Are You Marketing Like a Teenager?

When it comes to marketing it pays to be a student of human behavior – especially with those human beings that you consider to be your ideal customers. Nevertheless, learning as much about people in general will go a long way towards making your small business marketing more effective. I recently learned a few things […]

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What is Your Marketing Key Note?

The night before my keynote presentation to independent retailers this past weekend, I was testing and preparing the final details for the next morning. Just before knocking off for the evening I decided to clean up my blog reader.  That’s when I discovered some new research that reinforced the key note or point of my […]

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How Giving Your Customers Your Best Energizes Your Business

Are you giving your customers more than the competition? How about your absolute best? Both approaches will enable you to keep their business.  One of them will make you better for all of your customers – while also helping you to attract new ones. This weekend we successfully moved my daughter into the house she is […]

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Why Communities Are The New Markets

If you are invested in any of the global stock markets you recently experienced some unnerving fluctuations as valuations fluctuated by 25% or more in a matter of days. And what was the cause?  Human behavior. There is no other way to explain the highs and lows.  The value of those companies did not materially […]

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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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4 Ways to Clean Up Your Site for SEO

You already know that serving up valuable content that gets consumed and shared is the primary way to have your site ranked higher by Google – especially if those inbound links are from other sites of authority. Did you also know that Google interprets subtle signals that your site may be sending that could 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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The Laws of Nature Apply To Your Online Communities

Nature is comprised of ecosystems – and your online communities mirror their characteristics. In TJ Smith previous career, in the green industry, I wore many hats, one of them being that of a certified arborist – a tree care professional. This week we are having a heat wave in the Midwest and trees in particular […]

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