Have you ever varnished something, the old-fashioned way, with a brush? Did you try hurrying the job by slathering on a thick coat? It makes a sticky mess, and doesn’t make for a good finish. Instead, the pros do lots of thin layers, maybe dozens. And the results are much better, shiny and smooth. First…
Yes, I do get asked “Is my small town the only one that is this messed up?” The answer is no, you are not alone. We all wonder about it. We all think we must have the most messed up small town anywhere. We deal with some part of the continuum of bad behavior: pettiness backstabbing…
When rural entrepreneurs prosper, they help their communities prosper. That’s why I support rural entrepreneurs. The best way I can help your community to prosper is to help your entrepreneurs and business owners. They are the ones who will help find solutions to local problems. That’s why I was excited by the CNN story of…
Now that QR codes are appearing in my local small town paper, on bags at the trade show last week, and everywhere else, it’s time to look at what works and what does not work. Because your QR codes are either boosting your engagement with potential customers and visitors, or really ticking them off. Mistake…
Audio tours at tourism destinations are nothing new. Museums have been handing out little headsets for years. But all kinds of new technologies are available. Now that every visitor is carrying a cell phone, you might as well make use of it. Here’s an example from Zedler Mill, in Luling, Texas. There is a welcome…
Last week, we talked about the small town style to social media. Our small town style sets us apart online, because we are closer to our customers, we are natural community builders, and we care about our people. If you use that style, it applies no matter what tools you use. This week, we’re talking…
Small town businesses need social media, despite a few claims to the contrary. Almost every small town business can benefit from a smart, customer-focused and community-serving approach online. Why? Because local customers are actively using social networks like Facebook. Because visitors to town are using their smart phones and tablets to access the internet from…
I have a bricks and mortar liquor store. We have used traditional credit card merchant processing for five years, and we just switched over to Square. I’ll tell you why we converted and how we did it. Our Old “Traditional” Merchant Processing Yes, I really do have a liquor store. Our traditional merchant was Retriever…
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