Even in the digital age, direct mail is an important and useful marketing tool for small business. Direct mail also has a long history, beginning thousands of years ago. Let’s take a look. Ancient Beginnings The earliest concept of direct marketing can be traced to Ancient Egypt — around 1000 BC. A local landowner used…
We all know that time is precious. There are 24 hours in a day, and it sometimes seems like that’s not nearly enough (how about a 30-hour day?). We all juggle work, home, and other responsibilities. Managing your time can be tricky, but effective time management is essential for a successful business. You can’t add…
You work hard at your business, and, while it’s generally something you love doing, it’s easy to feel a little drained. Do you sometimes have trouble getting — and staying — motivated? Here are a few tips to help get back — and keep — your focus and drive. Review (and Renew) Your Goals People…
At the start of each year, we often make resolutions: lose weight, exercise more, get organized. While the first two are often tricky, that last resolution is pretty doable (and without suffering through food cravings or sore muscles). Let’s look at getting organized and decluttering your business environment. Japanese organizing consultant Marie Kondo sparked a…
First off, we hope everyone had a relaxing and restful holiday. Happy (slightly belated) New Year! Let’s hope good things are in store for 2019. You hear a lot about influencers in social media. What is an influencer and how does this growing trend affect marketing strategies for business (big and small)? What is a…
As the year winds down, it’s the perfect time to reflect on your business accomplishments and look toward the future. It’s also a good time to review your goals, see what worked, what didn’t, and what you want to achieve in the coming year. It’s often hard for small business owners to set aside the…
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, which means colder weather, family gatherings, shopping, and jolly Old Saint Nick – or Santa Claus, as most people know him. The chubby man in the red suit and white beard brings joy to millions, but kids aren’t the only ones enchanted by this magical figure. Advertisers…
Only five more weeks until Christmas! Whether you just uttered a “yay” or an “ugh” doesn’t change the fact that just around the corner the Christmas chaos commences – complete with long checkout lines, hustle and bustle, and Black Friday. And if you survive Black Friday, there’s Cyber Monday. At least you can stay warm…
You want to keep your customers happy, but how do you know how they really feel about your products and services? A customer survey is an effective way to gain important insights into just what your customers are thinking. You want to design a survey that gets you the information you need and one that…
The holidays are upon us, and that means family, friends, food, social events — and shopping (lots and lots of it). Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the two big shopping days, but there’s another day that’s important to local entrepreneurs: Small Business Saturday, which is November 24. The day was first observed in the…