Think about why you marketing effort. Are you bringing more customers into the store now or are you looking to build your customer base for tomorrow? Both are worthy goals and both should be on your mind as you develop your marketing plan. What happens though is most often marketing focuses on today and we…
In an era when we’re encouraging every rural business to look further outside their local market, it’s interesting to see a business go the other direction. Most rural auction companies use the internet to promote the items at their sales and to accept bids from far-flung customers. But one auction service I heard…
In most small-business startup manuals, you, the owner, are encouraged to define your audience. While a great early step, it often is done incorrectly. The instructions ask you to define your customers or potential customers in terms of: What they like to do Where they gather What they buy What drives them Where they live…
I regularly hear these words from small, rural business owners. How marketing was not something that took so much time and effort. They talk about putting an ad in the paper and they were done for the week. Marketing was advertising and it was done in the local paper, on the local radio and, if…
Last week, we talked about where to find potential entrepreneurs locally. Then I saw a Tweet from my friend Jon Swanson, saying he’d just opened a tiny storefront online. That’s when I realized I forgot to list the online places to look for local entrepreneurs. Right now, rural people from all over are making…
Guest Post by Stuart Langley This tidbit turned up in an Atlantic newsletter email this morning. If you’re a resident of California or another state that’s dealt with drought these last few years, we’d love to see (and possibly share) any photos you’ve got that show the impact on your local landscape. Please send…
Let’s start with a paraphrased quote – “Marketing is everything you do” – Jay Conrad Levinson This quote is distilled from a slightly longer one in Levinson’s book, “Guerrilla Marketing.” I have used it for years when talking about marketing. Marketing should be on your mind from the moment you have an idea. Why? Because…
If you want to increase the sales of your product, you must get it in front of more people. While there are many ways to make that happen, a way used by many small businesses is an affiliate marketing program. It’s simple in the concept, one business agrees to carry another’s person’s products, usually on…
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