Category: Business Topics

ARE YOU STANDING OUT?

There is a huge focus these days on internet marketing and how to effectively use social media, blogging, email marketing and search engine optimization, but is this shift to setting up an internet marketing strategy enough? If you clicked through your website and 4 of your competitors, would yours stand-out? How about your blog or… Read more »

HOW TO GET FANS OR FOLLOWERS ON-LINE

So you decided to jump in feet first in to the sea of the social networking on the internet with your business and you are proud of the profile business pages that you have set-up, but where are the fans and followers? Sure, we all saw the movie with the famous line, “…if you build… Read more »

NOT ENOUGH HOURS TO DO IT ALL

I am often asked how I find time to attend chamber events, business networking groups, keep up with social networking like Twitter/Facebook/Linkedin , write my Purple Diamond marketing blog AND help my clients with their own marketing and advertising and the short answer is that I work long hours which is made easier with a… Read more »

HELP ME!

When is the best time to ask for help? Too many businesses wait til their in really bad financial shape before they contact a professional to help with their marketing and advertising. Maybe it is fear of what it costs to hire a marketing professional or an advertising agency, or maybe it is that you… Read more »

BUSINESS HOLIDAY GIFT GIVING & TIPPING

Most businesses cut way back this year and did not give raises or bonus money for employees, but now they must decide if their annual holiday customer gift giving and tipping to the mailman and other service providers will be eliminated, too. The good news is that your struggle with this question has been one… Read more »

MAKING FRIENDS IN YOUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY

This morning I attended a local ribbon cutting for a new business at the Cummings Center in Beverly, Il Tramezzino Place. Since I am on the Board of Directors of the Beverly Chamber of Commerce I try to attend as many networking events as possible as a way of supporting the community and the chamber… Read more »

ARE PAPER BROCHURES A THING OF THE PAST?

There has been a shift in marketing away from print to doing more email marketing and on-line brochures, but are paper brochures a thing of the past? No, they are actually being used more frequently with smaller businesses who need to look professional without spending too much of their marketing budget. With easy-to-use templates and… Read more »

ADDING A VIDEO TO YOUR WEBSITE

Having worked in TV advertising for many years I recognized the importance to getting your complete message out with only 30 seconds. Yes, TV can have shorter and longer ads and even infomercials that are 30 or 60 minutes long, but the majority of TV commercials are 30 seconds. But what about a video for… Read more »

ASKING FOR SUBSCRIBERS TO YOUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER

Many of us would not be in business if we did not know how to ask for a customer’s order, but how many business owners realize the importance of asking people to subscribe to your newsletter, read your blog or follow you on Twitter and Facebook? Nancy Black of Organization Plus used her 30 second… Read more »

NO BONUS OR RAISES, HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR TEAM

In good years your company was able to offer holiday bonus money and raises, but this year you have a hold on everything and your team is being asked to do more work than ever before because of lay-offs, how do you keep your workers motivated? History shows that employees who feel unappreciated and not… Read more »