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Small Biz Survival

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Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource
  • Getting past the quote stage
    customer service | entrepreneurship | marketing

    Getting past the quote stage

    ByBecky McCray September 19, 2016September 27, 2016

      Ever have this problem: a potential customer says they’d like to buy from you. They even request a quote. But after you send that quote, you never hear back from them? A person working at an insurance agency told me about this one. I suggested that people really did want to buy from her,…

    Read More Getting past the quote stageContinue

  • Catching the tourists before they head out for the day
    customer service | entrepreneurship | marketing | tourism

    Catching the tourists before they head out for the day

    ByBecky McCray September 6, 2016September 5, 2016

      Are you in a tourism-based town where people stay in town overnight, but head out touring all day long? Ever complain that the tourists stay, but they don’t spend? Here’s a suggestion, inspired by something Peggy Sanders said in her guest post last week, Which town is yours? “Instead of complaining that the hordes are…

    Read More Catching the tourists before they head out for the dayContinue

  • marketing | rural | Small Biz 100

    Understanding Marketing vs. Branding

    ByGlenn Muske August 17, 2016August 2, 2016

    Understanding what is small business marketing and what is branding is sometimes difficult. Often the concept of branding is collapsed into having a good business name, a logo and a specific color pallet used when identifying the business Marketing, on the other hand, often is equated to advertising only. These perceptions are correct but incomplete….

    Read More Understanding Marketing vs. BrandingContinue

  • marketing | rural | Small Biz 100

    Seven Steps to a Small Business Tagline

    ByGlenn Muske August 10, 2016August 9, 2016

    There are lots of ways to market your small business, personal contacts, business cards, advertising, social media, or storytelling just to name a few. All of these and much more are done to create awareness, bring customers in the door and build your brand. One element of that effort needs to be your tagline. A tagline…

    Read More Seven Steps to a Small Business TaglineContinue

  • Warning: Are you breaking the law by gathering email addresses?
    marketing | mistakes

    Warning: Are you breaking the law by gathering email addresses?

    ByBecky McCray August 8, 2016August 7, 2016

      “I’m always gathering email addresses any way I can. Anytime someone forwards a joke or an email to me and includes a bunch of other email addresses, I add all of them to the email marketing list for our organization.” That was the story from a respected rural nonprofit leader. She said that even though…

    Read More Warning: Are you breaking the law by gathering email addresses?Continue

  • No, really, my business needs a new sign
    entrepreneurship | marketing | mistakes

    No, really, my business needs a new sign

    ByBecky McCray July 25, 2016July 25, 2016

    Glenn Muske wrote Your Small Business Needs a Sign. Ouch! This really hit home for me. Our store sign was damaged by wind and hail, and we left it there for way too long because it seemed like such a big job to do anything. Too many questions: how much will it cost? Which big city…

    Read More No, really, my business needs a new signContinue

  • marketing | Small Biz 100

    Your Small Business Needs a Sign

    ByGlenn Muske July 13, 2016July 6, 2016

    “If you build it, they will come” may work in the movies. But for small businesses, it is a myth. People will only come if they know you exist and they know where and how to find you. You would think that finding a business today is pretty easy given the mapping apps available and…

    Read More Your Small Business Needs a SignContinue

  • marketing | rural | Small Biz 100

    Marketing is NOT a Numbers Game

    ByGlenn Muske June 22, 2016June 21, 2016

    How many hits did you get? Or how many people saw your ad? If you have read many articles on marketing, especially those talking about social media marketing, you may come away with the idea that marketing is a numbers game. The more people who “like” your page or respond to your advertisement, the better…

    Read More Marketing is NOT a Numbers GameContinue

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