Get Inspired with Compass On-Demand

Last week I was working with one of my small business clients, a bright and dynamic woman who’s passionate about positioning her artisan business for growth. We were talking about her financial picture and forecasting robust sales over the next three years. (more…)

Local daily newspapers, faced with mounting financial pressures,
are running out of things to eliminate.

This time, it’s the zoned editions for local news that are taking
a hit.  Making these cuts means newspapers, forced to lay off
workers to lower their payroll, no longer have to staff outlying
bureaus.

Here are four alternatives which you should also consider even if
your local daily still has zoned editions:

- -Build relationships with reporters at your local weekly
newspapers.  Local news is their bread and butter.

- - Newspapers are hungry for your video, even amateur video, to
use at their websites.  The next time your group has an event
that the newspaper won’t cover, cover it yourself, using an
inexpensive Flip Video camera, and offer the video to your local
TV stations, too.  I’ve explained how to do this at
http://tinyurl.com/4e8j4o

- -Start posting your news to the Craigslist nearest you.  Be
aware that Craigslist has strict rules against posting the same
item to more than one category or to more than one list.

- -Remember that most dailies might welcome your news for their
online editions.  So identify one edition or reporter as your key
contact, and start building the relationship.

The more addicted you become to Twitter, one of the fastest and
easiest-to-use publicity tools, the more time-consuming and
confusing it can become.

Answering the question “What are you doing?” within 140
characters is the easy part. (more…)

My Top Twelve HIGH ROI To Do’s For Your Business in 2009

- Create a Timeless and Focused Marketing Plan for Your Business

As you probably have heard by now—you aren’t in the business of (fill in the blank here). You are in the business of marketing. Your marketing must be automated and systemized. Period.

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Publicity Hound Holly Miller of Chesapeake, Virginia emailed me
and asked if it’s proper to include a Twitter address within a
press release.

It’s a great idea, and it got me thinking about other ways to let
people know where they can find you online. (more…)

As a business and life coach I hear it all. From the trials and tribulations of business ownership to the juggle and struggle of maintaining balance in a 21st century life - it’s universal. You are working your tail off to support yourself and live your dream. Knowing what it takes to keep a business thriving can sometimes make you wonder why anyone goes into business for themselves. It reminds me of childbirth, no woman EVER says she’s willing to have another baby in the throws of labor, but guess what - the population keeps growing. AND, likewise, small businesses keep growing as well. (more…)

Three Mindsets of Marketing
As you know, your mindsets drive your ability to succeed in business. Learn how to market more effectively with these valuable tips:

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Hopefully, the search engines are pulling traffic, including
journalists, into your blog and your website.

Are you also sending either an electronic newsletter, or a simple
email tip at least every other week? If so, you’re taking
advantage of two of the strongest marketing tools on the planet.

But here’s the question that separates the wanna-bes from the
true marketers at the higher level. (more…)

Have you gotten a great publicity hit in print or online?

Instead of worrying about how to turn one hit into multiple hits,
you should be more concerned about what to do with all that
traffic that’s visiting your website.

How? Start capturing people’s email addresses. (more…)

If you live anywhere but under a rock it’s hard to avoid the recent economic reality we find ourselves in as a nation. Regardless of your political affiliation it’s overwhelming trying to decipher what it all means and stressful wondering if it’s going to be ok. Try as I do to monitor how much media I allow myself to consume, it effects me as a citizen, but even more as a small business owner. (more…)