More than a Few Words

3187 Ins and Outs of Online Advertising

Not every advertising vehicle is right for every business.Should you advertise on Linkedin? Yelp or the Yellow Pages.com?   This week we will talk about some things you should keep in mind  And if you want to learn more, download our Online Advertising Guide. 

#186 Lessons from a Corporate Branding Exercise

Branding is easy with a new company. You have clean slate.  There are no expectations, no existing impressions to overcome.  That isn't the case when an 11 year old company decides to change their name.     Our guest this week, Muhammad Yasin the Marketing Director at Perq  shared the ups and downs of that company's recent re-branding exercise. 

#185 Why No One Reads Your Blog

You have been spending months working on your blog posts, but no one seems to be reading them.  This week Jarred and Lorraine talk about some of the reasons readers are not flocking to your site, and how to fix that. 

#184 Your Twitter Voice

Twitter is the ticker tape newsreel of the modern era. It's a global watering hole, perfect for researching the latest trends, following breaking news, and interacting with the needs of customers. Its low barrier-to-entry puts everyone from celebrities to plumbers on the same playing field. Have you found your brand's voice among the crowd? This week, Lorraine introduces newcomer Jarred Juett to the Roundpeg family. They discuss the maturation of  Twitter - from its infant stage as a platfo...

#183 Who is Your Business Plan For?

While every business plan covers the same basic topics the emphasis is different based on who will be reading your plan.  What a banker wants is dramatically different from what an investor needs to know.    Want to learn more?  Download our free business plan outline. 

#182 Superbowl and Social Media

The big game was a blow out, but what about the advertising battle played out on social media and on TV?  Anne and Lorraine talk about the real winners and losers of yesterday's game. 

#181 Expiration Dates

All good things come to an end.  That is especially true for content marketing.  Even the best campaign can only run so long.  So how do you know when it is time to call it quits? 

180 Why You Need a Content Calendar

It is so much easier to do anything when you plan ahead.  That is especially true when it comes to your content marketing.     It is tough to do your best work if you wait till the last minute to create a blog post, email or social media update,   Using a content calendar, you can organize your month around topics, themes or events which are relevant to your business.  You can anticipate the kind of content (video, photograph,blog post, landing page, worksheet or ebook) you will need to sup...

#179 Wordpress 201

When it comes to your website there is always something new.  A new feature or tool.  This week we share some of our favorite web enhancements, things you can do to improve the functionality and user experience of your website.    If you enjoy the podcast, consider downloading our white paper on this same topic for even more suggestions. .  

#178 Find Your Influencers

When it comes to your product or service, who are the influencers? Who will others look to when they need help deciding what to buy?  Do you have a specific plan to get these people on board to help you market your product? Allison and Lorraine discuss who is and isn’t an influencer, and how to reach out to these critical word-of-mouth marketers.

#177 The Private Internet

While the big social networks of Facbook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google + get lots of attention, there is a vast "underground" or private internet that bypasses these platforms completely. Increasingly, we're seeing a shift away from the kind of mass broadcast social media that has dominated for so long toward a smaller, more intimate social experience. While this shift was lead by younger adults and teens, it is now spreading as all users are recognizing that not everyone needs to know ever...

#176 The Death of Free

For businesses which have formed in the era of the internet, we have grown accustomed to getting our tools for free.  But things are changing.  Innovative tech firms have discovered that building a sustainable business requires a revenue model built on finding ways to get users, visitors and community members to pay for some or all of the services they receive.    It is going to be more expensive for small businesses, but Lorraine and Allison are actually in favor of the decline of free sof...

#175 Uh-Oh Spaghetti-O's

Does your brand really need to have an opinion on everything?  We don't think so.   For example why exactly did the childhood favorite brand of canned spaghetti feel the need to comment on the 72nd anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor? Was their content relevant or even remotely touching?     Actually no, and the negative backlash from the social media community probably left them wondering why they ever thought it might be a good idea.    

#174 Facebook Tells Businesses it is Time to Pay Up

After having spent several years building a strong Facebook community, it is frustrating to see posts with visibility to less than 10% of our community. That is no accident says Facebook as they look to increase advertising revenues.     Want more people to see your updates?  Well then you need to advertise. 

#173 Consistency, Consistency, Consistency.

When you're busy (which, let's face it, is always), it's so easy to let a week slide by without writing any new content for your blog or responding to content sent over by your marketing company. It's understandable, but in order to have great content marketing, you've got to be consistent. In this week's marketing podcast, we discuss how to keep up with content marketing even when life's crazy. 

#172 Brand Position: Where Do You Fit?

More than just marketing hype, your brand position statement is about creating an impression of your company in the mind of your prospective customer.  It is the basis on which all your other marketing should be built.  A positioning statement contains the following elements: Description of the target customer Benefits sought by the target customer to solve a specific problem Your unique solution   This week we kick around examples of good and bad position statements.  

#171 Yelp: Quietly Making Noise

Word of mouth has always been a powerful way to build your business.  Even in the age of the internet it still is. The difference?  The words are now being shared on line on referral sites like Yelp and Google+.     Are you taking advantage of the tools at your disposal?  You should be.   

#170 Event Marketing

What if you threw a party and no one came? These days with the internet, and especially social media that is highly unlikely. You can use your website to house event information, send email invitations, invite people to register online and share their experiences real-time.      In this episode, we look at how do you harness all these resources to really create positive buzz for your event.   For more on this topic, check out blog posts on Roundpeg.biz

#169 The Art of the Decision

#168 Chipotle - Delicious Food and Smart Marketing

Build a brand by not talking about your product? Done well, that strategy is not as crazy as it sounds, especially if you are trying to appeal to the Millennial generation. Chipotle has done just that by focusing their advertising, not on the product, but on their commitment to sustainable farming and more healthy natural foods.    This strategy has delivered tasty bottom line results and strong growth. What can your business learn from Chipotle?  Listen now and find out.   

#167 Where did JC Penny Go Wrong?

JC Penny has been in business for 100 years.  Cleraly they did a lot of things right over the years to stay in business as other retailers have come and gone.  But these days, they are struggling as they try to be something they are not.    What would you do to turn the situation around?  Well Allison and Lorraine certainly have some ideas for them. 

#166 Content Marketing and Language Evolution

English is not a static language. New words, phrases and grammar rules are added all the time. In this episode we talk about why  we  must, evolve along with the beautiful, messy English to create effective marketing    More on this topic can be found here: http://www.roundpeg.biz/2013/09/grammar-rules-change-deal/

#165 In a Down Economy

The economy cycles up and it cycles down.  Learning to roll with the punches is part of running a successful business. This week we talk about things a business owner should be doing as we head into a sluggish 4th quarter.  For more on this topic go to: http://www.roundpeg.biz/2013/08/small-businesses-and-the-economy/

#164 Time to Hire Someone to Help

While we love it when companies outsource their marketing to us, sometimes the best decision is for them to bring on a staff member.  Trying to decide what is right for you?  This conversation might help

#163 How do you know when to hire someone to help with marketing?

While we love it when companies outsource their marketing to us, sometimes the best decision is for them to bring on a staff member.  Trying to decide what is right for you?  This conversation might help

#162 It is the Little Things

When it comes to marketing many business owners are surprised what a big impact a few little things can make.  It is easy to remember to send the big campaigns, get the booths ready for the trade show, but success is in the details and the consistent follow up.     This week, Allison and Lorraine talk about some of the little details that can make a big difference in any business and why, they are often overlooked. 

#161 Content Marketing Can Help Close Sales

What is content marketing?   It is information you share with prospects which help them reach a buying decision without overtly selling.  Content can be video, audio, pictures, eBooks, blog posts, email or social media update.     Using any of these formats you mission is to maintain an informative tone, while still leading the most qualified prospects to the decision they need to work with you. 

#160 Help Wanted

While large companies can afford a few bad hires, small businesses can't.   This week we explore the ups and downs of finding the perfect person.  And if you are looking for a job, this conversation is directed at you as well.  Pay attention and discover how to get to the heart of the interviewer, and get the job. 

#159 A Trip to the Mall

The lines between on and off line are blurring, but some stores, particularly high end retails stores seem slow to make the move.  Given the computer savvy nature of their customers, this seemed a little odd. But maybe they are just trying to build an extraordinary in person experience.      Join us this week as we share some of our adventures on a recent trip to the mall 

#158 Your Brand is More than a Logo

 Your brand is what you want people to think about your company, and feel about your company.  The logo, color, and font choices should all support the impression you want to create. 

#157 Growing Pains

Businesses go through growth stages and there is a little pain at each step.  From hiring employees to deciding when to our source or add a new system, these changes may hurt a little, but are necessary in the long run if you want to move on. 

#156 Everyone is not your customer

As much as you would love to sell to everyone, you need to accept that Everyone is NOT your customer.    No matter what you sell, there are people who will want your product and other's who won't.     Now limiting who you target, does not limit who you sell to.  It is simply a way of deicing where to focus your resources.   As a small  business owner you need to focus precious marketing resources on connecting with people who might really want to buy.The others will find you 

#155 It is All About Ego

While a healthy ego can help you have the confidence to launch and run your own business, left unchecked it can lead you down the wrong path.   There are times to trust your gut, and times to take the advice of others.  Successful business owners learn to find a balance between the two. 

#154 Why we love and hate the new Gmail Tabs -

Google has just rolled out another change to their popular email tool. your inbox is now presorted into tabs, with only the most important content hitting your inbox.  Is it a productivity enhancement or one more set of hoops to jump through.  As you will discover as you listen to Allison and Lorraine the answer depends on how you use the tool.  But regardless of how you use it, or even if you use it at all, there are implications that will effect the open rate of your weekly newsletter.   ...

#153 Blog Basics

The biggest challenge most beginning bloggers face is where to find the content to fill all those blog posts. 

#152 What's New in Social Media - Pictures, Pictures and More Pictures

As web and mobile technologies improve, pictures and video are becoming a more important part of the social experience.  To keep up, or stay one step ahead, we have seen a number of changes in recent weeks including the introduction of Rich Pins on Pinterest and 15 second Instagram videos.  What does this mean for you and your business? That is at the heart of this week's conversation. 

#151 Facebook isn't Dead

Some "experts" are seeing the recent declines in the time people are spending on Facebook as a clear signal that Facebook is dying.   I think their predictions are a bit premature.  Facebook is still huge social media platform so don't count them out yet.   This week we talk about some of the changes in demographics and user behavior, the addition of hastags, the over use of ads and most importantly, what all these changes mean to small business owners.

#150 Shiny Toy Syndrome

Just like a dog is easily distracted by a passing squirrel, small business owners are distracted by new toys, tools and technologies.  So how do you find a balance to stay ahead of your competitors without running in multiple directions and not getting anything done?     Lorraine and Alison share some of their favorite tips for managing this fine balance.  

#149 Who Should Manage Your Social Media

It is time to move past interns and part time employees.   Social media is serious marketing and needs to be treated that way.    This week we take on the topic of social media management.  Our conclusion?  It isn't so much a job as a job skill that everyone should have.

#148 Email Still Works

Often abused and overused, email has gotten a bad reputation.  But if done well it, used to send relevant messages to an interested audience email will  still deliver extraordinary and cost effective returns.  This week Allison and I talk about ways to make your email marketing more effective.

#147 Ups and Downs of Internship

For many small businesses, summer means one thing: interns. Should you be hiring an intern? Do they need to be paid? And what should they be getting out of it, anyway? Lorraine and Allison use their years of supervising--and being!--interns to shed light on how interns can  be a big help to your business, and how they can slow you down.

#146 Vacations

It's June! The days are longer, the temperatures are rising and people are starting to think about vacations. It's unfortunate many of the small business owners I work with make the mistake of skipping vacations because they are afraid to take the time away from their business. But you need to take time to recharge your batteries, see and do new things and look at the business from a distance.  To help you do just that Lorraine and Allison talk about strategies to plan for your vacation so ...

#145 Voice

Creating a unique voice in writing is one of the most difficult but important parts of a successful marketing campaign. You need to understand who you are, who your customer is and what you’re trying to accomplish. We talk about what makes for a great voice and what to do–and what not to do–when you raise your voice.

#144 Google+ & Tumblr

Allison and Lorraine talk about recent changes to Google + and Tumblr.

#143 Tax Preparation

Now that tax season is over, it’s a good time to look at ways to reduce your tax bill next year. Join us as we chat with Gregory Simons about how you, the small business owner, can get ahead. About Gregory Simons: Greg has been an accounting professional since 1988, having worked for two Big Four accounting firms as an auditor and manager for special projects for six years. He also worked for a Fortune 500 company as an Internal Auditor for over a year. In 1995, Greg founded Simons Bitzer & ...

#142 Reaching for the Stars

CJ McClanahan believes that fundamentally, every business has the core objective to “deliver goods or services in a fashion that provides an en ever increasing value to the shareholders.” Additionally, in a highly competitive, constantly changing marketplace, all businesses must adhere to one additional ideal in order to thrive and effectively adhere to their core objective that is to “provide an exceptional experience for their employee that inspires and enables them to grow and achieve the...

#141 What’s New In Content Management

With changing rules from Google and new technology, keeping your marketing one step ahead of  your competitors is an on going challenge. That’s what drove conference organizers John and Linda Coonen to organize the first CMS  Expo in 2008. Their formula: invite the best in the CMS community to showcase what they can do to empower others. Today the event brings together web professionals in businesses, non-profits, education and government units

#140 Digital Storytelling

Great videos begin with great stories. This week, we will talk with Lisa Whitman, co-owner of Digital Stories Productions, about how to use stories as the foundation of a great video. Lisa describes herself as a host, interviewer, listener, story teller, producer and professional chit-chatter. I am really looking forward to a great conversation about capturing the stories of your business. About Lisa Lisa Whitman - Owner and President, Digital Stories Productions Lisa is passionate about h...

#139 Succession Planning

Today you’re focused on building your business, but someday you may want to sell it or turn it over to your employees. All too often business owners wait until it is way too late to start mapping out an exit strategy. Our conversation with  T. Ray Phillips, owner of  The Family Business Legacy Company, LLC., will be about building your exit plan. T. Ray is the ideal person to talk about this topic. He was the first person in Indiana and among only 500 nationwide to successfully complete the ...

#138 Content Only You Can Create

In the rush to create content for blogs, emails and social media, many small business owners fall in to the trap of simply re-purposing content they find elsewhere. While some of this information is good to share, you need to have your own perspective as well. If you want to stand out, you have to include content only you can share. From stories about your clients and projects to events around the office, content is a great way to give prospective customers an inside view of your company. Sh...