Customer Centric Relationship Marketing

by SARubin

The most important marketing lesson for every business…

Meet the new boss; Same as the old boss
The Who – Won’t get fooled again

Wow, I was just listening to the old song “Won’t get fooled again” by the Who. And let me tell you, it really brought back some memories from my youth (I guess that shows you how old I am).

At the end of the song, Roger Daultry sings “Meet the new boss – Same as the old boss” and it instantly got me thinking about marketing.

OK, I can already hear you saying… “What? How the hell can an old rock-n-roll song make you think about marketing? You friggin egghead!”

Well, maybe I deserved that… and maybe not. But at least let me explain where I’m coming from, before you feed me to the alligators…

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Should you sponsor an event for publicity?

by SARubin

Hey, fellow business marketers –

It’s time for another solid marketing strategy.

This one often gets disregarded by small business owners because they think it’s too “old fashioned” or “hokey.”
But it can work extremely well, and it can be relatively inexpensive.

Simply put… Sponsor an event for publicity.

When you sponsor an event or competition, it’s a good way to get your name in front of a lot of people.

If you want to generate an even bigger impact, then you can create your own event.

Of course, creating your own event will cost a bit more than if you just sponsor an event (more time, effort, money) but it can multiply your results geometrically, because you control the full impact of your brand.

Don’t believe it can work?

Well, let me tell you a true story (the short version) about a small company that got amazing results from creating events, instead using traditional adverting…

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Make Your Business Cards Work Harder For You

by SARubin

Hey, fellow business owner –

It’s me again, with another marketing tip to help grow your business…

This time we’re talking about another (hopefully obvious) building block.

Business cards.

You might be amazed at how many companies I consult with that don’t use this one basic marketing tool.

The excuses I hear most often are “We already have a website. Or, we’re just a local store. So business cards are unnecessary.”

Well, believe it or not, there’s still a lot of potential customers out there, who don’t spend their lives with faces buried in a smart phone or computer screen.

And besides, business cards don’t cost much. So why not use every “low cost – high impact” marketing tool at your disposal? It can’t hurt.

Of course, just having business cards is one thing. But turning them into little virtual sales reps for your company, is where they really pay off.

With that in mind, here’s a couple strategies you can use to make your business card work harder for you…
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Does your business really need a website

by SARubin

Hey, fellow business marketer –

Today I’m answering a question from one of my clients, Jim T, who asked if he really needs a small business website.

Jim is a local, self employed, handyman who says he doesn’t like to travel more than an hour for work; so he doesn’t see the need for a website because all his business is local.

Believe it or not, I still hear that statement from a large number of local business owners.

So, I decided to write this short post, just in case you’re still sitting on the fence about it.

The short answer is “yes” your business should have a website.

Your small business website doesn’t need to be fancy, and it doesn’t need to be expensive… But it does need to exist!

The two most common excuses I hear for not having a small business website are…

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