Ok, pop quiz time! What exactly is branding? I wouldn’t bother trying to look online for the answer. You look at 100 marketing websites, you’re going to find at least 100 slightly different ideas. Why is it so difficult to nail down a single definition of branding? It’s because branding… is huge. It’s massive. It encompasses everything about your business. Trying to shrink that down to a single sentence is nearly impossible. So I’m not going to try! Instead, I’m going to break it down that massive concept into some smaller pieces, helping you understand what branding means for YOU…
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Back in the early 80s, there was a saying that gained tremendous popularity in computing circles. Today, we would call it a meme. “Print is dead.” It was so popular that it was even used as a joke in Ghostbusters. Back then, the concepts of the paperless office and electronic mail was just starting to pick up steam. Of course, we know now that it wouldn’t be until the mid-90s that email would really take off, and decades until the paperless office became a reality. So, here is the question: now that digital technology has reached the point where we…
Read MoreLet me ask you a hypothetical question. Imagine you are looking for a virtual assistant to help with your small business (a fairly good bet, seeing as you’re here right now). You narrow your choices down to two VAs. To make your decision, you bring up their websites. Both of the sites look good. They are cleaned and polished, not looking dated at all. There are lots of services offered, some solid testimonials, and the graphics and copy are all high quality. Ah, but then you visit the “Blog” sections. In one of them, you see that they haven’t updated…
Read MoreOne of the most common questions that I get asked in free consultations is, “How do I grow my business?” And boy, is that a loaded question! As a virtual assistant, there are a ton of ways that I can help you grow your business, ranging from taking advantage of my digital marketing services to business coaching. But I have always found that one of the most effective methods is to host a webinar. A webinar is essentially an online seminar, and there are so many benefits to creating one! Figure Out What Aspect of Your Business You Would Like…
Read MoreThere’s a great Jerry Seinfeld comedy bit that perfectly sums up how some people feel about public speaking. “According to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you’re better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.” In my experience working with clients, I’m afraid that I have to agree. Speaking in front of people is a fear born right out of “show and tell,” back when they were a kid. Getting up in…
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As small business owners, the internet has given us so much. It’s often used for procrastinating, with cat videos on YouTube or reading random articles on Wikipedia. But that’s the “bad” stuff. It’s also given us social media networks that we can use to connect with clients directly.
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Ad-blockers are on the rise. Boy, there’s a phrase that puts cold fear into the heart of any marketer or business owner! Marketing has been in a Cold War with ad-blockers ever since the early days of the internet. Ad-blockers are browser extensions that will automatically filter out all of the advertisements on a website before it loads. The result is that the viewer will get a website completely free of any ads. Great for the viewer, but not for the businesses that are buying ads on the site. Thankfully, there are a few ways that marketers can combat ad-blockers…
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Do you know what the most effective method of advertising was back in the golden age of “Main Street” America? The storefront window. Pedestrians would walk by and look in all of the storefront windows on main street to see the most interesting and expensive items sold. And it worked! People would come in off the street to take a look around the stores. If the store owner was a particularly effective salesperson, they would walk out with a bag full of products, maybe even the one they saw in the window. In the marketing world today, the storefront window…
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When I talk to clients about what marketing technique usually gives them the best return on their investment, they are often shocked to discover that it’s their email list. A targeted and high-quality email list is one of the most valuable assets that a business can have. It enables all kinds of email marketing, allowing them to reach out to already existing or potentially interested customers with all kinds of marketing content, ranging from digital newsletters, to new product announcements, to marketing campaigns. An email list isn’t something that you can just buy off the internet (well, you can, but…
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Do you have an Instagram account set up for your business? If not, you’re missing an incredibly valuable opportunity to connect with potential clients and customers in a way that is unique from every other social media channel. Instagram is currently the most used social media network out there today, with over 800 million monthly users. Even better, these are highly engaged users! They are actively looking for content, services, and products, all of which you and your small business could provide them with. So the 800 million dollar question is… Why aren’t you on Instagram yet? Is your small…
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