Archive for the ‘Small Company Marketing’ Category
How to Go Zero-to-Sixty in PR
Few realize that PR is perhaps the most powerful and affordable way for small businesses to advance their chance of success and prosperity. Yet PR is a significant catalyst behind small companies with almost no advertising dollars to spend getting coverage on national TV, journals, magazines and newspapers.
Leave the Office to Think Strategically
I spent Saturday morning at Panera Bread in north Austin trying to figure out what I should do for my business over the summer. I like to get away from the office – family, dog, television, lawnmower… the usual distractions – in order to think strategically about my business.
5 Common Myths Businesses Have About PR
I recently spoke with a marketing executive at a technology company about doing some press releases for his firm. He voiced a concern that is common among many small and medium-sized businesses, which is that he doesn’t have any big news worthy of a press release.
Marketing Activities that Bear Fruit
With the economy gradually heating up, I’ve been receiving periodic phone calls from prospects acutely aware that they need to do something to attract new business before most of the opportunities are taken. After 12-18 months of economic white-out, these prospects are timid, hesitant to invest too heavily into marketing activities that may not bear fruit. They doubt themselves and the old marketing activities that used to win them business. They’re looking for new, innovative and value-oriented ways to find customers.
Here’s how a typical conversation with these recession-hardened prospects has gone.
New Business Referrals – Chicken or the Egg?
I just started reading The Referral Engine by John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing, the legendary guide to practical marketing for the small business.
The Power of FREE – A Campaign Update
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about a marketing epiphany I had to a problem many of us small business owners face. Not enough customers, zero interest in my services, apathy to my offers. It all sounds so familiar, doesn’t it?
The Power of FREE – an Experiment in Marketing: Part 1
Last week I decided to test the power of the word “FREE” to attract new customers. First, let me give you a little background for my decision. I have almost no customers in Austin, my hometown. Because of a curious turn of events in my career and business, most of my customers are niche software technology companies based outside of Texas – some are even outside of the U.S.
5 Customer Truths Your Favorite Coffee Shop Can Teach You
Yesterday, I went to a Starbucks just in front of my office. I’ve been going there since it opened almost two years ago. It’s not an everyday thing but I’ll drop by two, maybe three times a week.
Business is a Dirty Job – Just ask Mike Rowe
“Oh, it’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it!” from “We Care a Lot” by Faith No More.
Have you seen the Discovery Channel show called Dirty Jobs, a show that celebrates the messiest, strangest, and grossest jobs in America? The show is hosted by Mike Rowe – a Guy’s guy with a square-jaw, a [...]
3 Top Reasons Why Sage VAR Partners Blog – In Their Own Words
I absolutely dread cold calls and waiting in a prospect’s lobby to be one of three VARS allowed to bid on a potential project. Blogging is a way to differentiate your company and avoid competitive situations. Almost all of my clients come to me asking how quickly I can start. I spend very few hours sitting in client lobbies.