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For easier social media marketing, fill in the blank

By Becky McCray

Sheila Scarborough and Leslie McLellan of Tourism Currents laid out a simple starting point for all your social media efforts. Good news: it’s as easy as filling in the blank. Fill in the Blank (Our company) is where (our customers) find (the thing we offer) with (this benefit) So all you have to do is […]

August 5, 2019 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, social media, tourism Tagged With: branding, calendaring, destination marketing, effective marketing, entrepreneurship, Leslie McLellan, marketing small business, online marketing, planning, retail, service businesses, Sheila Scarborough, social media marketing, Tourism Currents

Need a downtown business idea? Try a Cookie Crawl

By Becky McCray

A tray of cookies on a craftsman-style table

  Our friend Maury Forman of Washington state, sent us this idea from Madras, Oregon: On February 16 the Madras Downtown Association and Petite Sweets hosted the first-ever Cookie Crawl. Participants paid $5 and received a box and map that listed all the locations where the beautifully decorated cookies were available. Petite Sweets decorated cookies […]

July 22, 2019 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, rural Tagged With: activities, downtown, effective marketing, entrepreneurship, events, guest post, Maury Foreman, promotions, retail, rural, service businesses, small business

Know your customers: What do they want to be good at?

By Becky McCray

  A few weeks ago, we talked about knowing your customers in order to help them answer questions they get asked. This week, get to know your customers better by thinking through what they want to be good at. What do your customers want to be good at? You help customers all the time. The […]

March 25, 2019 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, rural Tagged With: content marketing, effective marketing, entrepreneurship, marketing, online marketing, retail, service businesses, small business success, social media

Know your customer: Who’s asking them questions?

By Becky McCray

  You know I’m a big fan of answering customer questions. That’s been part of my marketing advice for 10 years now. Should I blog for my small business? Yes, answer customer questions Talk less about you, more about them Top small business blogging questions answered But there’s a deeper layer to serving your customers. […]

February 11, 2019 Filed Under: entrepreneurship, marketing, rural, social media Tagged With: email marketing, marketing, retail, service businesses, small business

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