More Than A Few Words

The weekly marketing podcast, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features conversations with professionals from around the world.  Getting Started These days a lot of people who never thought they were going to be business owners are starting businesses. These new entrepreneurs have questions, an our guest Brett Shapiro has answers. To run a legitimate business, the US government and your State Secretary of State is going to want to know who you are, what your business name is, and what kind of business you're running. To do this, there are a handful of documents you will need at the formation of your business.  Need help? Be sure to grab a copy of Brett's  Business Startup Guide.   About Brett Shapiro He started Govdocfiling.com with the goal of transforming how entrepreneurs start and build valuable businesses. He is a business guru who specializes in business formation and has formed more than 10 entities himself. Brett educates and empowers clients to establish companies by providing ac

The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast.  Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. There was a time when the doorbell rang, you would jump up and fling the door open in the hopes of entertaining a neighbor, friend or unexpected guest. But things have changed. And we're a lot more cautious these days about who we invite into our homes. This can create real challenges for companies that are in a home service industry. You can help overcome this consumer reluctance by using content marketing to help prospective customers feel as if they know  you. You can do this by adding photographs of your team members on your website and showing a little bit of personality on social media. Last but definitely not least, encourage reviews. There's nothing that reassures a consumer about inviting someone into their home, like seeing their friend or neighbor saying, "we've worked wit

The weekly marketing podcast, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features conversations with professionals from around the world.  Many business owners think marketing is all about tactics and actions, instead of really paying attention to the outcome. They think they want a website, or social media and they expect those actions will solve their problems. But the truth is it depends on the intention of what are you trying to accomplish. At the end of the day you want to earn attention and convince someone that you're worth paying attention to. To do that you need to understand your audience on an intimate level. People make decisions emotionally 90% of the time.  So by aligning with them and showing them that you speak their language and you're trying to solve their problem, you're going to be way more effective, faster.  Allison DeFord Allison and her award-winning team at Felt Marketing are on a mission to strengthen the heart and soul of manufacturing for generations. Helping legacy brand

The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast.  Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. When you walk down the aisle of a grocery store, and a coupon for peanut butter pops up on your phone it is convenient for you and a great selling tool for the retailer. The technology that allows merchants to target specific messages based on your location is called geofencing.  This technology uses the Global Positioning System, (GPS)  or radio frequency to define geographic boundaries. Every time a consumer allows any their phone applications to access their location, like a map or a check in tool,  their phone becomes available for geographic targeting. Think of the opportunities to deliver a message to a potential customer when they walk into a competitor's store. That's just one of the possibilities with geofencing. It is a technology you should be exploring.

The weekly marketing podcasts, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features marketing conversations with professionals from around the world.  Get More Done by Doing Less Many people assume they need to be busy to be more productive.  The truth however, is that being busy doesn't necessarily mean you are actually accomplishing anything.   Well you may be getting things done, but not the right things. Our guest Alex Sanfilippo suggests if you want to be more productive you need to start with your purpose defining you destination or your why.  If you can figure out your ultimate goal, then it is easier to set priorities.  Now you are ready to start looking at how you spend your time.  Take an inventory or everything you do every day for a week to discover how much time are you are spending on thigs which more you closer to your goal, and how much time are you spending on other things? Improve your productivity by identifying things you can automate, delegate or simply stop doing.  About Alex Al

The marketing minute is a shorter version of the popular More than a Few Words podcast.  Instead of a conversation with a marketing professional, host Lorraine Ball shares a quick tip to start you on your day as a business owner. When you were little your parents probably told you to use an inside voice.  They may have said that it wasn't polite to shout. While true in  your parent's living room, there are times you have to raise your voice to get noticed. This is especially true on line as you are competing with so many other messages. To get the attention of visitors to your website, you have to shout a little bit. Unlike when you are face to face with someone, online, you shout visually, for example your call to action on any page of your website should be in all caps. While this is hard to read and long blocks of text  and considered a little rude in an email, it's critical in your call to action.  The all cap style stops the reader and makes them pay attention.  

The weekly marketing podcasts, More than a Few Words is hosted by Lorraine Ball and features marketing conversations with professionals from around the world.  Using Agile Marketing to Get Better Results Faster.  These days it feels like everything has to move just a little bit faster. In response to the "need for speed" many companies are embracing Agile Development for their marketing programs. Our guest, Connie Steele shares some ideas on how companies can put agile marketing to work. It begins with a test and learn mindset where you start small, constantly iterating, as you work fully collaboratively with all the stakeholders from beginning to end. The advantage of this approach vs traditional marketing is the ability to have results  which accomplish your business objectives, sooner rather than later. T How do you ensure your agile approach is successful? Start with clarity around what the business goal and make sure all participants have the same vision for the final outcome. Next you will need constant

In an age where most people would rather text than talk, we've seen a dramatic rise in live chat features on websites. And while sometimes I get nostalgic for the old days when you could actually talk to someone, I have to admit that the chat tools are kind of growing on me. And I'm not alone. In a recent survey chat was identified as the number one method preferred by customers to reach out and connect .  41%  said the preferred to connect via text. That was followed by phone, email, and distant distance social media. If you're thinking about putting a live chat tool on your website, things to keep in mind, people are much more interested in a quality response than a rapid automated response. So if you're going to do this, make sure that you have someone available to actually answer and respond when people send a request. This marketing minute is part of More than a Few Words, a marketing conversation for business owners. 

Each week host Lorraine Ball and her guest have a marketing conversation for business owners.  This week the topic is how to make a great second impression. Our guest, Janice Porter explains that it starts with being a good listener, and learning about the other person. Then when you follow up, refer to something from the first conversation to show them you're interested. Whether you are connecting in person or online, the strategies are still the same. Being curious, asking questions and paying attention build rapport no matter where the connection occurs. One of Janice’s favorite follow up tools is Send Out Cards, an online greeting card and gifting service that sends real cards and gifts in the mail. In an era when everything is digital, this tool uses snail mail, to give the other person a physical tangible touch.  And when they receive it, the personalized card gives you a chance to demonstrate you were paying attention as you reference something they mentioned in your conversation. Take advantage of Jan

My uncle used to say that he was going to write me a short note but didn’t have time, so he wrote me a long letter instead.  When you are limited in the number or words, you choose your words carefully and you use them sparingly. When you have the luxury of a long letter, you can ramble on and on, and hope that sooner or later, you’ll get to the point. And you hope the recipient will hang in long enough to figure out what you’re talking about. That strategy is something you should keep in mind when you’re working on your marketing. Treat everything you write as if it was a headline or a tweet.  Put your energy into refining the message and making it as concise as possible. When you do that, you will pique someone’s interest and earn the right to invite them back  Want to learn more about headlines?  Look for resources in the Digital Toolbox. 

Each week host Lorraine Ball and her guest have a conversation for business owners.  This week the topic is how to work from anywhere. 2020 has been an interesting year.  It has created lots of challenges for business owners, especially as they adjust to managing their team as they leave the office to work at home.   In some cases the home environment doesn’t have the capability to support the kind of work people need to do.  In other cases, as people move out from behind the corporate firewall, they don’t have the same security protections they do in the office. About Doug Miller Mr. Miller has extensive information technology operations experience in manufacturing, financial services, and health care, as well as a deep consulting background in many more industries. He is adept in roles requiring diverse skill sets that allow him to function effectively in deeply technical roles while also serving as a project manager, a business process consultant, and a leader of technical teams.   With cloud based syste

If you are like me, you have that one thing that you always put off, it's something that has to get done. But there is always something else more important that gets in the way. It is time to break the cycle of guilt associated with never getting to the things that are important.  You need to commit to making that thing a habit and do it every single day. And one of the best ways to make something a habit is to really understand how habits work. It is a three-part process. There's a trigger something that sets off the behavior. The action itself, and then the reward. For me, the habit I wanted to build was making five phone calls every day. So I put a reminder on my phone as the trigger.  Then I committed to taking the action when I got the reminder, not just hitting the snooze button and continuing with whatever else I was going at the moment. And the most important part is the reward.  When I'm done with my calls I go for a walk. That's my positive reward for making that behavior part of my routine. What is

Why build a dream team?  On the one hand things are so much simpler when it is just you.  On the other hand, when it is just you, then you are wearing all of the hats, all the time.  You have to do everything. If you aren’t working in the business, it’s probably not making money. That’s where the power of a team comes into play  When you build the dream team, with the right people and you actually put an accountability and follow up into your system, your life actually becomes less complicated. You have time to focus on the parts of the business at which you excel and maybe even have a little time off. 

The internet is filled with calls to action. Everywhere you go, there are brightly colored buttons commanding you to read more, get the content, watch this or buy now; all those buttons exist because they work. People respond, click or take action when commanded to do so, but some buttons work better than others.   If you’re going to design buttons for your website, keep the message short: 1-3 words so the reader can comprehend the command at a glance, use action phrases, tell people what to do, click here, register here, and most of all, don’t submit. In a study of effective calls to action submit was one of the least effective phrases you could choose.

A wise man once said, there is nothing so constant as change. That is especially true when you are a business owner. The key to success is often identifying opportunities to pivot and being brave enough to make the change.  Tiffany Youngren, Host of the Next Up Nation Podcast  and founder of the OHM Agency joined us for a conversation about transitions. Her advice:  Just because you made one change, doesn't mean there isn't another pivot in your future.  As things change you need to be prepared to make changes in your business Getting advice from other's can be helpful, just be careful who you take advice from.  Make sure they are where you want to be There is no single right time to make a change. It is more about committing to the change.   

Celebrity endorsements aren’t new. I mean, they’ve been around for a really long time as far back as the 1760s, when producers of pottery in China used royal endorsements to promote their product. Hollywood stars and athletes routinely allow their images to be used in endorsements of products. And we assume that the athlete knows something about the running shoes or the celebrity chef knows something about cooking. But these days, there is a new class of celebrity with the rise of the Internet.   Influencers don’t have to be in politics or entertainment or sports or fashion. They simply need to be considered knowledgeable by a section of the population. These days there are influencers in every business category and it may make sense for your business to consider partnering with an influencer to grow your brand.

People often ask me if I work with my husband.  And I politely explain that I would rather remain married, than try to navigate that challenging path.  But my guest, Paul Tompkins explains how to do both.   It boils down to a few simple strategies.  It requires patience and a willingness to put the other person ahead of you Separate work from family and not allow work to bleed into other parts of your life.  Set up a daily plan that may not start and end at the same time.   

A few thoughts to start your blogging checklist. I am a big fan of blogging because I think it can be a very powerful part of your overall marketing. So what’s involved in a successful blog? Well, to start it needs to be filled with a steady stream of content filled with relevant keywords. That’s great for search engines, but it also needs to be well written and relevant content for your target audience. Then then content needs to be properly indexed and categorized. s both human beings and search engines will find what they are looking for. Writing a good 500 word post is sometimes the easiest part of the process. Beyond the post itself, there needs to be a plan for your call to action at the end of the post, attractive images and links to other relevant content both on and off your site. Sounds like a lot of trouble.  Is it worth it?  You bet it is each time a a customer find your content.  Ready to get started?  Grab a copy of our content calendar to plan your attack. 

This week our guest Mark Dunsmore explains the best way to become an expert in your niche is not to try to learn everything about your industry.  You don't have to be a superpower in the industry and teach everything someone needs to know.  Instead, what it means is having more knowledge than the person who wants to learn from you, and being able to package that up in a way that enables them to progress along their journey

If a prospective customer went to Google to look for a business like yours, what words would they use? Your website must contain those words. They tell a search engine like Google exactly what your website or page is about. That information is then stored in the search engine database so it can be presented to prospective customers when they’re looking for a product or service.   One of the most common mistakes business owners make is thinking that there’s some single magic key word or phrase that they must dominate. But that just isn’t how search works anymore. Why? Because today, people are more likely to use natural language as they type or dictate to Siri. So instead of typing a short phrase like furnace repair, they’re more likely to ask “Who can I call to replace my furnace?” or “Why is my furnace making a funny sound?”   As you think about your keywords, think about natural language and how people are more likely to talk when they’re looking for a business like yours.