Posts Tagged ‘Strategy’

Startup tips: 5 great tools for freelancers (and small businesses)

Mike | October 17th, 2011

What is a freelancer if not a small business? Just like small businesses, freelancers must engage in marketing, manage payables and receivables and other accounting tasks, perform HR functions, direct production, and plan strategy. 1. Planning and strategy. There are lots of great tools and apps out there that will help you to plan and [...]

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Small business tips: mobile technology, the iPad, and your business

Mike | October 3rd, 2011

Last week I was struck by a news story that was unusual in several respects. I turned on the news to see video of a small group of rock climbers rappelling down the exterior of the Washington Monument. The sported the typical gear one would expect to see on such folks: harnesses, helmets, ropes, and [...]

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How Small Businesses Are Using Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC]

Ross | September 28th, 2011

Social media gives small businesses a platform to amplify their voice and visibility among prospective customers. For many small businesses, this is a rich opportunity, as you can see in the following infographic – a look at social media use by small businesses (click image for full size version). Want to embed this infographic into [...]

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Lean Marketing tips: business card as selling tool

Mike | September 26th, 2011

Just about everybody has one. Your desk has probably is littered with little piles of them. I would be willing to bet good money, that right now you have a few of your own in your wallet or purse. In the past year you have probably handed out and received literally hundreds of these tiny [...]

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The agency is Dead! Long live the agency!

Mike | September 19th, 2011

This week I will be speaking at Ad:tech London with our friend John Winsor, the CEO of Victors and Spoils. We will be discussing the future of the agency, the current business climate, crowdsourcing and the new models for delivering creative in the post-agency world. Among other questions, we will be discussing the economic impact of [...]

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Problems Are Opportunities, Not Threats

Ross | September 13th, 2011

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein Most people see problems as threats, not opportunities. It’s natural, when we see problems as threats, to try to solve those problems quickly by doing what worked for us previously in solving similar problems. That’s [...]

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Small business and social good: some tips on doing the right thing

Mike | September 6th, 2011

Last week I wrote about some ways that not-for-profits could leverage the concepts of lean marketing. Today I want to discuss ways that small business can support not-for-profits and get involved in meaningful causes, and at the same time help to drive economic development locally, regionally, or even internationally. The non-profit benefits from increased promotion [...]

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Lean Marketing tips: not-for-profit edition

Mike | August 29th, 2011

Like small businesses, most not-for-profits have limited resources, ambitious goals, and finite capacity. Many NFPs operate in ways that would not be considered ‘business-like,’ AND these organizations, like their small, for-profit cousins, can benefit by leveraging the ideas and tools that we often discuss in the Lean Marketing series. Here are 8 tips for not-for-profit [...]

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Marketing 101: channel management and the digital domain

Mike | August 22nd, 2011

A marketing channel can be defined as a system used to make goods, services, or concepts available for consumption. The very best businesses are adept at managing their marketing channels and can effectively transmit goods and services from the points of conception, extraction, or production to their customer and can gain significant competitive advantage in the process. [...]

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Small business news: the debt ceiling deal. Good for small biz, or not so much?

Mike | August 8th, 2011

After an incredibly painful ordeal, the United States Congress gave birth to a new piece of legislation last week; the deal averted a debt crisis, trimmed the federal government’s budget by trillions of dollars, increased the amount of money the government is authorized to borrow, and has the potential to impact the lives of millions [...]

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