Developing an effective online marketing strategy requires careful thought and reflection about your company and your goals. For example, does your company aspire to join the Fortune 500? Or would you prefer to remain a small to medium sized business that maintains close contact with your customers and clients? Some Chicago Businesses do not consider [...]

Digital cameras have come a long way, but the person behind the lens can make a big difference. We all agree the days of $10,000 a day photo shoots are in the rear view mirror for most businesses in Chicago but I can remember when there was a sea of talented shooters in the photography [...]

Cutting corners with DIY marketing may seem like a good idea but it can be the most expensive decision you could ever make. Especially in a major market like Chicago. Developing your own marketing strategy and approach can be exciting and fun. Companies have access to a wealth of inexpensive technologies and techniques to experiment [...]

Did you know that almost half of Americans own a smartphone? According to Nielsen, 44% of Americans had a smartphone as of December 2011, a significant increase from 2009 when less than 20% had a smartphone. In certain demographics, smartphone usage is even higher -  64% of those aged 24 to 34 own a smart [...]

Beyond Big Marketing launched www.theartofeyes.com today. If you are considering cosmetic surgery, or surgery specific to your eyes, Dr. Cohen is one of the best eye surgeons you can find. Dr. Cohen is also a surgeon with vision. Beyond Big Marketing met with Adam in August to discuss marketing and branding strategies. After creating a [...]

The Beyond Big Marketing website has been up since Thanksgiving. As many of you know the old company name was Big Black Pencil and the SEO rankings were pretty strong for the bigblackpencil.com. website.  One of our big concerns has been to retain and improve our search rankings for non-branded search terms on Google, Yahoo [...]

For 6 years Big Black Pencil has been creating innovative marketing strategies for Chicago-based small and medium-sized businesses. Our clients have grown beyond Chicago to include: Wisconsin, California, South Carolina, Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan, Mexico and the UK. As our client list grew, their need for more innovative marketing strategies has also evolved and grown. To [...]

As a marketing agency in Chicago, we work for all sorts of clients. The main goal is to make them profitable. But it’s OK to have some fun along the way.Bouse House is in the portable toilet business. There I said it. If you live in the Cape, Islands and Southern Massachusetts you already know [...]

… unless you are your customer, or Google. Too many websites are written for the search engines and not for the reader. Google Panda, a new versioning of the world’s largest content aggregator is taking that into consideration when it is delivering it’s results. The good news is that a well written website or blog [...]

Social media isn’t new, we’ve just forgotten just how effective it can be. Here’s an example my Wife shared with me. Grandma’s Direct Mail Program Throughout the 1960′s and into the 70′s, my dear grandparents owned and operated a resort on a small, quiet lake in northern Minnesota.  Grandma and Grampa were thirty-six miles from the [...]