When I refer to “Second Career Entrepreneurs” I’m specifically addressing the group of people who have spent time walking the corporate corridors and have since found themselves running their own businesses. They have experience, networks, an idea of how business works and are now master of their own domain. This combination can result in great…
The Ever Changing Content Carousel It’s no question that content is important on social media, and has been a large driver of social media’s meteoric rise as a preferred choice for marketers. Companies such as Upworthy ($8 million dollar Series A in August) have led the content revolution – not creating anything new, but merely…
If you’re just getting started with social networking, here’s a hard-earned lesson many veteran online networkers are still coming to terms with. Don’t follow back on social networks, just because. Establish an intentional follow policy. Maybe it seems polite to follow someone who followed you or, you’re connected to them in some other part of…
Is E-commerce Stuck In The Mud? After our first Holiday Ecommies Review of 30+ top online retailers (@Ecommies is a new ecommerce ratings, review and award site coming soon). It’s clear e-retailers are stuck in the mud. Holiday 2013 merchandising was flat, uninspired and not original or festive. REI.com and Williams-Sonoma created Holiday 2013 bright…
What your sales back end can tell you about your small business marketing… When considering small business marketing, most owners think about getting exposure and visits/clicks/views, etc. Little attention is paid to the steps to take after prospects have found you. If you don’t make it clear and easy for prospects to take the next step,…
Websites and Blogs Are Different What is the difference between a blog and a website? “Blog” and “website” are sometimes used interchangeably. They are not, but we wouldn’t be as static in our definition as the “Apples” vs. “Oranges” image above. Blogs and websites have important roles to play in successful content and social marketing.…
Human history is littered with examples of how rebuilding is so much swifter and more complete if whatever preceded it was wiped out. Of course, that has typically come after something very bad has happened. Many people embark on their entrepreneurial career after something as major yet of course on a far smaller scale. It…
If who you follow is a key to deriving value from your social networking activities (and it is!), the better you do it for your own purposes, the more you’ll benefit. Here’s one bountiful way into the chaos that will help you find people and accounts sharing content you’re going to want to see in…
Someone asked me recently, “I want my curation to be telling a story. How do I do that?” Yikes! Curation is telling a story??!! I had to laugh because I’d not considered it in that way – even though my expertise is in business storytelling. And yes, my curation does tell a story! Once I…
Varying Paths to the Same Result What is it that causes so many capable entrepreneurs with a solid service to offer, to fail miserably? I’ve found that in most cases it comes down to marketing and its terrifying sibling; sales. Revenue is always a top 3 challenge in polls and rises in prominence when the…
