starting a small business

Steps to Starting a Small Business: #3 Promotion (a.k.a. “marketing”)

November 10, 2008

This is the third in the Steps to Starting a Small Business series and I’m assuming you’ve cleared the first two steps to starting a small business, which are of course the HARDEST hurdles to overcome. The first step to starting a small business is you’ve got to come up with a GREAT idea that [...]

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Steps to Starting a Small Business: #2 – The Implementation

November 1, 2008

In the first post of this series, Steps to Starting a Small Business: #1 – The Idea, I covered what is perhaps the most IMPORTANT part of starting a small business – the idea behind your business. Once you’ve got an idea whose passion has taken you prisoner, it’s time to get down to the [...]

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The “Real Deal” – The Value of Authenticity in Blogging

October 17, 2008

If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we shall become a company of dwarfs. But if each of us hires people who are bigger than we are, we shall become a company of giants. David M Ogilvy It’s no secret that I’ve been a HUGE fan of Cath Lawson for [...]

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Starting Your Own Small Business: Tell Your Story

July 14, 2008

In advertising and in business, familiarity doesn’t breed contempt -it breeds business. Telling your business story is an essential part of your marketing efforts. James Chartrand writes in his post Creative Storytelling A good story grabs anyone’s attention. We love stories. We listen to the tale and imagine everything in our mind’s eye. We experience [...]

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Is a Blog the Best Marketing Tool for Your Business?

April 15, 2008

There is an adage in advertising that says, “I know that half my advertising dollars are wasted – I just don’t know which half!” Several authors claim credit for this quote, but no matter what the origin, I can assure you the saying is wishful thinking. Not only is it possible that more half of [...]

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Choosing the Messenger

October 10, 2007

So, now that I have my end user in mind, the next step is to choose the messenger, because my messenger is going to dictate my content. In the film Ghostbusters, Gozer (a powerful being from another dimension) stands atop an apartment building on Central Park West in New York City, and informs the Ghostbusters [...]

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The role of your product or service in your marketing campaign

October 5, 2007

Since this is a record of the process of marketing a product or service, I should probably start at the beginning with product development. In my case, my product is my book Beyond the Niche: Essential Tools You Need to Create Marketing Messages that Deliver Results . LESSON ONE: Develop your product with the distribution [...]

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Fear as a Factor in Marketing & Advertising

October 3, 2007

Fear of failure is perhaps the biggest threat you’ll face when launching a marketing/advertising campaign. See, promoting your product or services (marketing) is all about making mistakes. As a matter of fact, failure in marketing and advertising – to a degree - is to be EXPECTED! Many business owners fear blogging for their business because [...]

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Marketing Case Study

October 1, 2007

Over the past decade, I have worked with some truly brilliant marketing experts on marketing their products and services. That statement may seem odd to someone who is not a "marketing guru" but it makes sense if you think about it. (There’s a reason you rarely see ads advertising an advertising agency’s services!) See, it’s [...]

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What do women really want?

August 15, 2007

A young King was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by the youthful king’s morals and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. The young King would have a year to [...]

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