Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

If you don’t expect and demand referrals from your clients you are telling that you might not deserve them.

Too many of the small business owners I visit with scoff at the idea of branding. “That stuff is for big companies, why do I need a brand.”
Here’s the scary part: Every business has a brand. The only real question is whether is was created intentionally or by accident.
You need to put yourself in charge [...]

The good thing about websites is that you can pack a whole bunch of stuff on them. But, of course, that’s the bad thing too isn’t it.
In all things marketing it is best to keep it simple. People are so distracted these days that if you do manage to get their attention you better not [...]

Nobody hand writes a note these days. Well, most nobody. But that’s what makes it so effective as a marketing tool. Look it’s pretty effective as a nice thing to do too but this is a marketing weblog so I figure that’s what you want to hear about.
Every Friday I make a point of jotting [...]

Google, usually known for cutting edge stuff, finally got around to launching a weblog. Oh they own Blogger and no doubt thousands of Google employees have their own blogs, but now they have an official one.
One of the things about blogs is that they develop a personality over time. At the moment the Google blog [...]

People, or better yet your prospects, learn in different ways.
Some need lots of specific details, some need pictures, and some just need to look into your eyes and shake your hand.
The point is, you must give your target market information in many forms.
One of my favorite forms of education is the case study.

You only have so much time in a day right?
So wouldn’t it make sense to focus as much of your time as possible on the things that produce the highest payoff.
I don’t know about you but most small business owners are do-it-yourself types and get sucked into doing the littlest silly work faster than you [...]

Marketing Sherpa is sponsoring what they call the “Readers’ Choice Awards for Weblogs”
The Duct Tape Marketing Weblog has been nominated as one of only three weblogs to make the cut for the Small Business Marketing category.
I would really appreciate it if you would take a minute and cast a vote for my weblog. I [...]