… 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 [...]

We launched an events blog for one of our customers, On Site Sanitation. The  blog is designed to reach out customers looking for special events in Minnesota. The strategy is to drive traffic to our customer’s customers site. we are excited to help our customers help their customers. The events portal for On Site Sanitation [...]

I went to the Disney Institute for a seminar and they had some exercises for group decision-making. Being part of a Chicago Marketing Agency we like to keep on top of strategies that make our partners more successful. It was all about inspiring creativity. It was all about capitalizing on the diversity and depth of [...]

One of the nice things about owning a small business is you can respond quickly, effectively and personally. But as you grow, it is impossible for effective communication to be handled only in this manner. Often an Intranet is a good solution to keep people connected. Your company’s information can be secured behind a firewall [...]

The Internet is largest threat to copyright since it began. The Internet, by design, shares information, much of it protected by copyright. Everything from news stories, software, novels, screenplays, graphics, and pictures can be copyrighted. When you decide to create your own website or design a website for others, learn about the laws that you [...]

You have to buy this book!!!!! Beyond Big Marketing is a small business marketing agency in Chicago. We learn many of our marketing strategies from the very best . Today I learned something about Steve Krug, author of Don’t Make Me Think. I recently visited his web site and thought I had uncovered a usability [...]

Chicago is a competitive market for small and medium size businesses. Selecting the right sized marketing agency that understands your business can give you an advantage over your competitors. Here are 10 marketing tips guaranteed to make this year’s marketing plan a success. Create a marketing budget that you can afford. If you’re only allowing [...]

Speed up sales when your small business sales are slow. Make your Chicago-based small business more profitable by communicating with your past customers. Turn to the customers that trust you most. Here are 3 easy ways. Create special offers or incentives for bulk or repeat purchases for past customers only in a letter or post [...]

Some small businesses have a slow period during the holidays and I don’t understand why. Spending online from November 1 through December 12, 2006 reached $17.56 billion, up from $14.13 billion 2005. That means that online traffic is high and customers are in a buying position. It’s a perfect time to invest in an online [...]