (surprised)
Me: Do you think maybe that's why they are leaving your page so fast? Paying for PPC advertising and getting clicks is just part of the equation. Giving your clients an easy way to call you...is very important.
Client's Daughter: (Eager) What else can you show me? What about this..........
The owner of this firm and the daughter and I will begin some hand holding sessions. I will set up their accounts, come up with some fun marketing campaigns...I will show them some tricks and then let them maintain things on their own. Sometimes you need help from the outside world. Take it. Don't be stubborn, jump up the learning curve a bit and make things happen. Your business will thrive!
4 tags
And now for something completely different . . .... →
Flash mobs are just what you think….large groups of people instantly bursting into song or dance or synchronized action ALL AT ONCE! Very fun and exciting to watch - enjoy!
3 tags
“People just go to the top line and put the name of our business in and then they...”
– from a Business Manager thinking that everyone already knows the name of their business. Word of Mouth rules to them. Ok! No new biz for you!
New meaning to "Paid Vacation"!
The Balsams Grand Resort is looking for an “Inn-Bedded Resorter” - someone who will visit the Resort for TWO MONTHS. You will share your experiences, day-to-day activities, events, and culinary delights by posting it on their social media platforms -ranging from its website to its Facebook and Twitter pages. The best part? You will get paid $2,500 and spend every day eating...
4 tags
Talk me out of doing business with you!? What?
A local car wash wants $8 for their basic wash and blow dry. I pull up with so much sap on my car (thanks trees in my driveway) that I can barely see out the window.
“I don’t think it will get it all off” - says the tech.
“I’m sure it will be fine” - I say.
“Well……(pause)….it might not….and….” - says the tech.
...
3 tags
“It’s choice, not chance, that determines your destiny.”
– - Jean Nidetch, who started Weight Watchers in her New York apartment in 1963 and sold it with revenues of $1 billion in 1978. (Are you leaving things to random fate or are you making good business choices on a daily basis?)
3 tags
May 2010
2 posts
4 tags
4 tags
Handle with Care
How you handle yourself in negotiation, general business dealings, employee relations, vendors, etc. is so important because your demeanor sets the tone for what is transpiring. I have smiled at vendors eager to learn about their product or service, but all the while thinking what the “catch is” - where am I going to be taken advantage of…..I know that sounds bad but it is...
April 2010
2 posts
5 tags
Know When to Get Off the Treadmill
Do you know when it is time for you to move on? Shut down a business and make a new adventure for yourself? If things are not going well and you do not enjoy what you do any longer - that’s a sign you should not ignore. If your health is not well and you can’t seem to get better - that’s a sign you should not ignore. If you have to keep spending money to get a smaller share...
4 tags
“You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for...”
– — Steve Jobs Aaahhh wise info there grasshopper!!
March 2010
4 posts
Re: Business Advice - Who is your "go to" person?
It’s not the same as it was a long time ago - this current business climate we find ourselves in right now. So if you think you can get all your business advice from one source - you are missing some information. Grandpa remembers the good stuff and will tell you that with a nice rosy picture. Your friend will constantly tell you how successful his business was during a huge economic...
Everyone on the same page now?
Employee: "So how long are we doing the Valentine's promotion? I've been talking it up."
Boss: "Well, you know it's April - that promo ended the end of February."
Employee: "So we aren't doing the 40% off thing with that product anymore?!?"
Boss: "No! How many people have you told that too?"
Employee: "er....a.....not too many people....sometimes I forget..."
Boss: ((cringe....great....just great.....sigh.....))
2 tags
Unique Mini-biz Cards and Creative Stuff! →
Use the creative cards from the talented crew of moo.com to set you apart from your competition. Tiny cards fit inside wallets easier. Unique, crazy graphics are conversation starters. The possibilities are endless! ( I am not affiliated with them - just a happy customer!)
Saying "No!" takes Practice . . .
Salespeople are all smiles, firm handshakes, crisp shirts, great aftershave or perfume and the latest marketing idea that is sure to bring you many customers with fat wallets clamoring for your product or services.
Really? Think about that statement.
Until they walk into your business they really don’t know your business. Is your tire store like all the rest? Your flower shop? Of...
February 2010
6 posts
Ambition, Drive, Passion
Do you have these attributes? Are you focused on making your business a success? These are major things to possess going forward because if you are only focused on the money at the end (buying a new sports car, diamonds, etc.) nothing will happen. There was a book out recently that encouraged people to focus on the endgame. Bad advice. Focus on the present and do everything in your power to...
“You have great fans. I was reading a magazine and there was an ad for a...”
– - my PR writer found this in a random mag at her doctors office. Made my day.
“Hire slowly, but Fire FAST !”
– seasoned business owners after finding out the hard way that a bad apple just makes everyone’s day horrible. Say goodbye nicely.
Patience
It’s a hard thing to acquire - patience. Especially when you go from the entrepreneurial stages of owning a business to the actual running day to day operations. But good managers and owners know that getting all the facts before you speak is better than shooting an answer off the top of your head and “assuming” you knew the details.
Breathe. Ask Questions. Confirm what you...
Hesitate or Jump In and Lead!?
New Biz Owner: " I want to do some new advertising - what is working out there?"
Mentor: "Text message marketing is brand new and hot right now - you should try it!"
New Biz Owner: "Let's wait and see what happens - then I will give it a go"
Mentor: "You might be too late . . . your competition could get ahead of you on this one . . ."
New Biz Owner: "But if it fails, I've saved a lot of money!"
January 2010
12 posts
4 tags
Are you driving people to your Grandma's website?
Don’t bother. You will lose people faster than a right finger click killing a slow line by line pic download (who still has THAT going on?). If you are not up on things your customers will perceive that your whole business is outdated and won’t even bother to read your website. Eyeballs are at an all time premium. We are a society constantly overloaded with things to do, text, see, take action...
ATTENTION PAPER PUSHERS! Drop it and close a...
You’ve taken marketing courses, yes? You know how to sell, right? Well why are your numbers lacking if customers are calling and coming in to your business? Where is the mis-step? Could it be that your staff is not actually CLOSING the sale?
Probably.
Yeah, the economy is bad. Yeah, I get paid next week. Yeah, I’m going to think some more about this situation. Do not get...
“Roads? Where we’re going we don’t need roads.”
– Back to the Future (1985). Very appropriate for this 2010 business climate.
4 tags
Go Fish
I’m sorry I don’t have what you need. You have to fish out a new card. That’s not a good way to run your business. You should always have a solution for what your client needs. How much money did you spend to make that phone ring or have them actually park their car and come in to your space? That takes effort and they are eager to buy something from you. Don’t shut them down – you will lose...
Expecting better results with the same old...
New Biz Owner: "Tell me what works for marketing these days and I'll do it!"
Mentor: "What goals or sales projections are you looking for?"
New Biz Owner: "Something that makes me a lot of money fast!"
Mentor: "How is your website doing? Are you on Twitter? Facebook?"
New Biz Owner: "I don't have time for that stuff, I was hoping you would suggest a poster or sign."
4 tags
Procrastination
I usually find that when I procrastinate I have so many things floating around my brain that it just sort of paralyzes me. I do nothing. I go through the motions. I pretend to be doing something, but I might as well be sorting the mixed nuts into piles of “yuck” and “I’ll eat that one”.
What do you do? Do you force yourself to be more productive? I find that stressful. I see it as my...
5 tags
http://www.HelpaReporter.com →
Everyone’s an expert right? There are online, newspaper, magazine and blog writers across the country looking for real people for real input on a variety of topics. You could possibly be quoted in “Lifestyles and Fitness”, “Maxim” or Huffingtonpost.com Whatever it is - national exposure might just do you and your business some good. Sign up and participate! You...
“Time and temp read out on your new $22,000 full color sign? Really? ...”
– Blackberry User who has that covered already and was looking for your services.
Hangle and Gurgle
I wrote a play in the fourth grade with my best friend Sherrie Ballentine in Mrs. Socklar’s class at Liberty Corner Elementary School in New Jersey. We sat at the back of the class and literally giggled our way through fourth grade. Mrs. Sockler would look disapprovingly at us and then flash a little upturned smile. We tried not to be loud and disrupt things – but my friend and I had this...
Storytelling for Business
Stories keep us interested, amused, eager to continue a tale of mystery, merriment and sometimes mayhem. I hope to share some stories I have so that maybe you recognize when this scenario is happening to you – and you have some tools and solutions ready for your business.