It was cool getting to know Eric Greenspan and Chris Foley at the Convergence 2010 Conference in California last week. I grabbed them at the very end and ask them to give small business owners some practical advice on how to make their marketing work. Eric and Chris run Make It Work and are launching their internet radio show in the fall by the same name. It’s worth the few of this one.
Guy Kawasaki at Convergence 2010 in CA gives advice to small business owners
June 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I caught up with Guy Kawasaki at the recent Convergence Conference held at the Microsoft Headquarters in CA. I asked him what small business owners should do to market themselves.
Consistency is king for small business owners
June 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I continue my interview with Bob Childress, owner-operator for Chick-Fil-A in Roanoke, VA, on the day of the spicy chicken sandwich launch. He tells me how the execute the idea of keeping things consistent for the consumer.
Bob Childress explains small business success through the right staff
June 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Bob Childress of Chick-Fil-A, Roanoke, continues his interview with me. I ask him what is the secret behind his success.
Bob Childress on using social media to launch the new spicy chicken sandwich
June 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I was curious about the role social media played in the launch of the new spicy chicken sandwich for Chick-Fil-A, so I asked Bob Childress, owner-operator of Chick-Fil-A in Roanoke, VA, what his thoughts were. He candidly shared the lessons he’s learned that might help other small business owners.
Bob Childress spices up Chick-Fil-A lanch
June 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I sat down with Bob Childress, owner-operator of the Chick-Fil-A stores at Valley View and Southern Hills in Roanoke, VA. He explains why it took 20 years for Chick-Fil-A to come out with a new product and the lessons they learned along the way.
Jordan Kretchmer of LiveFyre with advice for Small Business Owners on Social Media
June 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Jordan Kretchmer of LiveFyre had some advice and tactics that small business owners could use to grow their business. He was a panelist at the recent Convergeance Conference hosted by RadioInk at the Microsoft Headquarters in CA. Young and fresh, I thought Jordan was great and was full of fresh thoughts and concepts.
Compare websites of your industry competitors
June 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Here’s a super simple way to compare the traffic counts for websites. Just go to www.compete.com or www.quantcast.com. Both are free. You can type in the names of websites and compare which one’s get the most traffic. Quantcast lets you find out quite a bit more at no charge.
How you can use this for your marketing purposes is to find out which sites get the most traffic and study what they’re doing to generate it. What I found with our regional clients is that the one’s that do the most amount of mass media along with internet marketing having the highest traffic counts. You might find something different in your research. The point really is to research before you take a step in any direction and these are great tools for doing that.
Market Where Your Customers Are
May 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I was hiking yesterday to the Cascades which is located in the New River Valley in Virginia. I go there about 5-6 times per year with Allen and dragged my 17 year old daughter this weekend (kicking and screaming). It was Memorial Day weekend so the main path was crowded. When we arrived at the falls there wasn’t even a space for
Cascades, Pembrook, VA
us to sit down. Of course it kicked my marketing mind into gear to see all those people in one place.
Several of my friends own health related businesses and it occurred to me, from a guerilla marketing standpoint, that they could really take advantage of the hot spots for hikers in our region in two ways. First, why not take a few people with backpacks full of great protein bar samples and water to the falls and just sit there and hand them out to people when they arrive with coupons for their businesses. Talk about your target market and people that would appreciate them for making that effort!
Or even better to reach more people, why not use your blog, if you are in the health and wellness industry, to help coordinate hiking groups, or give the best hiking trails in our area, or tips for the best items to pack for each of the trails. Hiking burns more calories than just walking and it’s a whole lot more fun. If you don’t have time to create it, collaborate with someone that does. There is a great site on-line for some of these things, but they don’t have a company behind them with great products and services to keep you in shape after your hike.
People who are getting into shape or who are already there and are looking to stay that way, live active lifestyles and spend a lot of money on great health food and ways to stay fit. Go where your customers are. Serve them with information to stay that way. They’ll reward you with becoming loyal customers.
How do you handle negative comments about your company on Facebook
In my final question, I ask Bob Childress of Chick-Fil-A in Roanoke, VA, how he has adapted to the new world of social. He discusses his apprehension to get started and addresses the question, “how do you deal with negative comments about your company on Facebook?”