A couple of years ago, I was a guest on Small Biz Radio here in St. Louis and the hosts asked me for the most common marketing mistakes businesses make. They also wanted to know what are the most common strengths or weaknesses in executing a digital marketing plan – and what constitutes a good … Read more about 6 Ways to Succeed or Fail in Digital Marketing for Your Business
After reviewing and building scores of websites, three factors stand out as most important. The good news is that they are completely within your ability to control and fix them. These three points are senior to SEO, design, branding and positioning. Without them, no amount of SEO work will save … Read more about Making your Website WORK for You
According to a recent survey of small business owners, their number one concern by a large majority was getting new business despite a weak economy. We know that to get new clients, a business must promote. That is the first step. However, this can seem like a catch-22 when money is tight. … Read more about Worried about the economy? Write a blog for new customers
The space on your brochure is better left blank than filled with copy that could be removed with no loss of meaning. The goal is to communicate what you do and how you can help. Effectively. Compare this - We offer services that allow expanding companies focused on various verticals to obtain … Read more about Painting Pictures with Words | Successfully Simple Copy Writing
The New York Times just reported that the US Postal Service will soon stop delivering First Class mail on Saturday. Reduction of store hours is a common tactic used to “stem the tide of losses” for failing companies. Borders bookstore (RIP) cut back hours across the nation before closing its doors … Read more about USPS Proposes Cutting Saturday Delivery or Reducing service to save money isn’t the answer
I learned a little lesson about marketing from an aborted Nook purchase over the holidays that I thought I’d share with you. A year ago, I purchased a Kindle. I bought it used. As a Craigslist devotee, I arranged the furtive exchange of a Kindle for cash in a well-populated area, feeling like a … Read more about What the Nook Taught Me About Marketing
Recently we embarked upon a massive project for a new client. We were hired to research and create the perfect marketing plan for the coming year; these two steps, Research and Market Plan Creation, are the first two in the bread and butter of our business (the next two being Implementation and … Read more about Be Your Own Best Critic
Seth Godin is a world-class author and marketing expert. His blog is one of the few that I read every day when it arrives at my inbox. His ideas are worth paying attention to and offer enough inspiration to be profoundly valuable. He frequently blogs about building a tribe, a group of people … Read more about Why Seth Godin is Awesome – and Why You Should Care
Pasta is good. Advertising is good too. Pasta can get over-cooked. It gets sticky and mushy. In the 50's, home chefs threw it against the wall and if it stuck, it was done. Advertising can also get over-cooked. Say too little, too often and your ads get all sticky and mushy … Read more about Advertising is like pasta
Remember when you were a kid and a parent or a school administrator exacted some form of justice? You'd nervously wonder aloud if you were going to get in trouble. "If you haven't done anything wrong, you've got nothing to worry about!" I don't know - that advice never really worked for me. I … Read more about Super-charge your referral engine
Measuring advertising success: The reason to spend money on advertising is to get new clients or to make new sales from the old clients. Why, then, do we allow ourselves to be sold "impressions?" If 1,000 or 100,000 people see our offer yet no one buys, it makes no difference how many people saw … Read more about Referrals: Low Cost, High Reward
The New Frontier by Chad Lane, Co-Founder, and Chief Strategy Officer There is an economic theory that says this: Our capitalist system relies on the ability to continue to expand. We no longer can expand without wars or unethical trade agreements with underprivileged societies. Therefore, we will … Read more about The New Frontier
SEO Snake Oil by Chad Lane, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer "Psst. Hey, kid. Wanna be at the top of the Google rankings? Gimme $1000. I'll get ya there." The Snake Oil SEO "gurus" who sell this type of product intentionally keep one thing from their would-be customers... If your website … Read more about SEO Snake Oil
Renew Your Brilliance by Chad Lane, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Just the other day, I was driving my daughter home from school when she saw a strange box by the side of a road on a pole. The box had something inside and a blue handset on the outside. "Dad, what's that?" "That … Read more about Renew your brilliance
