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 »
BLACK FRIDAY & CYBER MONDAY
This weekend I braved the malls to do some people watching and check out the sales. As my husband and I managed to work our way in to the local Best Buy store, I bumped in to another shopper in the crowded aisle. She was very pleasant and we joked about hearing that there was… Read more »
DOING THE RIGHT THING!
Yesterday was one of those days in which the world was rushed and not everyone was offering the best customer service. Since I start my day with coffee, the local coffee shop sees me quite often and handles my order of Pumpkin flavored coffee at their drive thru window. Unfortunately, the beloved pumpkin was replaced… Read more »
DEVELOPING YOUR ADVERTISING PLAN
November and December are two big months for advertising because of the holiday sales, but they are also important months for businesses to talk advertising strategy for the New Year. How many times have you had a media sales rep contact you about placing an ad in the paper or on radio and they tell… Read more »