Marketing
9 Epic (and Hilarious) Business Branding Fails
Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you’re just going to fail. It may stem from a lack of research, a good idea gone awry, or just plain bad luck, but it’s going to happen. And not just in small businesses, either. Here are 9 examples of seemingly good ideas gone terribly wrong from the world of…
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Google AdWords 102: Campaign Goal, Strategy and Cost
In last week’s post, I talked about the basics of Google AdWords and its uses for a small business owner. This week, we’ll discuss setting campaign goals and the strategies you may use to meet those goals as well as the costs that may be involved. Setting A Campaign Goal Before you start any advertising…
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The Call to Action: Take Customers by the Hand
Few businesses realize the importance of a strong call to action. In addition to a compelling marketing plan, you must take customers by the hand and lead them to action. What is a call to action? The call to action, simply, is telling people what to do to obtain your product or service. It’s a…
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Taproom Coffee — Crowdfunding
When Jonathan Pascual decided it was time to start Taproom Coffee, he was faced with the same problem as many other startup entrepreneurs — finding funding. He started by going through the normal channels. He dipped into his savings and got loans from family and friends, but when that wasn’t enough he had to look…
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You’re Going To Lose Some Facebook Likes — Don’t Take It Personally
Ahhh… I still remember it like it was yesterday. I stood up from my homeroom chair, pulled my JNCOs (pronounced Jean-cos) up, zipped up my Miami Hurricanes Starter jacket, spit-polished my gold chain and walked over to Jennifer (the names have been changed to protect the innocent — mainly me from my wife) to give…
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Consultant’s Corner: Marketing Plan for a Restaurant and Catering Business
Question: How do I increase profits for my restaurant/catering business during a down economy? Increasing profits in a Recession We have provided marketing considerations and resources below; however, increasing profits can also involve menu pricing, cost controls, staffing levels, and other measures. We assume that the tight market and local competition will not allow you…
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Google Analytics 101: 3 Sources of Website Traffic
Knowing your customer is an important part of successful marketing. To this end, Google Analytics is an incredibly powerful tool for business owners. This free tool from Google provides business owners with information on the people who visit their websites. However, if you don’t know where to look or understand what you’re looking at, then…
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Forget Big Goals, Focus on Small Wins
As we approach the end of February, do you find yourself losing steam on those New Years Resolutions? Don’t despair! I want to offer you some advice on how to get back on track. In his very compelling weekly blog, Eric Barker cites several studies which show how small accomplishments can be quite motivating: “Those…
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7 Ways Monitor Your Competition — Bond Style
Bond. James Bond. Who out there has never thought about being part of the exciting, glamorous world of espionage and spy-craft? While Bond has spent the last 50 years fighting against terrorists, enemy nations, and Victorian morality, today’s small business person can use some spy-work of their own to take on their competition. True, the…
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Consultant’s Corner: Increasing Website Traffic
Question: What are some ways I can increase traffic to my website? Some business owners elect to implement search engine optimization (SEO) methods themselves; however, higher search engine rankings take time to develop and there is no technique that will produce quick results. Google, Bing, and other search engines have varying selection criteria and will…
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