One never knows when a personal touch will make a lasting impact and a sustained relationship. Tonight, that personal touch was pivotal. Two businesses have gained my loyalty and infinite referral – just by following up. My week included two rather significant happenings: a hospital visit and a sulfur-like smell in the house. Two separate […]
Creating a small business brand package
Does your small business have a brand identity? Something that is more than a logo? Can you speak to what that is and how it play into your business strategy? Your company’s brand package is all encompassing. It’s the personality, visual elements and feel of your brand all wrapped up into into a cohesive plan […]
3 ways to move your small business forward in 2013
I started my small business in 2006, and it hasn’t always been easy to focus on the business rather than working in the business. Client work always comes first, but through deliberate effort, I’ve managed to re-brand and grow my business significantly during the past 6+ years. And I want the same for you. Here are 3 ways you […]
A/B testing for the win
March is here and that means everyone’s filling out those March Madness basketball brackets, picking teams to win based on stats or, if you’re like me, simply by which city they would rather live in. Are you giving as much thought to your email and social media marketing? Going with your gut is great for […]
5 video ideas to boost your small business brand
Online videos are a great marketing tool for all businesses because they are engaging and easy to share. If you have been avoiding making videos due to inexperience – fear not – people don’t expect Hollywood quality videos. Audiences simply want quality content and every business has plenty of that to offer. The following are […]
Get control of your social media through relevancy and participation
The recurring theme among small and mid-sized business owners is that they can’t keep up with social media. The platforms change often. They’re short on time. Consistency? What consistency? Social media doesn’t have to be a headache for your business. Utilize the following three concepts to get a handle on your social media and expand […]
In-house and outside design: The (real) phases of collaboration
A little more than a year ago, the company I work for started utilizing an outside design agency quite a bit. As the in-house design, I went through four phases as I worked on accepting what has come to be a great asset: Frustration. Inferiority. Acceptance. Embrace. Even though you may have our own in-house […]
Stand out from the crowd: 5 strategies in content marketing
In some ways, you could say I’ve been working the principles of content marketing before it was a buzzword. As a managing editor and marketing manager in previous positions, I was always looking for ways to tell stories and engage an audience. It was always more about establishing relationships than it was about selling something. […]
Responsive web design: a future that is now
What’s the latest buzz for online digital marketing? Responsive design, a web design approach that mirrors the same website for all viewing experiences: handheld, tablet, laptop, desktop. In short, it’s all about the design and how it works on all devices – seamlessly and at minimum cost. What to consider for responsive web design When considering […]
The 5 “Cs” of business partnerships
As business professionals, we’re always trying to think of ways to enhance what we deliver to our customers. However, because of the overachiever in us, we tend think we have to make these enhancements ourselves. Fortunately, this isn’t always the case. If we’d just take a minute to look around, we’d find companies that are […]
What Olympian bodies can teach us about communications
Remember the guys in high school who wore letter jackets – the “jocks?” They typically played one of two sports: football or basketball. In that world, to be viewed as an athlete you had to be 1) male 2) 6 feet tall or more 3) heavy 4) strong and 5) fast – pretty much in […]
4 easy steps to launch a website
Building a new website or revamping an existing website is exciting! It’s a presence – and definitely a process. Design, content, optimization, interactions, calls to action… there’s so much to consider. In the end, it’s really about reaching your audience and making sure they can find you. Here’s some key steps to keep in mind before […]
Build trust and relationships with great content
Put away the old thinking about marketing and communications; clients and customers are no longer looking to be sold something – they are looking to be engaged. Consumers are bombarded with thousands of marketing messages a day and they will ignore an attempt to simply sell them something. The idea of putting content on the […]
3 key components to successful branding
Last week, I presented at the AICPA (American Institute of CPAs) and AAM (Association for Accounting Marketing) Summit. The session, titled “Brand is not a Logo: How to Communicate Your True Brand,” focused on developing brand strategies, establishing a brand voice or brand statement, consistent messaging and brand measurement. Through all of these steps in […]
What you may not realize about Facebook page admin levels
Facebook has been making a lot of changes lately, and I’m sure we can agree that most of them are great. I love how I can schedule future posts right in Facebook now without logging in to another third-party platform to do it. Facebook recently launched admin permission levels for pages defined (by Facebook) as […]
Managing social media: Create artisan accounts in 5 minutes a day
If you haven’t gotten your company into social media yet, no doubt part of the reasons is time. Infographics like this may intimidate you, and reasonably so. But, you do have time. I didn’t think I had time to make home made bread, but I recently received an incredible gift, a cookbook: “Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a […]
When social media engagement causes us to disengage
Brian Solis’ post “Music, Film, TV: How social media changed the entertainment experience” couldn’t have appeared in my inbox at a better time. And to be frank, I didn’t even read it before I set out to write this post. The mere title of his latest piece was just what I needed to self analyze: […]
Graphic design: When to splurge and when to save
A graphic design project can be exciting and daunting at the same time. You love the idea of a new, fresh look, but you’re not entirely sure if it will fit with your company’s budget. Here’s the secret: Not all graphic design work needs to cost you an arm and a leg. There are certain […]
