Year In Review: My 5 Most Popular Posts of 2012

Year In Review: My 5 Most Popular Posts of 2012

Marketing Strategy, Random Chats, Strategy
What an interesting year 2012 has proven to be! As I celebrated my first year in blogging and worked toward making my second anniversary, I am appreciative of all my readers who have learned, benefited, and applied my content. In case you missed any of the year's content, take a look at this "Most Popular" list, implement a few ideas, and enjoy!   Most Popular Posts of 2012    A Handful of Creative Ways to Use Pinterest for Business Don't Piece Together Your Social Media Strategy With Duct Tape Wear Your Brand Everyday Without Looking Like A Walking Billboard Your Customers are Talking , But Are You Listening? Social Media Is Not A Bullhorn, Please Stop Screaming At Me   I'm looking forward to providing more valuable content in 2013. If…
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Where Are Your Future Customers?

Where Are Your Future Customers?

Marketing Strategy
Sounds like a simple enough question doesn't it? But, can you answer the question? Let’s ask this another way. Where do your prospective customers go to find your product or service? Are they going to a brick and mortar store? Are they asking their peers? Are they mimicking the choices of their competitors? Are they performing online searches, based on their needs? (more…)
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Don’t Go Broke Being The World’s Best Kept Secret

Don’t Go Broke Being The World’s Best Kept Secret

Marketing Strategy
If a tree falls in the woods and nobody hears it, does it make a sound? I don’t know! If you have a great product or offer a fantastic service and no one knows about it, does it make a difference? Hmmm... Do you see where I’m going with this? If you have a great product or offer a fantastic service and no one knows about it, it really doesn't matter how great it is. I implore you to get your message heard and get your product out there to your market. Meet Me at the intersection of Marketing & Strategy You cannot hide behind your keyboard and expect the sales to magically appear. Posting motivational quotes and selfies on Instagram does not constitute a marketing strategy. How many people are using…
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Event Vendors Need A Promotional Strategy

Event Vendors Need A Promotional Strategy

Marketing Strategy
The holiday season is upon us, and many people host one-stop shopping events. For those of you in product-based businesses, this is most likely a busy season for you in terms of sales. The holiday season presents an abundance of opportunities for you to buy a vendor space and sell your wares. You spend extra money and resources to: build an inventory to be ready for mass sales pay for vendor/exhibit fees keep extra promotional marketing literature ready for distribution. Might I also offer a suggestion that will directly impact your sales opportunities? Develop a promotional event strategy. If you’re participating as a vendor, promote the event like you own it! Do not wait on the event host/promoter to promote you. You’re spending your time, money and resources to take part in an event, so…
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First Things First – Content Strategy Before Social Strategy

Blogging, Marketing Strategy
This is a guest post from Patricia Redsicker,  Principal at WordView Editing.  At the heart of social media is the desire that every consumer has to talk about something interesting, compelling and relevant and to share that information with his or her friends. The question marketers must ask themselves is: “What makes my brand so interesting that people will want to talk about it and share it with their friends?” (Even boring brands have something interesting to say!) You can’t succeed in social media if you don’t have something interesting to say. At this point in your social media experience, you (hopefully) understand that social media marketing is not just about having a Facebook page or a Twitter profile. Social media is the vehicle for communicating and distributing interesting stories…
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Event Recap: BarkWorld F-U-N

Event Recap: BarkWorld F-U-N

Blogging, Branding, Marketing Strategy
I jumped into the final quarter of 2011 by indulging in a new experience and making a bunch of new friends in the process. I had the pleasure of hanging out with the pet loving community at BarkWorld, what an experience! First, I have to personally thank Women Intelligently Networking via TarynP for sponsoring my ticket. I had no idea what I was getting into, but if you know anything about Taryn and Denise Quashie, founder of BarkWorld™, you know they know marketing and social media, so you just go with it! What is BarkWorld? According to the website “BarkWorld is THE social media conference covering ALL facets of social media, pet lifestyle & business education for all pet lovers.” This is EXACTLY what the conference is all about! Even though I’ve owned…
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5 Tips To Supercharge Your Business

5 Tips To Supercharge Your Business

Marketing Strategy, Tips and Tools
As we are all aware, we have lost a global icon in Mr. Steve Jobs. I was saddened at the news of his passing, but as I reflect on the impact this single person has had on my life, and on humanity as a whole, I can’t help but smile. How can I be sad when my life has been forever changed because he chose to share his genius, his vision with all of us? So you know what, I pulled myself together and started to think about the impact Apple has had on my life. Here’s why I was personally distraught: I realized Apple has been my silent partner for 24 years. I started using an Apple computer before most people actually knew what computers were. I learned computer programming on an Apple.…
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DIY Marketing Or Hire A Professional?

DIY Marketing Or Hire A Professional?

Marketing Strategy
Are you a solopreneur and/or small business owner running your business all on your own? Are you functioning as your own marketing department, learning as you go, reading books, subscribing to marketing newsletters, experimenting with trial-and-error marketing tactics? So you can do your own marketing, after all, your efforts seem to be working. My question to you is... Should you be doing your own marketing? Marketers make marketing look easy, key word being ‘look’. Experienced marketers can discuss procedures, processes, strategy and measurable results as easily as they can discuss what they ate for breakfast. If you've ever had a conversation with me, you know what I mean. It's similar to the artist that makes a brush stroke look fluid and effortless, and yet when you try your hand it…
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