Overcome the Flinch
In a different world, the flinch saved our lives. The instinct that we are all programmed with became a necessary way to escape very real dangers. Today humans don’t hunt our own food. We aren’t faced with the same types of day-to-day risks that we used to see as...
Don’t Forget Your Neighbors
By staring at the computer all day long, it’s easy to lose track of what is happening next door, or in your town. Don’t get sucked into your computer. Don’t get too cozy in that little office you built at home. Get out. Meet actual people. Experience a real-life...
Creativity and Innovation
I’ve recently been reading a few books about innovators, who have some recurring traits. There are no confinements to their thought. They’re not easily satisfied. They don’t take no for an answer, and there’s always a way to turn their visions into reality. ...
Marketing Materials In a Rut? Keep the Pen To The Paper!
If your business is stuck, it may be because you're not writing enough. Many marketers claim that you need to produce one original piece of content per day. Most people’s jaw drops a little bit when they hear that number. I am the first to admit, I don’t come near...
Writing Marketing Copy That Doesn’t Suck
Many DIY business owners want to write their own copy, and some succeed. I’ve watched a lot fail as well. The businesses that fail usually fall into one of two camps. Either they have their business’s voice down well, but are not competent writers, or they are...
Rework The Way You Do Business
Sometimes less is more. That’s exactly the case when the owners of a Chicago software company Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson teamed up to share their ideas on running a business in Rework. Fried and Hansson own 37Signals, a software company that has been...
Linking Up With The Outside World
So you have a beautiful website. It's a great tool to attract new business, but only if people can find it. You have to put your great product out there. No matter your business, chances are, the web is clogged with potential competitors. You need to start finding...
Producing Marketing Content On Your Own Platform
“What do I need a website for, if I’m on Facebook?” That’s a question I hear all the time, so I’m going to take a stab at it, via blog. First, it’s awesome that you are on Facebook. It’s good to put yourself out there in front of your base of friends to tell them what...
Show A Little Follow Through
You may be the charismatic, smooth, life of the party-type person, but I have news for you. The things that people do have a lasting impact—more so than the things that people say. Tell me that rocks are animals and the sky is green, I’ll dismiss you as an idiot. Give...
SEO For Blogger
I recently began reading a lot more about SEO for blogs and what some of the best practices are. I was a little disturbed to find out how much better WordPress is for SEO than Blogger, since Blogger is my platform. I was disturbed to find that Blogger lowers your SEO...
What Do American Idol and Small Business Marketing Have In Common?
I’m writing this post plugged into my laptop with headphones as my wife watches American Idol. The parallels between online marketing and the hit reality show are actually quite striking. American Idol became a way to achieve success and fame without going through the...
Does Your Website Content Stack Up?
Your website copy can be one of the most underestimated weapons in your marketing arsenal. Businesses often put a lot of resources and care into the design of their website, and rightly so. It’s the copy, however, that will take that viewer and turn them into a...