How To Properly Utilize Your Marketing Team
Nov27

How To Properly Utilize Your Marketing Team

If your business has a professional marketing team, chances are you think they will take care of everything on their own. It’s a common misconception that there is nothing you can do on your end to help them out. If you are one of the many who think this, you are sorely mistaken. In fact, a lot of what your marketing team even does hinges on you and how well you work with them. Learning what small steps you can take to properly utilize your marketing team can make all the difference in the world. Let’s take a look at what those few small things are. Communicate The number one most important thing in properly utilizing your marketing team is to communicate… often. Ask what marketing campaigns are going on, how people are interacting, and what has been working or not working. You should also ask if the marketing campaigns have been successfully translating to sales. In return, offer any new information your marketing specialists ask of you to the fullest of your abilities. Answer all of the questions they may have, and work with them to come up new ideas or directions for your campaigns. Take Notes Throughout your day take notes on things which may be of importance to your marketing team. Send these notes over to your lead marketer at the end of each day. While it is nearly impossible to take notes on everything, here are a few things you will definitely want to note down […]

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Let Your Web Design Direct Your Marketing Strategy
Nov22

Let Your Web Design Direct Your Marketing Strategy

Many small businesses are the owners of incredibly ugly and performance-lacking websites. This isn’t necessarily their fault since many simply do not know good design. It’s kind of like a mechanic being shocked that a car owner doesn’t know where camshaft is and what it does. I’ve worked with many clients who do not know what they want when it comes to their websites. Some find five totally different websites that they like, and others won’t tell you until you show them a few examples. That’s why I believe it is up to the Web designer to drive the direction of your website. Find a Professional Designer So the first step would be to find a professional Web designer. Unless you have been educated in design and have a lot of time to dedicate to learning the craft, you probably cannot do it yourself. This isn’t a “one click and you’re done” scenario. Good design takes patience and lots of iteration. Once you find the right Web designer that you think you can have a partnership with, the next step is to let him or her know the direction of your business strategy. While working with numerous Web design clients at AdFicient, I’ve really learned to respect clients who understand the need to communicate what their company is, where it’s going, and what image it should have. Even though sometimes it’s like pulling teeth to get any sort of information out of them, once it comes out, it makes the entire […]

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Obama Intensifies CEO Outreach as Tea Party Draws Business Ire
Nov20

Obama Intensifies CEO Outreach as Tea Party Draws Business Ire

During a meeting in the West Wing of the White House this month, President Barack Obama’s aides posed an unusual question to business leaders across the table: How can the administration help House Speaker John Boehner? Obama’s interest in helping Boehner is part of a broader White House effort to enlist executives to support Republicans who are willing to deal with the administration. It’s also aimed at exposing divisions within the opposition party. The White House session sought to coordinate efforts to pass immigration legislation, an achievement that would boost the electoral chances of some of Boehner’s Republicans even as it sparks opposition from Tea Party lawmakers. As corporate America grows frustrated with Tea Party influence over Republican leaders, the president, who in his first term once derided “fat-cat bankers on Wall Street,” is now reaching out to chief executive officers for help on issues from the budget to immigration laws. “The White House and Democratic leadership are certainly appealing to the business community’s disenchantment with the GOP,” said Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the Partnership for New York City, an association of leaders of companies, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc.and JPMorgan Chase & Co. One result could be the isolation of the Tea Party from businesspeople, donors and the Republican Party itself. Five Meetings After years of a fractured relationship and fitful efforts to mend ties, Obama has had no fewer than five meetings and a conference call with CEOs since the start of October, according to an administration official. He spoke to a […]

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8 Questions to Ask Before You Hire A Marketing Firm
Nov12

8 Questions to Ask Before You Hire A Marketing Firm

As a small business owner who runs a marketing firm, I hear all the time about the relationships that didn’t work out. Small business owners who can’t find a marketing firm they “click” with, marketing firms that are frustrated by the clients who balk at every idea, etc. Communication is key to avoiding these issues. Remember, marketing is a partnership. Nobody plays tennis alone. You need to be able to do your part to make the relationship work. And a big part of doing your part is being extremely clear about what you want. To do that, you need to ask yourself some questions first. Ask Yourself Before You Hire a Marketing Firm. . . Are You Willing to Listen and Try New Things? Before you spend a penny on your marketing, it’s time to ask yourself if you’re ready, willing and able to listen to the person you hire. No one says you have to implement every idea. Working with a marketer doesn’t mean slavishly adhering to everything they have to say. But if you’re not willing to even consider something different from how you’ve always done it, you’re wasting your money paying for someone else’s new ideas. What’s Your Communication Style? Every business owner is different. Some people prefer to communicate with their marketing firm very rarely, communicating primarily through emails and scheduled meetings. Other people want more time from their marketing team, expecting instant availability and response to calls, emails and tweets. Understanding your communication style is very […]

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Good Job Is Good Enough as Subprime Car Buyers Lift Sales
Nov08

Good Job Is Good Enough as Subprime Car Buyers Lift Sales

Alan Helfman, a car dealer in Houston, served a woman in his showroom last month with a credit score lower than 500 and a desire for a new Dodge Dart for her daily commute. She drove away with a new car. A year ago, with a credit ranking in the bottom eighth percentile, “I would’ve told her don’t even bother coming in,” said Helfman, who owns River Oaks Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, where sales rose about 20 percent this year. “But she had a good job, so I told her to bring a phone bill, a light bill, your last couple of paycheck stubs and bring me some down payment.” As the fifth anniversary of the Federal Reserve’s policy of keeping interest rates near zero approaches, the market for subprime borrowing is once again becoming frothy, this time in the car business. As with mortgages in 2006 and 2007, the central bank’s stimulus is making it easier for people with spotty credit to buy cars as yield-starved investors purchase riskier bonds linked to auto loans. While surging light-vehicle sales have been one of the bright spots in the U.S. economy, it’s increasingly being fueled by borrowers with imperfect credit. Such car buyers account for more than 27 percent of loans for new vehicles, the highest proportion since Experian Automotive started tracking the data in 2007. That compares with 25 percent last year and 18 percent in 2009, as lenders pulled back during the recession. Issuance of bonds linked to subprime auto […]

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