Are Phone Calls a New Marketing Trend?

Over the past few weeks I have been interviewing retail businesses that belong to the same association, and naturally have some things in common.  That’s what you notice on the surface. However, taking a deeper look reveals many differences among them, including their location, years in business (1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation), product mix, competition, […]

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3 Tips for Communicating Your Message with Authority

Have you ever noticed that even some of the best actors have a difficult time as talk show guests? They may be very good at delivering a role that follows a script – but without one there are gaps that leave a space for all kinds of things to happen – some of which undermine […]

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3 Types of Authenticity

Authenticity is one of those qualities that is not easily defined. It would be more accurate to state that authenticity is defined by different people in different ways – at least that has been my observation. For quite some time we have been talking about authenticity here on the social networks.  And this week at […]

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Why Should We Hire Your Company?

Can you readily provide specific, quantifiable, and relevant evidence that justifies hiring your company? Surprisingly, most companies cannot – not really.  They offer up intangibles such as great customer service, longevity in business, and things of this nature. When you consider how much work goes into attracting new business, doesn’t it make sense to be […]

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Intentional Engagement is Your Responsibility

The social web is a big place that is only getting bigger and more complex. Now is a good time to reign it in to more effectively engage and accomplish your personal and small business objectives. Every day we all associate with a few more friends, fans, and followers.  For the most part, that’s why […]

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Blog Commenting Guidelines

Commenting is what makes a blog article a living and breathing document. When you make insightful, witty, or thought-provoking comments, you encourage a dialogue that adds value for the entire community of the blog – for today and into the future when new readers happen along. Our Blog Commenting Guidelines 1. Be Yourself 2. Be […]

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Better Business Practices

Business consultants love to talk about best practices because it makes their job easier – and they are not alone. Many contractors, educators, and salespeople do the same. They have a few solutions that they have perfected – then they apply them to problems that may or may not fit that solution. That’s the problem. […]

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Google Sees a Web of People

Google’s VP of Social, Vic Gundotra, admits that a web of pages is nothing without the context of the people associated with them. If you have time to watch the 30 minute video, you will gain some valuable insights about Google’s future plans for their suite of services. As a marketer, you know that when […]

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Start with Listening to Your Customers

Listening is the foundation of all successful relationships. And business has always been about relationships – now more than ever.  So, why are small businesses confused about where to start with social media? My hunch is it is that word marketing.  Traditional marketing is push marketing – something along the lines of buy my stuff […]

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