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VistaPrint has been around on the web long enough for most people to know something about them.
Their success has not been an overnight sensation, but it is a great story. I got the chance to hear VistaPrint founder Robert Keane talk about his story and influence that the book Blue Ocean Strategy had on the creation and implementation of his business plans.
VistaPrint, once known primarily as a low cost (cheap or free) provider of business cards has morphed into one of the largest providers of marketing tools for small business in the world.
VistaPrint’s services now include graphic design, copywriting, and creative services. In addition to offering a full compliment of printed materials, such as business cards, brochures and stationary, they also now offer signage, promotional items, websites and direct mail services.
If you haven’t looked at VistaPrint in a while, I would suggest having another look. They have assemble an impressive small business offering.
The preposterous sounding title of this post is a direct quote from the lips of many a small business owner I have encountered. The root of this problem of course can be summed up nicely in something known as Parkinson’s Law
Parkinson’s Law is the adage that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” It was first articulated by Cyril Northcote Parkinson, appearing as the first sentence of a humorous essay published in The Economist in 1955.
The Law is as alive and well in the small business as it may be in the halls of the largest bureaucracy on the planet. So, the key to effective marketing may simply be a matter of defining the right work to fill up the time available.
Marketing is and must become a habitual activity in your business. You must live by the marketing calendar or die by the lack of time available to complete the greasing of the squeaky wheel.
The only way to find time for marketing is to plan for it. Create a marketing theme for every month of the year and then build marketing activities on a daily and weekly basis around the theme.
You know you need to be sending out more press releases and building relationships with key journalists in your industry - make that September’s theme and do it. You know you need to build a network of strategic partners to make your referral leads really soar - make that October’s theme. You know you need a blog, you need to start blogging as a part of your Internet presence - make that November’s theme.
Create the biggest, most hard to ignore wall calendar you can find and post your year of marketing themes. Then break each month down into the action steps needed to make progress on the monthly theme. Finally, assign yourself or someone on your team daily action steps, appointments really, and then complete the daily marketing action before you pass Go or return another email.
That’s how you make time for marketing, that’s how you build marketing momentum and that’s how you make marketing expand to fill the time available for its completion.
I’m not sure why this riff keeps running around in my head, but I thought I would pose it to my readers as a kind of fun, but potentially telling bit of research.
Owning a business, marketing a business, horn tooting, innovating, fearlessly charging into unchartered waters is the stuff of small business. It’s also often looked upon as something that requires special traits and characteristics that, well, some people just don’t profess to possess.
Many of the traits that make up the entrepreneur are ingrained as habits, I suspect, knowingly or unknowingly, by our well intentioned parents and caregivers.
Fear of failure is learned, fear of success is learned, fear over money and lack are learned, shame in tooting one’s own horn is taught, fear of being called different is acquired. Likewise, innovation can be an observed trait, authenticity in promotion can be taught by example, understanding that income is easy to create, that time is precious, that serving is noble, that, well, a bunch of other good stuff about owning a business, can be taught by example might just be the product of our upbringing.
My parents were entrepreneurs of a sort before the word had today’s cache and meaning. My father was an independent manufacturer’s representative and my mom raised ten children old school. She cooked, canned, gardened, sewed, laundered, sang and never worried about where the next ten bucks was coming from because she had tremendous faith in herself and the enterprise. They were stunning examples of the entrepreneur sprite. They were not without their flaws and fears, I mean, really, we’re all just making it up as we go, but I wonder what impact that had on my absolute firm resolve to do my own thing, to market joyfully and to promote with passion.
So, I’ve told you a little of my story and here’s what I’m wondering.
1) Why do you do what you do? 2) What did your parents do? 3) How did that impact your entrepreneurial spirit?
I swear there’s a point to this ramble, and I’ll let you know what it is after I collect your thoughts. Please share your story - good bad and ugly as it may be and in the words of the immortal Fred Rodgers - “It’s hard not to like someone, once you know their story.”
For a recent episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast I had an opportunity to learn about a truly unique business located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. My guests, Ari and Mo, are principles in a business known as Zingerman’s Community of Businesses. Zingerman’s started out as a deli that grew so popular franchising nationwide seemed inevitable. However, the owners determined another path.
Instead of growing the deli business beyond where they wanted to go, they started others businesses around their single store. Mail order, catering and coffee roasting just to name a few. But, the uniqueness of the model is that all the businesses were started by managing partners who have a share of the ownership in the business - thus the community moniker. Anyone is free to come to Zingerman’s with an idea for a business and pitch it as a candidate to join the community. Several of the existing businesses were launched by Zingerman’s employees.
The Zingerman’s Community of Businesses (ZCoB) is a family of businesses all located in the Ann Arbor area. Each business is operated by one or more managing partners who share ownership and put their particular expertise to work in the day to day running of their business.
Have a listen to Ari and Mo describe this wonderfully unique business model - and have look at the mail order catalog for some wonderfully unique items - chocolate covered bacon anyone?
This episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast is brought to you by att.com/onwardsmallbiz. Resources for the small business owner.
There are many ways to analyze web traffic and web effectiveness. In fact, there are so many ways that most small business marketers can get overwhelmed pretty quickly.
The first step of course is to begin the practice of measuring and analyzing your web site’s effectiveness so that you can improve it. The easiest way to accomplish this is to install and use the free Google Analytics tool.
Once you this you can start to understand and tweak the many things it can measure. While there is no one metric that is the golden key, I suggest you start by gaining a full understanding of what Google calls bounce rate.
Bounce rate represents the average percentage of initial visitors to a site who “bounce” away to a different site, rather than continue on to other pages within the same site. So, for the most part this is often referred to a the measure of a site’s stickyness. It can give you some clues as to whether or not your content is grabbing folks or not. It can also help you understand if your ads are targeting the right traffic.
There is no perfect bounce rate number, but aiming for 50% - meaning 50% of the visitors to your site take an action leading to another page, is probably a good target. The real goal of course is designing a site and pages that allow you to lower the bounce rate. Before you ever really worry about generating all kinds of traffic and winning key search phrases, get you content sticky!
The following video of Avinash Kaushik, Google Analytics Evangelist and author of the blog Occam’s Razor helps shed some light on the bounce rate metric.
I think the true test of many of the Web2.0 offerings out there is whether or not somebody would pay up a little cash for a service that is or was free.
For some I use I would say no, others maybe, Jott - I just did. Jott came out of beta recently with a host of new features - including two pay options. I use and love the tool so much I’m now willing to pay for. That’s a pretty big compliment because once something is free, it’s tough to move to a paid model.
My favorite new feature is a software called Jott Express that has become my daily to-do list manager. It sits on my desktop and syncs with Jott messages I give it for projects.
In it’s very generic, vanilla form, Facebook is just so-so as a business tool. Lots has been written and said about its use for business, but to me the real power comes when you hang the proper accessories, known as applications, on it and really trick it out for business and professional use.
There are thousands of application available with one click once you have a Facebook profile. But, don’t get caught up in adding every goofy dodad, just because you can. Think logically about your goals for being on Facebook and then choose the tools that will help your communicate, achieve and amplify those objectives.
And, here are my favorite applications for business use.
Telephone - With Telephone you can call, send and receive voice messages through Facebook, just like having voicemail on your phone. All you need is the application and a microphone and you can start sending messages to your friends.
Slideshare - SlideShare is the world’s largest community for sharing presentations. You can upload your own PowerPoint, OpenOffice, Keynote or PDF files and view presentations shared by others. This is a great way to spread thought leadership and expertise through presentations you may have delivered locally.
CircleUp - For Groups and Events is a lightweight collaboration app for groups and events. This tool facilitates some of the communication needed to promote your group activity and events on Facebook and elsewhere. This is particularly useful if you’ve created and maintain your own group on Facebook or often promote teleseminars and workshops.
Free Conference Calls - Use Free Conference Calls to organize a business meeting on the fly. With free conference call you can call in from anywhere; your home, mobile, Skype, or any VoIP service. Using this app inside of Facebook can help make some immediate connections a little deeper.
Facebook Video - Facebook Video provides a high-quality video platform for people and pages on Facebook. With Video, you can upload video files, send video from your mobile phone, and record video messages to your friends. This application is so easy to use that it makes sending video introductions or message a powerful way to network on Facebook
Testimonials - Use Testimonials to gather your personal and professional references in one place. Encouraging customers and contacts to post testimonials about your work and expertise adds great marketing content to your profile.
Introductions - Introduce your friends to each other and make new ones. Ask for an introduction to a web programmer or good lawyer. Then make introductions for your friends. This application speeds the process of effective networking by helping focus on giving and receiving introductions in a systematic way.
Business Cards - Business Cards helps you network better on Facebook. Personalize your card and attach it to your Facebook messages! View postings and network with others! This application is much like the signature common in email messages. It’s just one more way to say business when using Facebook.
My LinkedIn Profile – Makes it easy to promote your LinkedIn account with a badge on your Facebook profile. Cross promoting social network activity is a great way to extend your reach.
What I Do – Allows you to promote your services/products to your Facebook network. Display your skills/wares on your profile box and list yourself in a business directory. Recommend your colleagues services and products too.
So, I would love to hear how you have effectively used specific Facebook applications for business.
Was a time when home based meant - “not really a business” but, oh how times and technology and lifestyles change. Today home based often means, choice, family, hip, fireplace, dog, freedom, serious income and a host of other very cool things.
Look, if you’ve got a home based business go enter this competition and score yourself some potentially serious credibility and exposure.
Just look at these categories and tell me that this is not a fun contest
* Best Financial Performers
* Most Innovative
* Boomers Back in Business
* Greenest
* Yummiest
* Wackiest
* Grungiest
* Recession Busters
* Most Slacker Friendly
* Most Glamorous
The only category that size and performance really matter is the financial one so really anybody can enter.
You can enter your business until midnight Pacific Time on September 30, 2008. Throughout October, winners will be judged by StartupNation and a panel of judges who are each passionate about home-based business and the Top Ten categories highlighted in this year’s competition. Winners will be announced in mid-November, 2008.
Winners of the Home-Based 100 find themselves at the center of a media storm that includes recognition on national and local TV, radio, in newspapers and magazines, and on some of the largest, most influential websites on the web, MSN and StartupNation among them.
The judges’ decision-making process (did I mention I’m a judge?) will be influenced by the following factors:
* How well your business fits the category (or secondary category) for which you entered
* The quality and completeness of the description about your business and the case you make for it. Your passion, achievements, creativity, integrity and/or humor may be instrumental factors depending upon which category(s) you entered
* The popularity of your entry based on number of popular votes received
Here’s where you enter the competition that celebrates America’s best home based businesses and the people behind them.
By the way sending me product samples and free services will not influence my vote but it may help the overall spread of good karma - you know, if you’re into that kind of thing.
Voted a Forbes Favorite for small business and marketing. "Clever marketing ideas galore and lots of contrarian thinking on what works and what doesn't."
VistaPrint has been around on the web long enough for most people to know something about them. ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=a01d113f-a3dd-4699-a4a4-2090954596ba)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=12941bfb-2e44-4a71-b8d2-01582ffe103b)
I’m not sure why this riff keeps running around in my head, but I thought I would pose it to my readers as a kind of fun, but potentially telling bit of research.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=877c144a-a539-4080-a74f-df4b9692b906)
For a recent episode of the 
This episode of the Duct Tape Marketing podcast is brought to you by ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=26203fe8-2f9d-4318-bf79-a31f959583d7)
There are many ways to analyze web traffic and web effectiveness. In fact, there are so many ways that most small business marketers can get overwhelmed pretty quickly.![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=d8362b4a-6d26-4df2-89f9-8eb288f6d7a8)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=a256402e-40d3-4037-839d-0ea6790a7778)
In it’s very generic, vanilla form, ![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=4c536d9b-65ff-4389-ae7a-9a3eeb3eaf43)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=244fe8e0-6271-44ab-bac5-8e88b9be6d68)
