strategy

Friday the 13th Marketing Myths & Misconceptions

Branding, marketing, Social Media, strategy, websites 0

In honor of Friday the 13th, here are the Top Thirteen Marketing Myths & Misconceptions 1. Great products or services sell themselves – Careful with this one. This is the type of thinking that results in small business failure. Without the correct marketing strategy and execution, your target will have no idea your product exists. Thus, no chance for them to purchase your product or service. 2. Everyone needs my product or service – Perhaps, but again, maybe not. Often small business owners or start-ups do not realize that “everyone” does not need or want your product or service, especially […]

Branding & Weddings

Branding, marketing, strategy 0

This thought crossed my mind as I plan my upcoming 2015 workshop, Creating a Memorable Brand. How long did it take you to plan your wedding? Did you hire a professional wedding planner? Did you use the same level of detail you used to plan your wedding to develop your small business’ brand? If not…why not? Compare the time and dollars you spent on your wedding to the dollar amount you spent on your brand. Oh, got scared, did you! Do you think it’s odd that most weddings cost more than what most are willing to pay to develop the […]

Why Your Small Business is Not About You

effective leadership, marketing, strategy 0

As a branding and marketing expert I’ve had the opportunity to work with large corporations, small businesses, as well as start-ups, and there’s one thing owners, C-suites and directors all have in common. They forget something very, very important to their success. They become a tad bit narcissistic. Or as some would say “start to believe their own press clippings”!

Number One Mistake Small Businesses Make

business leadership, marketing, strategy 0

When meeting with small business owners to assist with their branding or marketing I regularly ask, “do you have a budget”. Repeatedly I’m told “No, we do not have a budget”! At first, I thought these were isolated incidents, but have come to the conclusion that this is all too common. And, the size of the business doesn’t change the “no” answer I often get. As you would expect, small businesses that are just starting out and have no annual sales to speak of often do not have a marketing budget, although they should. But what truly surprises me is […]