I want to thank everyone who helped me along the way as I backpacked across Europe. I will be writing about a few things I learned in the next week or so. I am trying to get back into the swing of things back in the States. Thanks again to everyone.

As everyone has noticed the market is down. This is obviously effecting your business just like everyone else. But what can you do to help your business stumble through this recession? There are two ideas I have for you to think about. One is in regards to your marketing concepts and the other is in regards to typical economics. 

First, just has everyone has stated in the news, try extending your sales period. I would say not only extend your sales period, but try to capitalize on customers returning items. You already have them in your store so now it is your time to convert them into another sale. Where do you advertise to them? Use the Internet to your advantage! Start your gorilla marketing campaign now!

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As you have noticed it has been a while since there has been some activity on this site, which is because I have been on the run quite a bit lately. I apologize and if you would like to see more topics discussed please feel free to email me. Anyway, lately I have been running numerous consulting jobs and helping certain companies learn how to utilize social media. This helped spur a pumpkin patch of ideas on what you as a business can do to help promote your business over the Internet. Here are some of my ideas and I would enjoy hearing some of your thoughts on how to market your business. (more…)

This past week I had the opportunity to meet various business owners. Most of them were selling a product or service which was typical, but while all of them were approaching me I started to prejudge each of them before they even opened there mouth to present their product. Is this wrong of me or is this a natural human tendency? It appeared to me that this is just nature, but if you know this is natural then why aren’t some business owners trying to avoid immediate stereotypes or judgments? Why does this happen?  After much deliberation within myself I decided to come up with some guidelines that may help small business owners stand out from their competitors. (more…)

To all those small business owners trying to get a little more attention here is a tip for you! Have you uploaded a video about your business lately? Or have tried to start a viral video about a product or service you have to offer? If you start to use video you are expanding your channels of visibility which is a huge plus, but there are many numerous reasons well beyond this topic.

A big plus is the social media optimization you get out of using video. After doing some consulting for some clients I have been able to get many of my clients onto the first page of Google within hours of submitting videos and content for them. Is this magic? To some extent it is know which buttons to push and realizing which keywords will help you reach that status. A good place to start is uploading video to YouTube. (more…)

The new Facebook profile was changed to help give a cleaner presentation and make it simpler for users. However, I feel that the new profile was built to aid the developers. Facebook has taken away “The Wall” and has replaced it with an improved news feed. Why they didn’t just improve the feed and keep “The Wall” we will never know. (more…)

Over the past few weeks I have watched a major success story unravel wit the Tech Spot Store. They have don’t an amazing job of getting customers to their store, but they have also made sure to ask where people found out about the Tech Spot. The reason why this is important is so they can gauge which marketing is working and which marketing strategies are not. If you are not tracking your marketing results you are like a manager not keeping stats on your player at the game. How would you know who to take in and out of the next game. You want your best players to play. This is the same for choosing the right marketing channels.

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Many business owners know what to put their business cards, but overlook how their website acts as a virtual business card for their business. Having a website is half the battle, but if you want people to walk into your store or order from you online shopping cart how do you expect them to contact you without the information on your site? I am currently redesigning the site as many of you know, which you can see in the screen shot. If you look closely I have labeled ways my readers can get in touch with me. With technology advancing faster ever than before you can leave your customers numerous options to get in touch with you. These contact points include: social networks, your micro blogs, your blog comments, email address, video messages, and audio messages. 

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Every business storefront usually has a sign on the front of their facade, but what sets apart a good sign from a bad sign? More than likely the design and placement. These two are the most critical to sending the right signal to all those that drive by your sign. For instance the Flamingo Bowl (Picture on Left) was taken by me to display how an effective sign can lure customers. It was colorful, playful, and told me what the business was. It was also placed in a manner that I noticed the Bowling Alley from block away in downtown St. Louis. Does your sign lure customers into your store? If not then lets take a look at some steps to take to help your storefront. (more…)

I have just found something new for your business to look into at yellowpages.com. They are now letting businesses to add video to their listing on the website. What a great way to set an impression about your business on potential customers. 

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