Crazy People

Sometimes what the world needs are a few crazy people.  Lorraine Ball shares her ideas on where all the crazy people have gone!

Secret to Trade Show Success

Are you considering participating in a trade show, home show or business showcase this year? If so, here are a few tips which will help you make the most of your investment! Read More…

PPC is an Affordable Advertising Option for Small Businesses

Working on a tight budget?  Caroline Melberg’s blog has a tool might be an effective and inexpensive marketing solution.  PPC or Pay Per Click is very affordable way for small businesses to advertise. You can set the amount you can afford to spend each day, be that fifty cents or fifty dollars and your ad will stop showing once you have hit that amount. It can be a great method of gaining targeted traffic to your business website . . . if you use it correctly. The way you craft your PPC ads will directly affect how targeted your traffic is. You want to use your keywords in the title of the ad, but clarify in the next two lines. This helps ensure that people aren’t mislead. When someone is looking for discount children’s books and you don’t specify that you offer used textbooks on your website, you’ll end up paying for clicks that are completely useless.  Read More

Cherries and Other Marketing Tips

Very often children are our best teachers. In this light-hearted presentation, Lorraine Ball shares an unusual networking lesson, from a child’s perspective

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Mediocre Beats Brilliant

Too often business owners have brilliant ideas but fail to think through all the steps necessary to turn their ideas into reality. The result… failure or mediocre performance, when there could have been extraordinary success.

Whether you are trying to launch a new product or company, or simply run a successful promotion or special event, a well thought out tactical plan gives you a great foundation! Read More…

Who is on Your Front Row

Rainmaker President, Lorraine Ball shares her thoughts on why it is important to surround yourself with people who support you!

Thanks to Dave Anderson and Pinpoint AV for the production of this video

Lessons from the Kitchen – How to Make a Great Stew, Company or Network

Years ago, my mother gave me the secret to making a great stew. I am not much of a cook, but her advice makes a lot of sense when you are trying to build a great company, team, or advisory board. Read More…

How to Build a List Online & Offline in 2008

Here is an interesting and useful article that I found on Jimmy Vee and Travis Millers’ website, gravitationalmarketing.com.  This article will help any small business owner understand and get better use of list building.   In the article a reader asks the question “What’s the true trick in building a list? I am all ebooked out. People are almost afraid to subscribe to anything now days.” Read more…

How to Build a List Online & Offline in 2008

Here is an interesting and useful article that I found on Jimmy Vee and Travis Millers’ website, gravitationalmarketing.com.  This article will help any small business owner understand and get better use of list building.   In the article a reader asks the question “What’s the true trick in building a list? I am all ebooked out. People are almost afraid to subscribe to anything now days.” Read more…

Make Your Web Visitors Feel Welcome

A great Web site is more than just an on-line brochure. For many small businesses, it is the only store-front your customers will experience. Are you ready for visitors? Here are a few suggestions to improve your visitors? experience. Read More…

Low Carb Ways to Stand Out at Trade Shows

Here is a cool article about how to stand out at a trade show written by Rajan Sodhi.  He says companies preparing for a trade show find themselves asking the same question. How can they stand out and attract interest amongst the hundreds of exhibitors and competitors occupying the same real estate? The answer lies in four areas…Read More 

PR – An Affordable, Effective Marketing Tool

Every day, your customers and potential customers are inundated with advertising messages. So, unless you have the advertising budget of Coca Cola, you need to find another way to reach your target audience. 

Public Relations is a good way to do that. But how do you get your name in print? Like any other marketing endeavor, start with a plan.  Read More…

 

Blogging Map from Small Fuel Marketing

I found this really cool map on Small Fuel Marketing which explains how and why blogs have so much marekting potential. There’s a ton of information out there, but this helps organize and explain some of it.

For more details, and lots of links to other great resources, check out the full article.

Tipping Point Off-Balance

Like many marketers, I loved Malcolm Gladwell’s explanation of the how ideas and trends move through society. His law of the few suggests that rare, highly connected people shape the world. The idea there exist a handful of Influential people who can have huge impact on the acceptance of an idea was appealing on two levels.

1) It certainly simplified my job. If I could find the Influential People for a given product category, I could concentrate marketing efforts, and let them carry the message forward.

2) And, I kind of considered myself an Influential, so it fed my ego … just a little

Then along comes this thought provoking article in Fast Company magazine about Duncan Watts who believes a trend depend on timing and societal readiness to accept the given trend. If those elements are in place, anyone can start a trend.

Watt’s research indicates influential people may effectively move a trend further; they are no more likely to start the trend.

Darn, just when I thought I had it figured out. But the more I thought about it, the more I believe he may be right. As an example, I look at the growth of Rainmakers, Indy’s most viral biz association. While we grew initially on the personality and influence of a handful of well connected people, today it is a virus spread by what Watts would call the accidental influential.

So read the article, then tell me what you think,

Accidents Happen

Accidents happen! But even minor mishaps can be major catastrophes for small business owners. Every year, thousands of companies are unprepared for the interruption caused by a minor fire, flood, and burglary or computer meltdown. According to a recent NFIB National Small Business Poll, man-made disasters affect 10% of small businesses, and natural disasters have impacted more than 30% of all small businesses in the USA.

Creating, and implementing a Business Continuity Plan will ensure your business survives any disaster!

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