Small Business
29 Dec Schedule time for marketing (Step 4)
Marketing - as opposed to sales remember - is one of those proactive tasks that seems to get pushed aside for more urgent ones. An astute commenter in my last post mentioned you need to always be planting seeds for future business to grow. Just like your workouts if you put marketing time on your schedule each week and hold it sacred, you'll see the benefits very quickly. Here are some tips for finding the right time to work on your promotions, social media, advertising, whatever you consider 'marketing'.21 Dec Marketing…who’s got time for that? (Step 3)
How much time should you spend on a weekly basis doing marketing and promotion tasks? It will vary of course but there are some rules I've learned working with a broad swath of companies and industries over the past couple decades including B2B, B2C, online and retail.Feel free to poke holes in my theories here...but tell us all WHY so we can learn from your successes.17 Dec The easy way to measure your marketing results (Step 1)
[caption id="attachment_928" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Wax Marketing mug to the first 5 who ID this photo"][/caption] I got so many questions about my last post "7 Steps to Bigger Marketing Muscle in 2010" I thought I'd give you some detail on each one of the steps. Measurement seems to be really tricky for people - but it's actually pretty simple. Once you have some basic measurements in place and you feel a need to go deeper, visit KD Paine's measurement blog - she's the real guru. I'd love to hear specific examples of how people are measuring their own results, so comment away! Here's my quick and dirty take -11 Dec 7 steps to bigger marketing muscle in 2010
I tell my clients that marketing is a lot like working out - you have to be consistent or you won't see results. No one expects to see muscles popping out all over after one visit to the gym. For the same reaons you can't expect immediate, lasting results from one promotional campaign. As you look toward 2010 and what will surely be a better year for all of us, it might help to build a marketing practice that looks a bit more like a workout schedule. Here are few ways to do just that.03 Dec Great books for learning (and doing) your own PR
There are so many books out there for business owners on how to do your own marketing and/or public relations. Frankly most of them say the same thing - know the reporter, don't be too salesy, etc. Here are my top five picks - not only are these books current, they go into real tactics that you can use right away. I think if you read these books, whether you're a small business owner, author, entrepreneur.... you can start promoting or upgrade what you're already doing and get some results fast.- Obviously social media is one of the best (and cost-effective) ways to promote your business, service, book, whatever. The definitive manual (and New York Times bestseller) on the subject is Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust
by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. Smith and Brogan describe not only HOW to use social media, but WHY you want to use it and most importantly, how to measure your success. The book covers the basics of social media so a newbie can learn but also dives into the more sophisticated aspects of the medium
20 Nov Gut Wrenching Fear – the tagline for owning a small business
Posted at 11:38h
in Small Business
I'm straying way off course and off schedule in honor of the 7th anniversary of Wax Marketing - today! My biggest lesson? Dealing with the big GWF - the gut wrenching fear that comes with owning a small business. I don't think it's good marketing strategy, or business acumen, or networks that makes or breaks a small business. I think it's the ability to deal with fear.
The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, right?So the next time you wake up in the middle of the night worried about that big check you need to cover payroll - or when half your customers decide your service is a "luxury" they can do without - try these and see if they work. Here's how I've learned to deal with GWF over the past seven years. I hope you'll add your own fun tips and ways to get around it too!