09/01/2010

Set aside your opinions when trying to reach target market
It was a bonehead move for my counselors at Summer Fun Day Camp to take a van full of impressionable 7- and 8-year-old kids to see the 1971 Vincent Price horror movie, "The Abominable Dr. Phibes." Filling my nightmares for years, the film featured a disfigured physician methodically killing the surgeons who had failed to save his wife following a car accident.

08/18/2010

How to make the Q & A websites work to your advantage
After borrowing my sister-in-law's mobile phone in 1988, I was convinced that cell phone technology would never gain much of a following. As attractive and portable as a cinder block, it came with a 42-page instruction manual that was as user-friendly as the directions for programming the clock on an early-model VCR.

08/09/2010

Many options exist for writing, distributing press releases
The first time I saw my photograph in a newspaper, I was mortified. I was eight years old. My brownie troop produced a float for the Christmas parade in Englewood, Colo. And, after dutifully decorating for weeks, I was chosen to ride on top of the float instead of walking next to it.

07/22/2010

Two thumbs up: How to make the most of customer reviews
In the dog days of summer while I was growing up, I honed my sales-skills by trying to convince my parents to spend hot afternoons in air-conditioned movie theaters. But, despite my best efforts, my pitch usually fell on deaf ears. I blame Siskel and Ebert.

07/07/2010

The importance of being earnest not lost on internet users
The thing I remember most about Lori's mom was the back of her head. Growing up, I spent many a hot Denver afternoon sticking to the imitation leather seats of their white station wagon, listening to my best friend and her three sisters argue while Judy patiently drove us to choir rehearsals, youth group meetings, camp, the mall, school dances and roller skating parties.

06/23/2010

Learning customers' unmet needs could produce new niche
We recently moved from Running Springs to Lake Arrowhead. And, like any transplant, we were required to transfer our utilities from one home to the other. Ordinarily, this type of chore wouldn't bother me. But my experience with Charter Communications is one for the books.

06/10/2010

Reward bargain hunters, especially your website shoppers
To succeed in the business world, entrepreneurs need to remember this time-tested truth. If you offer a legitimate discount, you will generate sales. And this is especially the case when it comes to shopping in cyberspace.

05/26/2010

Use social media to boost SEO rankings for your site
One of our website clients called the other day to chat about Search Engine Optimization. He qualified the conversation up front:

"I want my business name to pop up first when people do a Google Search for 'Lake Arrowhead Construction,'" he said. "But I'm not interested in writing a blog or tweeting or posting to Facebook or anything like that."

05/12/2010

Use fresh approach to make indelible mark on customers
My mother-in-law is not a fan of tattoos. My eldest daughter is. So it's been fairly interesting watching the two of them debate the issue.

Because Brianna is now 20, she is old enough to make her own decisions. But that doesn't keep Mom from trying to dissuade her. I think the reason her point of view falls on deaf ears is because she is using outdated arguments to try to turn the tide.

04/28/2010

Going green with marketing has business implications, too
I think my aversion to the color began when I first heard Kermit the Frog sing that it isn't easy being green. Although I enjoyed the tune, I had to agree with his assessment. Green is most often associated with emotions like envy and air sickness. And let's face it; when someone says you look green, they hardly ever mean it as a compliment.

04/14/2010

What's your strategic approach to customer satisfaction?
Several years ago, we stayed at an international hotel chain in Northern California. When we arrived, we were surprised that there were no pillows in our room. We called the front desk to ask for a few, and the staff informed us that they were out of pillows because, prior to our arrival, several other guests had requested extras. Naturally, the housekeepers thought it best to raid our room in order to meet the demand.

04/02/2010

Why you should add podcasts, video logs to your strategy
I've always been rather horrified at the sound of my own voice on tape. It's not even close to what I hear when I'm talking. I wish it was raspy and sultry, or even just hoarse like actresses Lauren Bacall, Kathleen Turner or Sophia Bush. Instead, in recordings, I sound like a slightly older, less feminine version of Potsie from Happy Days.

03/17/2010

SEO strategies: The bot stops here
When our daughters were young, we made sure our home was childproof. We plugged the outlets with plastic covers, latched cabinets and bundled electrical cords. We placed a menacing plastic gate at the top of the stairs which pinched our fingers when we opened it and tripped us when we tried to step over it.

03/04/2010

Take time to build relationships
I've never been much of an athlete. In fact, in kindergarten, I had such a difficult time climbing the thick, giant rope that dangled from the ceiling in our gym that, when I finally achieved the goal, my PE teacher invited me to perform at Parents' Night. The other invitee was a sickly girl named Nancy.

02/18/2010

Stellar copy essential for web site
No doubt you're familiar with the game of telephone, where you whisper something to the first person in a line and then wait to hear how the message gets scrambled on the other end? According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the current record-holding "telephone game" whisper is, "They inherited the earth and then the army came and scorched it." The final words passed on were "Mayfield College."

02/03/2010

Take cues from Pepsi's super decision
I grew up in a suburb of Denver. So, I'm a die-hard Broncos' fan. Far from fair-weather enthusiasts, my family watched NFL games no matter how poorly the home team was doing. And in the early 1970s, before the "Orange Crush" defense led us to Super Bowl XXII in 1978, our devotion was tested on pretty much a weekly basis.

01/20/2010

Pay Per Click model gets straight to qualified leads
On the heels of the holiday season, our house looks a bit like a war-torn country. Half-eaten plates of cookies, broken candy canes and stale cinnamon rolls crowd the kitchen counter. Torn tissue paper and abandoned gift bags pepper the living room floor. Opening a cupboard is like preparing for a bomb blast, requiring deft "duck and cover" maneuvers to guard against plastic Del Taco cups and Tupperware that fall like mortar.

01/07/2010

Starting the year by trimming the fat
Like most other Americans, on the heels of holiday indulgence, I spend January exploring diet trends. When I find one that sounds promising, I head to the grocery store with a laundry list of weird, expensive food substitutes. Last year, I tried the Flat Belly Diet. It appealed to me mostly because it allowed rather large quantities of dark chocolate and peanut butter. And here's a shocker--it didn't work! But it did manage to give me acne.

If it improves cash flow, you might give it a try
Although I'm not an economist, based on the checkout lines this week at Target, I would surmise that consumer confidence is on the rise. My first clue should have been the parking lot. I drove around aimlessly for hours, finally settling on the only empty spot I could find...in Texas. After I hiked in, the chaos at the front door reminded me of the mob scene in the cult classic, Soylent Green.

Column: Bowling on a Budget
If you would like to extend your customer base, you'll have to broaden your advertising horizons. To hone in on ideal markets, follow the money.
And, you can do this regardless of the size of your marketing budget.