Branding is always a hot topic for my small business clients and for many ‘Communicate Confidently!‘ readers. Recently, one asked how a small business can effectively brand itself. Here’s a summary of my comments:
Marketing
Does Your Marketing Suck?
I thought of calling this rant ‘Your Marketing Sucks’, but that declarative statement sounded too in-your-face and presumptuous, even for me. So, I changed the statement into a question to let you decide if your marketing sucks … and how much. (Full disclosure – this piece first ran in COSE’s Mind Your Business Blog in September.)
Referrals Rule!
Last month, we discussed whether or not you should ask for Referrals, winning Repeat Business and seven tips for how to ‘Nail the Sale’. Now, let’s focus on Internal and External Referrals and how to say ‘Thank You’.
Pro Bono Power
Here’s a simple but very effective strategy to maximize the impact of a ‘No Budget Marketing’ campaign you may create for your employer or your own business – harnessing the ‘Power of the Pro Bono’ or what I like to call ‘Strategic Volunteering’.
Harness the Power of Free Ink
(This article originally ran in the Cleveland Council of Smaller Enterprises ‘Mind Your Business’ blog.)
How many of you are frustrated and bewildered by the ‘Small Business Marketing Paradox’? We all recognize the critical need to do more and better marketing of our products or services to survive and thrive. But, few of us have the knowledge and skills to do it ourselves. Yet, we hesitate to – or can’t afford to – invest in having experts do it for us. The result is that we often do nothing. Bad idea.
Marketing With No Budget
Marketing for entrepreneurs is always a challenge, especially with no budget for someone else to do it. Here’s a summary of my comments at a recent panel discussion on the topic:
Branding on a Budget
Last month’s feature on the always hot topic of Branding generated even more reader reaction and questions. One of them asked about branding on a tight budget. My comments: Time to get creative with ways to get lots of free positive exposure. The concept of ‘target market’ weaves throughout my comments below. It requires you … Read more
Brand Your Way to Success
Branding is always a hot topic for my small business clients and for many ‘Communicate Confidently!‘ readers. Recently, one asked how a small business can effectively brand itself and I shared a few thoughts. Here’s a summary of those comments:
Taking it to the Top
A new client recently engaged Effective Training & Communication to thoroughly enhance his client communication strategies and tactics. A part of that process is to take his typical Elevator Speech up several notches. What follows is a summary of the exercise I created for him. Follow the steps, fill in your particular details and really take your elevator speech to the top.
Painless Sales Pitches
Do you ever experience pain when you pitch business? Do you cause some pain for your customers as a result of those pitches? If you answered yes to either question, then read these Best Practices for creating Painless Sales Pitches.