Marketing

You’re finally ready to begin marketing your business. You have a product or service ready to go, you have a budget in mind and you have an idea who you want to reach. Marketing comes in many forms, but it’s easier than you think to make mistakes in your strategy. Mistakes can be costly, so it’s essential you avoid common pitfalls to keep dollars in your pocket. We all have had our share of mistakes, and these are…

When a customer stops doing business with you it sucks but when it’s due to a bad customer experience it’s even worse. That’s why establishing great habits focused around delighting your customers are an essential component to maintaining a high level of customer retention. So here are 5 bad habits that cause customers to leave and how to turn them into good habits. Habit #1 You’re Hard to Trust Habit #2 You Don’t Create ValueHabit…

Over the last year, many companies and organizations, both large and small, have shifted to a culture of remote work, or at least a hybrid model that blends virtual and onsite interaction. While there are benefits to working remotely in Colorado Springs, it can also get a bit tedious. Some professionals even find it difficult to focus when at home because of the numerous distractions that constantly vie for your attention. If that sounds familiar,…

As the COVID-19 pandemic subsides and restrictions are scaled back in the Colorado Springs area, life can begin shifting back toward normalcy. For small business owners and professionals, that means slowly returning to the days of in-person meetings, conferences and organizational get-togethers. At the start of January, Gov. Jared Polis allowed counties that were in the Red Level, or Severe Risk category, such as El Paso County, to transition to the Orange Level, or High…

A new year brings hope for change, and with it, the excitement and energy needed to take on new challenges. Check out these 4 tasks, when done, will help position your business to sell more this year. Are you ready to make this your best year yet?

(This article originally appeared September 24, 2014 and was updated April 22, 2020) One of the most effective ways to boost your response rates is sending strategic, multi-touch campaigns. Multi-touch marketing utilizes multiple touches with the same or different media to build your message over time to the same targeted audience. Often, these touches are layered in three stages: Priming the pump (“Watch for our exciting offer!”) Presentation of the message (“Get yours today!”) Follow-up…

Transcript: The way people discover, evaluate and trust businesses has changed. This is only exemplified by the fact that 87% of consumers say a business needs to have a 3 to 5-star rating before they’ll consider using them. Research also shows that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. And each year the number of people that use review sites increases. However, the site where the review is located holds importance…

Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here… is not what marketing should feel like. Unfortunately it’s a common sentiment for businesses due to past experiences. But marketing doesn’t have to be a creepy forest filled with monsters and blood-sucking beasts. Or feel like a runaway carriage when you do start a campaign. With the right knowledge and mindset you can take the reins and feel in control the entire journey — even if it’s out…

They’re not just a way to make us feel better about ourselves… they actual help us do more business. Reviews should be an integral part of your marketing. And that not just because I say so — well that too — but because research shows that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

While we’re all enjoying those fresh fall beverages, the leaves are beginning to change, the evenings are slowly coming sooner — wait! — 4th Quarter is only weeks away! Don’t spill your drink or let panic set in. Just take a deep breath (of that amazing autumn air) and look forward at what’s next. In this Month’s Marketing Guide we’re going to focus on finishing this roller-coaster-of-a-year on a high by providing some down and…

What is Marketing? What is Advertising!? Many have heard both of these common terms but contrary to popular belief, marketing and advertising are actually two separate things. Learn difference and understand how they both work together to help your business drive more sales.

I heard this question again just the other day. The business owner was getting ready to send out a mailing to promote his business but wanted to know what else he might be able to do. His question was a good one. McDonalds doesn’t advertise every day because they are afraid you’ll forget who they are. They do it so they’ll be top of mind when you’re ready. Businesses need to market themself continually, and…

Welcome to the new normal. Not to be confused with the old normal, or the next normal where you can go to a restaurant but can’t sit next to anyone. Or the normal after that where you can get together in groups of more than ten but you can’t touch each other. So as we all slowly start to adjust and realize life’s too short to keep complaining or worrying constantly, here are some ways I’ve used to begin moving forward. Use…

We’re four weeks into the Stay at Home order in Colorado. Reports concerning the COVID-19 virus say that hospital admissions for the state are down and that we’re supposed to be able to open for business in another week and a half.  But even with this possible good news, on the national and international level we hear: that business openings should be done slowly,  that there is a fear of a second round of the…

I hope by now you’ve taken the opportunity to claim your Google My Business (GMB) page. Here’s a link to last week’s email should you need a reminder of the recommended things to do. According to recent forecasts concerning COVID-19, it appears that we have a ways to go before we begin to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Google has begun to recognize this and has allowed some changes that you…

Our world has changed these last seven days. But we are still working. We’re just working differently. Just like you. I mentioned that I would send out some marketing tips that you can use even now. Let’s begin by looking at your Google My Business (GMB) page. Find it Begin by doing a Google search for your business name. Once you find it, scan the information and see if it is correct. Claim it Have…

Hey guys, The last few months have been a great time to be a business owner. But then, just like riding a roller coaster, you hit that spot you didn’t see coming and you weren’t expecting.   And all of a sudden, you want off this ride. But that’s not an option yet. Just like the roller coaster ride, you have to wait till you reach the end of the ride to get off. I’m…

Advertising and marketing are the same. True or false? False. Advertising is a slice of the marketing pie. Similar to the concept that all squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares, all advertising is marketing, but not all marketing is advertising. Marketing vs. Advertising. What’s the Difference? While the terms “marketing” and “advertising” are used interchangeably in many conversations, they are each distinct in their purpose, tactics, and target results. So what is marketing,…

I don’t know about you, but in my experience, working in small business means that every day is a new day full of solving business problems. Troubleshooting and resolving issues for this, that, and the other can be energizing for those who have the entrepreneurial spirit, namely ENTPs, ESTJs, ENTJs, INTJs, and ISTJs. I am an ENTJ and I definitely fit this bill. As I observe everything from the current internal workflows and project development…

There is hidden growth potential in your business. In every business, there is this potential – no matter how big or small. Fortunately, it’s not about getting on the next greatest lead generation bandwagon or social media platform. *phew* There’s a simpler way to increase business growth.  And yet, it seems that day in and day out businesses must be working to generate more leads to fill the void left by customers that leave on…

Digital Examiner found that 45% of small businesses do not track ROI of their digital marketing spend. That’s terrifying! As a marketing agency, we attest to that reality with on-boarding clients. Even the most financially astute, colorful spreadsheet wizards are clueless when it comes to analyzing the return on their marketing efforts. But why? Many small business owners are not equipped to know WHICH questions to ask WHAT digital marketing data points to track HOW…

There are countless Ted Talks for small business that I have used as springboards for new ideas and deeper motivation. But for now, here is a Ted Talk for each day of the week to motivate you to do more with yourself and your small business; to empower you to see the hidden potential that is waiting to be unearthed; and to change the way you do business for the good of all. #1: Tim…

If you’ve owned, run, or worked for a small business you know there is a laundry list of things that need to be done, checked, monitored, cleaned and more every day, week, month, year. But with the constant need to get more customers and run the business time is limited for other things, making research for new tools and systems a near pipe dream. You want to make things better and find better solutions to…

It’s another Monday and the door bells sing as Randy unlocks the office doors, flicks on the lights, and boots up the computers throughout our homey workspace. The third item on his agenda is to brew the first of his cinnamon infused coffees. Marilyn and Sarah saunter in soon after. The first thing Sarah notices is the sound of footsteps on the treadmill and then her nose catches a whiff of Randy’s fresh brew. Marilyn…

Updated on November 26, 2018 for freshness. If you own or manage a business that has a physical location where you sell products or services in your store, most of your marketing campaigns likely strive to increase sales revenue. However, there is a similar but slightly different goal that you should also keep in mind, and that is increasing the number of customers who visit and shop in your store. Why? Because, for brick an…

When you are coming up with a new mail marketing campaign for your business, the message you convey in your mailer is just as important as the creative design and what addresses you send them to. Think about it — how many times have you received a flyer, brochure, or coupons in the mail that you tossed out after looking at it for a couple of seconds? There’s a good chance it is because that business…

The landscape of digital marketing is always evolving to keep up with the constantly shifting trends and fashions of the online world. As a business, or a digital marketing agency, it can pay to stay on top of the newest trends in order to maintain an edge in an increasingly competitive online market. Here’s a quick guide on some of the biggest digital marketing trends that are emerging in 2017. Automation & Artificial Intelligence One…

While it’s important to produce many types of content that can reach people on many different platforms, every content strategy needs a flagship—the medium you choose to be your primary messaging. When online content strategies were first showing up, that was considered to be the blog, and now a lot of businesses are prioritizing snappier messaging on their social media accounts. However, there’s a better option that all small businesses should be considering: video content.…

When you are running a marketing campaign, it’s important to be able to accurately track its effectiveness. That way you know what works well enough that you can re-use ideas or concepts in the future and what did not work well and needs to be improved or scrapped. There are three types of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for marketing campaigns that you can use. Here’s a quick guide. Total Numbers The first type are raw…

Small business owners often operate with limited funds, which then creates more struggles with their marketing tasks. Individuals in this situation have a few options. They can: take marketing classes, spending those limited funds to do so. try to learn marketing tactics themselves, using the Internet. turn to professionals for assistance, taking money away from other areas to do so. Thankfully, here are some Quick Tips About Small Business Marketing any organization can begin using today…

Developing a small business marketing plan sounds easy right up until the business owner sits down to complete the plan. Some opt to make use of a marketing plan template, yet this method only works if a comprehensive template is selected. Business owners often struggle to determine where their funds should go. This doesn’t have to be the case. With the help of this marketing checklist for small business owners, anyone can create a custom…

Creating Catchy Email Subjects There’s an art to almost everything in internet marketing, and that includes writing catchy email subjects. Although email marketing can be a highly effective way to reach your customers, bad email subjects can cause your strategy to backfire. When emailing your clients, writing a subject is a bit different than a friendly hello email to a distant relative. Here are a few quick tips for writing email subject lines that will…

We can all probably think of at least one humorous marketing campaign that made us laugh- but do they really help businesses to market their products? Why does humor work so well? Some of the most successful humorous marketing strategies manage to achieve remarkable results for the companies that execute them. But precisely how successful are those marketing strategies? How does humor actually help those marketing strategies? The Secret Behind the Success of Our Top…

It goes without saying that we live in a society of instant gratification. When we launch a marketing campaign, we want results at the snap of a finger. Unfortunately, this is far from reality with most marketing campaigns. Like almost everything else in life, marketing requires patience and a realistic mindset. Creating a realistic marketing schedule doesn’t have to be complicated. When you know what to expect, you might have an easier time playing the…

Do you own a business? Do you sell a product or offer a service? If so, reaching your customer base might be a little more complicated than you’d think. In an ideal world, word of mouth of your business would spread like wildfire, and you’d never have to worry about finding new customers again. For the majority of business owners, this situation is far from reality. The reality is that businesses need marketing. The market…

Email lists are beneficial tools that can enhance your company’s marketing techniques. They are simple to build and offer an avenue of convenience for reaching your customers. Not to mention, email marketing is a very low-cost method of reaching your customers. You don’t have to worry about the cost of stamps or the cost of print. So, how exactly do you build an email list and reap its many benefits?   Starting From Scratch If…

No matter what marketing technique you’re investing in, the end goal is to generate a sale. However, there are multiple steps that exist between luring your customer in and convincing them to hand over that credit card. Creating specific calls-to-action gives customers instructions on what to do next. With that said, the correct call-to-action depends on the marketing strategy you are implementing. Here are a few examples of effective calls-to-action and how to choose what’s…

When it comes to any form of marketing, knowing and understanding your audience is key. Marketing to a general audience without understanding demographics can lead to disaster, as you are essentially throwing techniques at the wall with the hope that something sticks. In order to ensure that your marketing campaign is a success, you must first establish your target audience. Here are a few helpful hints to help reach the right buyers. Review Your Product…

With the various forms of internet marketing available to small businesses, email marketing remains as one of the most popular. Email marketing serves as a quick and low-cost alternative to printing and mailing tangible mail. Using email to market your business can serve as a staple for your overall marketing strategy, but there are several key points to getting the most out of your email efforts. Building Lists The Right Way Before you get started…

Nearly every business needs some form of marketing. Whether it is a simple print ad or an in-depth search engine optimization strategy, advertising your business in one form of another is crucial for reaching customers. With that said, measuring your marketing results is just as important for gauging the success of your chosen campaign. Failing to measure your results can quickly add up to lost dollars, with your marketing efforts serving as a shot in…