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Here are some of the week’s best small business marketing blog posts. They are categorized by the four spots of The Marketing Circle of Life. Enjoy and be educated.

Branding: Don’t Tinker with your Brand! by Laura Ries at Ries’ Pieces. The economy is in trouble but now is not the time to panic. Now is the time to preserve your brand. Preserve its meaning and its identity by staying focused. In the face of uncertainty, focus is more important than ever.

Conversation: Publicist finds the perfect hook for inflight magazine pitch by Joan Stewart at The Publicity Hound. A great example of how to get free publicity. A big part of media relations success has to do with how well you see, hear, and celebrate the media decision makers you approach with your story. By paying attention to them, it just naturally happens that they pay more attention to you.

Promotion: The Future of Small Business Marketing is Search Marketing by Kurt Steinbrueck on the Christian Web Trends Blog. A majority of people use the Internet instead of the phonebook to locate specific local businesses. People, however, don’t just use the search engines when searching online, Internet yellow pages, business directories, and local review sites are additional places people search. Your company needs to have an online presence, and the more visible your business is online, the better.

Experience: Who is turning off your customers? by Drew McLellan on Drew’s Marketing Minute. Do your employees squeal when they see a prospect walk in the door? Do you actually have any idea what happens when your customer or prospect walks in your front door? Do your employees know how you want your clients to be greeted or welcomed?

Now Build Your Own Marketing Plan
Our nine-part series Build Your Marketing Plan is available for free on The Marketing Spot blog. Each installment includes a slidecast presentation and downloadable worksheets. Spend the weekend building your marketing plan.

The complete series can be found here: Build Your Marketing Plan