Why should I Blog?
Many of our clients ask why they should Blog. We tell them it’s another tool with which to get their message out and promote how their company can help prospective clients. However, most panic at the thought of how to do this effectively. Here are my top three tips on how to do it well: 1. Focus on Solving a Customer Problem So many blogs are mere rants about how bad or good something is and don’t have much merit. Those that are the most successful are ones that seek to solve a customer problem. Take note of challenges or problems your customers face or ones in your...
Read MoreDo I really need a Marketing Plan?
Many of our clients have been in business for a number of years. They often do the same thing over and over again with little change, but can’t figure out why they’re not doing better or sales are dropping. It isn’t the economy that’s to blame. (‘cause if it were, would you give it credit for increasing your sales too?) The biggest reason most company’s sales begin to flounder or peter out is that the company has not re-written or even updated its marketing plan. By doing so, you’ll be able to examine what’s working, what’s not, then learn and decide what you can do...
Read MoreWhat’s the difference between Organic SEO and just SEO?
Organic SEO (search engine optimization) is the phrase used to describe processes to obtain a natural placement on search engine results pages (SERPs) based on the content within your web site. Organic SEO includes: writing content relevant for readers, using keywords, page titles, page descriptions, and links – both back links from other sites and relevant directories. In easier to understand language, the best way to achieve good Search Engine Rankings: 1. Write good content – Don’t make your site a “corporate valentine” to yourself. Talk about what you know and how your...
Read MoreWhat’s the difference between a Media Plan and a Marketing Plan?
Most companies and organizations make the mistake of thinking just because they’ve created a Media Plan that they’ve got a Marketing Plan. That’s a very false assumption. A media plan is a component of the Marketing Plan. It is designed to specify which media tools or outlets (e.g. Television -> Local ABC affiliate) is best to communicate to your target audience. A Marketing Plan is quite different. It’s purpose is to provide the strategy to selling your product or service to your customer. Moreover, it has several key components — one of which is the...
Read MoreImportance of consistent collateral or use of your brand
Many small businesses make the mistake of letting other vendors (from the Yellow pages to Little League) layout their advertising or use their logo. The problem you get with this is that it’s often done wrong and your brand and its message fall flat. Moreover, you’ve just wasted you’re money trying to advertise or promote your business. A very simple cure to this is to have brand standards manual in place. For small businesses, this is often a 5-20 page document that explains how your brand is to be used. It dictates: 1. Short statement on who you are, what you do, your...
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