Marketing tips, thoughts and expert advice for small business owners and other professionals
Headline Writing 101
I have a confession to make. I often struggle with writing headlines. In fact, I can recall more than a few instances in which it took me longer to write a five-word headline than to write the other 450 words on the page! Why? Because the headline can be the most...
Multiple Tactics are Better than One
As your investment advisor has told you, diversification is important. This advice also holds true for your marketing program. Successful companies employ a variety of marketing tactics in order to reach their target audiences in a variety of ways. If you are relying...
The Danger of Pre-Scheduling Posts
On a recent drive home from visiting my mother, who lives about 70 miles north of me, the messaging on the big digital freeway signs caught my eye. These are the signs that the government uses to announce traffic problems, remind people not to drink and drive, etc. ...
Commonly Confused Words II
Last year’s article on commonly confused words was so popular (click here if you missed it) that I thought I’d tackle another set of words that tend to cause confusion. It’s easy to mix these words up – especially since your word processing program’s spell checker...
7 Easy Ways to Prevent Sales
Does your company have a “Sales Prevention Department”? Even if you don’t have a formal department with this name, if your organization’s actions are preventing sales, then the net effect is the same. Here are seven easy ways to sabotage your sales efforts: Be rude...
Put It On the Calendar
As 2023 winds to a close, now is the perfect time to reflect upon your marketing efforts of the past year so you can move forward with creating a plan for 2024. What worked and what didn’t work? Just as importantly, what great ideas either did not get properly...
Stay in Your Lane: Focus On Your Market Niche
A friend of mine who lives in a small rural city (population 6,600) recently told me that one of the members of her city council had proposed that the city should send a letter of support regarding the current situation in the Middle East. My friend and I both had the...
The Power of Case Studies
What’s a great way to brag about your work without coming across as boastful? Use case studies, which are real-life success stories about your business. Done well, case studies can be very powerful marketing pieces, because they provide a huge level of believability....
Making Your Bio More Interesting
I recently interviewed a client in order to write a bio for him. As it turns out, he has the most awesomely unique hobby I have ever heard in over 17 years of writing bios: He is a competitive carnivorous plant grower. That little tidbit certainly added interest to...
No One Likes Unpleasant Surprises
In today’s business world you can find plenty of examples of companies going the extra mile to surprise and delight their customers. They send handwritten notes, transform a normally-boring pre-flight safety announcement into something funny, etc. Everyone loves...