I Gotta Guy

Last week, I received an email from a person I know………talking about how Word of Mouth (WOM) MARKETING is more effective than Paid Advertising.   Of course this person wasn’t targeting ME, specifically, or I’m guessing that she wouldn’t have included me.  I was part of a ‘blanket’ email blast that was sent-out to EVERYONE in her Network……..which is a whole separate conversation that we’ll address in a different post.

Besides the fact that her email made it into my JUNK Folder <ironically>, I took some offense since I’ve made my living (for the past 30 years) in the Advertising World.  [...]  Read More

Happy SYNC-O de Mayo

I know, I know…….horrible ‘play-on-words’, but instead of drinking a Margarita this early in the day, I decided to write a blog on the importance of syncing (or backing-up) your files.

Continuing my ’80’s music geekness……..the only thing I could relate to this subject was Sammy Hagar’s Three Lockbox:    (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05w4sk7ON3I)

But my blog could be called: 1, 2, 3 DROPBOX.

If you’re on-the-road like me, it’s not so easy to open your laptop and try to access important files to edit or to present to a client.  Or (& I shudder to think about this one) you have slow or NO internet access, at all. [...]  Read More

Happy Birthday: WWW

World Wide Web (WWW) launches in the public domain

On April 30, 1993, four years after publishing a proposal for “an idea of linked information systems,” computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee released the source code for the world’s first web browser and editor. Originally called Mesh, the browser that he dubbed WorldWideWeb became the first royalty-free, easy-to-use means of browsing the emerging information network that developed into the internet as we know it today.

Berners-Lee was a fellow at CERN, the research organization headquartered in Switzerland. Other research institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University had developed complex systems for internally sharing information, and Berners-Lee sought a means of connecting CERN’s system to others. He outlined a plan for such a network in 1989 and developed it over the following years. The computer he used, a NeXT desktop, became the world’s first internet server. Berners-Lee wrote and published the first web page, a simplistic outline of the WorldWideWeb project, in 1991. [...]  Read More

Why Can’t We Be Friends? The “KLT” Factor

While I was driving to a client’s business the other day, a song came on the radio that I thought would be appropriate for a good blog.  The song was “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” by WAR (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHmmjnEdtx8)

At first, I thought: “what a great theme song for Facebook” <for obvious reasons>.  But, then I thought about business and the KLT-factor (Know, Like & Trust).

ARE YOU A BAD FRIEND TO YOUR CUSTOMERS?

Getting to Know You

This is when customers first hear about your company, your brand story and what you sell. Making a great first impression is important. So where do people get to know your company? [...]  Read More

Green……..with Envy

Well……here we are in the middle of March and there are a few things that are guaranteed:   Daylight Savings Time is a horrible idea (I’m still suffering from that lost hour of sleep), March 18 is the 2nd biggest ‘hangover’ day (just after New Years Day) – <thank you green beer> and IU Basketball is done for the season (no further explanation needed).

Now that I’ve gotten that off of my chest, let’s talk digital!

One of the first things most of our clients ask us is:  “How do I steal my competition’s clients”.  Well……’kidnapping’ is a Federal offense so that’s out of the question, but there are a few ways that you can……..(ethically). [...]  Read More

Website TRANSFORMERS: More than Meets the Eye!

Every Business Needs a Website

There is sometimes a misconception among small businesses that if they’re not selling any products online, there’s no reason to have a website. The thing is, it doesn’t matter if you sell online or not.

First of all, your business probably should sell your product or service online, as it removes a step between someone finding your company, and making a purchase. The point of having a site, though, is not whether or not you’re actually selling it there; it’s about having a web presence. [...]  Read More

2022: “There’s Gonna Be a RESOLUTION”

………Wherever you gooooooooo!!

(in case you’re wondering) Yes that’s a play-on-words from The Beatles: Revolution.  

On January 1, 2022 <still hard to believe it’s 2022, tho> – I couldn’t get that song out of my head for some reason.  So – I looked it up and thought I’d breakdown the song lyrics versus what each one of us promises to do as our New Years Resolution(s).

Lyrics

You say you want a revolutionWell, you knowWe all want to change the worldYou tell me that it’s evolutionWell, you knowWe all want to change the world But when you talk about destructionDon’t you know that you can count me out (in) Don’t you know it’s gonna beAll right?Don’t you know it’s gonna be (all right)Don’t you know it’s gonna be (all right) You say you got a real solutionWell, you knowWe’d all love to see the planYou ask me for a contributionWell, you knowWe’re all doing what we can But if you want money for people with minds that hateAll I can tell you is brother you have to wait Don’t you know it’s gonna be (all right)Don’t you know it’s gonna be (all right)Don’t you know it’s gonna be (all right) You say you’ll change the constitutionWell, you knowWe’d all love to change your headYou tell me it’s the institutionWell, you knowYou better free your mind instead  

NEW YEAR – NEW YOU!   <in ’22>

We ALL have great intentions to keep these resolutions, but how many and for how long? [...]  Read More

‘X’ Marks the Spot for Holiday Cheer

It’s ‘officially’ December and I want to start by wishing you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays………or whatever the correct PC-term is supposed to be these days. 

So (for MOST businesses) December is the last month of your fiscal year to ‘make-up-ground’ to hit your annual budget or to help ‘pad’ those numbers for an already great 2021.  But, when it comes to the bottom-line:   “Too Much is Never Enough”……….am I wrong?   ;-) [...]  Read More

‘NO’ is for NO-vember

(Part I of II)

Let me start by saying………it’s OK to say:     

I know – it’s easier to SAY than DO, but saying NO is a very powerful tool.  (for me) I’d rather say NO <up-front>, instead of saying YES and then having to tell them NO (after-the-fact).   <insert egg on face: HERE>

You have probably heard the saying, “The customer is always right.” Chances are, as a customer, you felt that this catchy phrase applied to you. But this phrase, popularized by Harry Gordon Selfridge in the early 1900s, is wrong — and wrong for a number of reasons. [...]  Read More

How Well Do You Know Your REAL Customer?

It’s almost Halloween so here’s a SCARY statistic:

42% of Companies Don’t Listen to their Customers. Yikes!  

“We put the customer first!”

You’ve definitely heard this phrase before — and probably from more than one company. This statement is a foundational promise in countless mission statements, website headlines, and choruses of customer service teams everywhere.

Most businesses are well-intentioned when they say they are “customer first,” but it’s time to do more than just say it.

If you want to truly build your business around your customers, there are some simple steps you can take to start. Try surveying your customers, creating a customer code, or researching how other companies have successfully grown with a customer-first mindset[...]  Read More