Even though times are really tough, it would be a mistake for your business to stop publishing content. No matter what industry you’re in, your customers and even your referral partners are desperate for expert information. Tragically, some Australians are dying, while others are worried they may lose their jobs or their businesses. This is the [...]
A lot of businesses are thinking two thoughts right now. “Times are tough, so we need to make sales!” “Times are tough, so we can’t afford to do marketing!” Both thoughts make sense – but they’re contradictory. No marketing, no sales Sales is the most important activity of any business, especially during a downturn. But what [...]
I recently had a marketing strategy session with Leanne, a fitness professional who lives in London. Like many people, Leanne was worried. Due to the COVID crisis, her gym has closed for the foreseeable future, which means her income has disappeared. (Leanne is a real person, but I’ve changed her name to protect her privacy.) So [...]
There are two big mistakes that small businesses make with content marketing, as I explained during my appearance on the Business Insights radio program, hosted by Mario Bekes. The biggest mistake is that they don’t do it – perhaps because it’s too hard or they don’t have the time. The problem with that attitude is that [...]
There are two groups in life: those who stand out and those who blend in. One group isn’t necessarily better than the other; it’s up to each person and each small business to decide which they prefer. But, yes, you do have to make a choice: you can be in only one group. I like to [...]
Does your small business operate in B2B? Are you customers white-collar professionals? If you answered yes to either of those questions, your small business needs to be active on LinkedIn, as I explained on the Up One Notch podcast. Why? Because most of your customers will be on LinkedIn – and one of the most important [...]
Small business owners can learn a lot from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. That’s one of the conclusions that comes from reading Brad Stone’s fascinating biography, The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon. Amazon began life in 1994 as a small business start-up; today, it’s one of the greatest companies in the history of [...]
Here’s my new year’s resolution: I’m going to cold-call 2,500 business owners in 2020. That’s 50 owners per week for 50 weeks. No, I’m not a cold-calling ninja. In fact, I have almost no cold-calling experience. But there are three reasons why I believe a cold-calling rampage is a great idea: It’s the most efficient way [...]
If you’ve seen The Founder, you might be forgiven for thinking that Ray Kroc, the driving force behind the growth of McDonald’s, owed his success entirely to luck. The story the movie tells is this: Kroc was a bit of a loser One day, he happened to meet the McDonald brothers He was impressed by the [...]
As a general rule, it’s better for small businesses to do more marketing rather than less. But there needs to be a point to all this marketing; consumers need to think you have a good reason for interrupting them. Otherwise, your marketing will be seen as annoying spam rather than helpful content. Good marketing always has [...]
