> This Friday I will be teaming up with the Houston Small Business Development Center to present my full-day DIY Marketing for Small Businesses workshop. During this event we help entrepreneurs develop a comprehensive marketing strategy and for their small business. Throughout the day we work together to build a marketing plan based on the
Golf Course Owners – New Orleans Follow-up
Thank you to the National Golf Course Owners Association for inviting me speak at the 2009 Annual Conference at the Golf Industry Show. it was a tremendous experience and an impressive show. Also, thank you to the many golf course owners that I had the pleasure of meeting during the conference. What impressed me was
Get a good logo without spending too much money.
I recently approached my favorite local graphic artist to give her the news: I was going to use crowdSPRING for a client logo rather than her. Her response? (paraphrased)“Good idea. I’m going to check in to using it myself.” Whew! I was relieved. We have a good relationship that I didn’t want to damage. But
How to Be a Social Guerrilla
By Eric Brown Eric Brown is a founding partner of Urbane Apartments in Royal Oak, Michigan. Each month Eric contributes a guest article on guerrilla marketing ideas. The Urbane Way Blog Eric Brown on LinkedIn Small business start-ups are looking for distinctive ways to reach customers. BRAND AWARENESS We have stumbled upon a fascinating new
Speaking of Golf In New Orleans
This week I’m at the Golf Industry Show in New Orleans, speaking in the NGCOA educational sessions. I’m presenting four sessions that mirror the four essential spots of small business marketing as illustrated in The Marketing Circle of life. A condensed version of the material can be found on The Marketing Spot blog: Build Your
Why you should not use the BNI model for getting customers.
This week as a forum guest on the Bank of America Small Business Online Community, I received this question about BNI: “I joined a BNI recently and despite the startup costs ($430+) I believe it will be an effective marketing tool… effectively having additional sales people out there looking to refer me out to their
Starting a Social Media Program
Episode #23 of Power to the Small Business podcast. The Internet show about small business marketing. The social media evangelists are preaching: “Social media is the way, the truth, the light!” But is it right for your business? And if it is, how do you get started? David Berkowitz is Director of Emerging Media & Client
Case Study Update: Eddie’s Trackside Bar & Grill
Back in November, Eddie’s Trackside Bar & Grill in Monroe, Washington requested some marketing advice. it became our November small business marketing case study: Word of Mouth for a Bar & Grill. Owners Wendy McDowell and Stacie Ballweg needed to boost their stagnant food sales. My recommendations were to change the menu and create some
>Seven Steps to Capturing Your Customer Success Stories
> Guest post by Casey Hibbard Stop Tooting Your Own Horn – Let Customers Say it for You When business owner Linda McCulloch looked to set her marketing and creative firm apart from the competition, she didn’t want to take the same tired approach – “telling everyone how great you are.” Instead, she turned the
Classic Spot: The Importance of a Logo
A logo does not a brand make. So why did I recently pay a couple of hundred dollars on crowdSPRING to get a new logo for The Marketing Spot? I did it for me. I was building a new website and wanted to refresh the image. And because I don’t believe a logo defines the