marketing riffs, rants and big ideas for the small business owner

Email Marketing for the Offline Business.

The September issue of my printed, and snail mailed “Big Ideas Marketing Strategies Newsletter” was dedicated to email marketing for the offline business (as you already know if you are a subscriber).

The newsletter goes out to local businesses I work with in McKinney, Texas and the Collin County area… and a few out of state clients.

One thing I touched on was doing a “Recommended Services” add in to your email newsletter.

It went something like this;

Let’s say you own a Landscaping business in McKinney, Texas.

If you happen to be my Landscaping guy… you obviously know my house is need of a bit of painting (not much - just the facing on the chimney).

[continue reading and share your thoughts…]

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Testing out a new service, UMapper.

So take this for what it is, a test post… since I have no idea how it will look until I hit the ‘Publish’ button.

This could be a great tool for local businesses.

You can move the map around… zoom in… basically do everything you can do if you were on the Google Maps page.

Looks pretty good so far.

And I should mention, you do this using a Wordpress plugin and then display the map you created at the UMapper site.

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It’s time for a long overdue house cleaning.

In the event you came here and landed on the dreaded 404 ‘Page Not Found” page… that’s because I’m cleaning house and more than likely deleted the post.

I would never advise anyone to delete posts ranked in the search engines (like I’ve done), but I do not always follow my own advice.

But I do have a good reason.

This blog is going through a total makeover, redesign and getting back on focus (somewhat like our economy is trying to do).

A few days back I installed the latest Thesis theme… it looks a bit bland at the moment, but I’ll have it back up to speed and looking like a 70’s Disco before you know it.

So check back in a few days and let me know what you like, or dislike about the new changes.

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Seth Godin pretty much described what it’s like starting and having a Network Marketing business in his book, “The Dip.”

While he was not referring to Network Marketing specifically… he pretty much hit the nail on the head when it comes to the challenges most Network Marketers face.

(Since I’m borrowing Seth’s image to make a point… here’s a link to the book.)

Like every business, Network Marketers begin at the far left… the small blue incline before the big dip.

Not a problem, most of us can climb that tiny hill easily… that’s the ‘getting ready to get ready’ part of our journey and we can’t wait to get started.

We are all juiced up… motivated and off to conquer the world.

We sponsor a few friends and family members… make a few product sales, and start planning of ways to spend our newly found wealth.

Then it happens.

[continue reading and share your thoughts…]

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There is nothing I can write that would even come close to the words Og, or Simon Potter would have written or said… so I’ll give you Og’s;

Og wrote in Scroll V…

I will live this day as if it is my last.

This day is all I have and these hours are now my eternity.  I greet the sunrise with cries of joy as a prisoner who is reprieved from death.

I lift mine arms with thanks for this priceless gift of a new day.  So too, I will beat upon my heart with gratitude as I consider all who greeted yesterday’s sunrise who are no longer with the living today.

I am indeed a fortunate man and today’s hours are but a bonus, undeserved.

Why have I been allowed to live this extra day when others, far better than I, have departed?  Is it that they have accomplished their purpose while mine is yet to be achieved?

Is this another opportunity for me to become the man I know I can be?  Is there a purpose in nature?  Is this my day to excel?

I will live this day as if it is my last.

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Product Development and Niche Marketing Ideas: Part 2

In Part 1 of this series I gave you a resource of products sold using direct mail.

Let’s take this “Idea Generator” one step further.

What about all of those late night infomercials? How did those products do… and what did those who purchased the product think of it.

The reviews are mixed.

Some loved the product they purchased… some said they were outright scams.

[continue reading and share your thoughts…]

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