
Posted on 11 November 2011. Tags: Branding, business strategy, marketing basics
As we start out, we take cues from Giant Corporation, Inc. that we should develop cool logos, fancy brochures, zippy websites, and catchy copy. But this is a waste of time and money for a lot of small businesses and a huge misdirection of focus. There is a better way for most of us.
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 12 October 2011. Tags: business mindset, business strategy, Marketing, marketing basics
The marketing problem As a Duct Tape Marketing Authorized Consultant I get a lot of marketing questions asked of me. “Should I be using Twitter, how about Facebook, what about direct mail, etc., etc.?”
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Posted in Featured, Marketing

Posted on 04 October 2011. Tags: Market Strategy, marketing basics
Let’s take a minute and decide what marketing strategy is not. Your marketing strategy should be a clear explanation of how you’re going to get there, not what or where “There” is.
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 26 September 2011. Tags: business strategy, email marketing, marketing basics
Email marketing is a powerful tool and one that every business should use. Most studies indicate that it usually has the highest ROI of any marketing a company can do. In my opinion is should play a part in every business’ marketing plan and needs to be well integrated into that plan.
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 30 August 2011. Tags: marketing basics, Marketing triggers
What is your marketing timing trigger? Your marketing timing trigger is the reason why you take action on looking for and buying a specific product or service. For example if you run out of toothpaste and then go to the store to buy more, you had a marketing timing trigger. The marketing timing trigger was [...]
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 29 August 2011. Tags: business mindset, business strategy, Small Busiess
What really grinds the gears of small business owners is the near-complete inattention by lawmakers on who creates jobs. So said Kimble Fletcher Ainslie in a Cato Institute article from December 20, 2001 titled “Bush Ignores Small Business.”
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 26 July 2011. Tags: business strategy, email marketing, Marketing
This is a pretty simple yes or no answer with this question. I find that many small business owners say yes to this question, but then share with me that their execution is weak.
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 12 July 2011. Tags: business plan, business strategy, Microsoft
The first of Microsoft’s “12 Secrets of Microsoft Management” is possibly the worst management principle in history. It reveals an Industrial Age scarcity view of the world that none of us should emulate. Number one in Microsoft’s list of management secrets:
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 24 May 2011. Tags: business strategy, Marketing, Sales strategy
Let’s get real, this is an article not a book, so my goal is just to get you thinking about how you grow your business. So the expectations are on the table for what you’re getting here, I’m getting your wheels turning on growing your business. Your objections to using a system. You’re growing as fast as you need to right now, you’re not good at following a system, it will be to much work, etc.
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 16 May 2011. Tags: business mindset, business strategy, marketing basics
The dictionary defines hard-working as a person tending to work with energy and commitment; diligent. So what is hard work in the business world? I’m going to take aim at this from the perspective of business owners and the people who are responsible for growth within companies. In case you’re not sure of who is responsible for growth, it’s the people in marketing and sales.
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 08 April 2011. Tags: business mindset, Growing your business
Have you ever met with a prospect who thought they knew everything about your product or service? But, after talking to them you discover they have been misinformed or did not know as much as they thought they knew?
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 24 March 2011. Tags: marketing basics, social media strategy
Imagine you are the President of a large company that has individual sales people covering territories. How do you conduct your marketing? Do you market around your brand i.e. ‘Come do business with XYZ!’
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 17 March 2011. Tags: B2B customer communities, Online communities
Online customer communities are everywhere — you just have to look for them — sometimes in unlikely places. Because they are dedicated to serving customers, often they are not evangelized to the general public or consumer audiences. But they are alive, well and thriving within many enterprises.
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Posted in Marketing

Posted on 17 March 2011. Tags: B2B community, B2B customer communities
Business-to-business companies have always needed closer relationships with their customers than business-to-consumer firms. It makes sense, since strong relationships help generate repeat business.
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Posted in Marketing