The SmallBiz Marketing Blog

Key Performance Indicators – Part 1

Corte Swearingen — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 15:13:26 +0000

One of the questions I get a lot from small business owners is “What key performance indicators are most important for my business?” While there is no set of “universal” key performance indicators (KPI’s) that will be 100% aligned to your unique business, I’ve developed ten KPI’s that you can use as a starting point. [...]

Top Blogs and Resources for Small Business Owners

Corte Swearingen — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:15:47 +0000

There are so many small business marketing and growth blogs out there, and it can be difficult to find the ones that reward your time with articles and information that will affect your bottom line. Check out the Top 50 Blogs for Small Business Owners. It’s a great resource for valuable information to help you [...]

Stop Cold Calling!

Corte Swearingen — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 12:41:40 +0000

Whether cold calling is a small or large part of your marketing efforts to bring in new prospects, stop it!! Cold calling is probably the number one most inefficient marketing effort you can make. In fact, I don’t even consider it a real marketing tatic. Why? Because it is a form of “Interruption Marketing.” Sure, [...]

Try Search It!

Corte Swearingen — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 12:37:05 +0000

Search It! is simply the best all-in-one search tool I’ve come across. And the best thing is that it is completely free to use. Below is the basic search interface. There are four steps or less to any search query. Step 1 involves choosing a basic search function from a drop-down menu. There are [...]

Five Things All Business Owners Should Know

Amanda Mitchell — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:36:29 +0000

As a business owner, you’re part of an elite group. Many people dream of starting their own business, either to follow their passion, or just to get out of someone else’s cubicle. The fact is, most small businesses don’t last very long, and few people ever act on their desire to run a business in [...]

Create a LinkedIn Profile

Corte Swearingen — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 12:46:42 +0000

LinkedIn is a professional networking site whereby business people can connect with other associates, friends and potential clients. LinkedIn is sometimes referred to as Facebook for professionals. As a small business owner, you really need to be on this service. Creating a profile is a simple process. Once done, you can start connecting with other [...]

How Much to Spend on Marketing?

Corte Swearingen — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 11:06:48 +0000

So how much should you spend each year on your marketing program? Some companies take a percentage of the past year’s revenue and use that as the budget for the upcoming year. I don’t like this as it assumes that a fixed amount of money must be spent irrespective of business conditions. Your marketing expenses [...]

Tie Yearly Goals to Revenue

Corte Swearingen — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 13:58:25 +0000

I strongly encourage you to find ways of tying your marketing goals to revenue. After all, it’s your marketing program that will be driving your yearly profits. You can do this by being very specific in the creation of your goals and defining numbers that are directly tied to revenue. Examples include: Number of unique [...]

Define Fewer Goals

Corte Swearingen — Sun, 23 May 2010 20:01:22 +0000

Most small business owners have a lot of goals they want to accomplish. This can lead to a problem where you are focused on so many different goals, none of them get accomplished very well. Pick 3-5 major goals for your business per year. Don’t overdo it. It’s much better to focus on three critical [...]

Sell Other People’s Products

Corte Swearingen — Sat, 15 May 2010 11:48:25 +0000

If you are a new business or simply don’t have a large product line, think about selling other people’s products for a commission. Research products that would complement your current offering and call the company to see if they are interested in having you advertise and sell the product for a commission. You might even [...]