Small businesses often resist creating videos to publish online because they don’t have high-end production skills. But in this high-voltage video quick tip, I reveal that good enough is good enough for quick-hit videos to market your business. You don’t have to be Spielberg to produce video that works to market your business. I shot [...]
Sales Lessons From One of My Favorite Movies
When I meet an obnoxious, pushy salesperson, I call that person a “Ned.” That’s a reference to Ned Ryerson – the insurance salesman who went to high school with Bill Murray’s character, Phil Connors, in “Groundhog Day.” Ned and Phil meet on the street years after graduation, and Ned says: “Don’t you tell me you [...]
Marketing Lessons from Albert Pujols and the Girl Who Dumped Me
Albert Pujols reminds me of my ninth-grade girlfriend, Susie Wallace. Susie and I had just finished a slow dance at the mixer when she broke the news: She was dumping me for Ste, avie O’Shea. “Why?” I asked. “Because he appreciates me,” she said. And then she strolled across the dance floor, grabbed Stevie’s hand [...]
Make Your Web Site a List-Building Machine
Imagine a prospect walks into your place of business and offers you a card. “I’m not ready to buy, but I’d be happy to receive more information about special offers, new products, or other news. Here’s my contact information,” the prospect says. Would you refuse to take the card? It’s not a trick question. Every [...]
Ask Happy Clients to Spread the Love. You’ll Sell More
I recently met a business consultant who includes a stack of recommendation letters from happy clients with every proposal he writes. Over the top? Perhaps. But this guy has the right idea. Recommendations influence buying decisions. You have happy clients. Encourage them to share their happiness, and you will sell more. As soon as you [...]
Don’t Go For the Free Lunch to Market Your Business
I recently met a small business owner who proudly described his marketing strategy to me: “I’m focusing entirely on social media because it’s free.” “What do you mean by free?” I asked. “Well…” he said, “I don’t have to pay for postage or advertising or email software or anything like that. I just set up [...]
Nine Reasons to Invest in an Email Service Provider
We hear from many small business people who want to save a few bucks on their email marketing program and do it without a paid service. They say, “I can do the same thing you offer by creating and sending emails through my desktop email software. I create the email; paste the email addresses in [...]
Pity the Foolish Marketer Who Commits to Just One Lover
While eating breakfast this morning, I was browsing through my online news reader on my computer when I came across the following headline: “Among Affluent Americans, Print Media Is Tops; Death of Traditional Outlets Has Been Greatly Exaggerated” Print is number one!? That’s enough to make an online marketer choke on his Cocoa Puffs. Then, [...]
Can You Afford to Ignore Google+?
After lots of false starts and failed attempts, Google has returned to the social networking space with its Google+ project. Google+ combines some of the best features of Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, and it adds innovative features the others don’t have. But instead of celebrating , many small business people are moaning, [...]
Design Tip: Be Careful About Using Graphics for “Read More” Links
A few months ago, I wrote a post recommending against image-only emails because many email clients hide images by default. Today, I received an email that reminded me the hidden image problem can bite you even if your email is almost entirely text. The email had several short excerpts of articles on the organization’s web [...]
