When speaking at events, I get the best response from talking less and asking more … in other words, encouraging the audience to share their examples and ideas. It’s more interactive that way. It’s more interesting. Everybody benefits from a wider set of experiences.

The event I attended this past Monday with a group of small-business owners in Houston, Texas was no exception.

At that event I asked those attending whether they were using various social media websites and online Web 2.0 tools. For those who responded “yes” I would then ask “what kind of results are you getting?”

In this post I’d like to share with you some of what those business owners said about using social media in real life situations. Read the rest of this entry ».

Planning sucks. None of us like to do it and if you’ve had any corporate experience in the process, it’s no wonder. But planning is an absolute necessity if you want to be successful.

So how do we reconcile our need to succeed with our propensity for procrastination?

Simple: Re-frame how you look at planning. Read the rest of this entry ».

Editor’s Note: Based on our recent content survey, there seems to be interest in reading reviews of technology products designed for small businesses and entrepreneurs. So I’ve spent some time designing a review format. This is the first in what I hope will be many more product reviews to come. We’ll review software, hardware, telecommunications and other technology categories.

Recently I got a new HP All-in-One printer, scanner, copier and fax. The model is the HP OfficeJet Pro L7780. I really like this HP all-in-one and I’d like to share my experiences.

Overview

Until now in our office we had been using an HP 7410 series. That model, which is also an all-in-one printer, scanner and fax, still works and will find a new home with a relative who has spoken up for it.

But between my husband (an attorney who tends to print in black and white, and is a heavy fax user) and me (an entrepreneur who does a lot of in-house marketing with color printing), we wanted something that printed faster with smart faxing capabilities. I’m happy to report that the new L7780 is faster and should be cheaper to maintain, too. It prints 10 color pages per minute (highest quality) and even more if you adjust for medium or lower quality — about double the speed of our previous printer. The print quality is excellent — crisp and clean looking and very close to laser print quality to my eye.

The OfficeJet Pro L7780 already is an important component of our small business office. Read the rest of this entry ».

Editor’s Note: Most articles about using social networking websites are enthusiastically positive. Today I thought it would be great to examine both sides of the coin, with two articles with opposing viewpoints. One article points out the positive advantages of social media. The other article, below, is from John L. Mariotti, whose position on social media is, well, not so positive. And I think John’s viewpoint represents the view of the vast majority of businesspeople today — they aren’t ready to drink the Kool-aid on social media sites just yet (maybe never). — Anita Campbell, Editor

By John Mariotti

In spite of the fact that I have always been an early adopter of new technology — or communications-based tools, social media turns me off. When I think about why, at least 10 reasons come to mind.

I have signed myself onto a couple in their early stages — at the urging of friends — and that’s when I realized why I wouldn’t have anything more to do with them, at least until they get much further down their evolutionary trip and improve measurably. Here’s why: Read the rest of this entry »:

Editor’s Note: This guest article, by Ivana Taylor, presents one side of the debate over whether social media is worthwhile to businesses. Ivana believes that business leaders with foresight need to fit social media in as one component of the marketing mix. But, for a different point of view as to why some are not drinking the social media Kool-aid, please be sure to read the other side of the story, also. — Anita Campbell, Editor

By Ivana Taylor

Let’s face it, when it comes to getting and keeping profitable customers there are only four basic components that we can manage:

• Product (your offering — the unique combination of product, service and experience)
• Price (the value that your customer perceives translated into money)
• Distribution (putting your offering within arms reach of the customer)
• Promotion (communicating your offering)

That’s all there is to the marketing mix.

And when we skillfully and creatively combine these ingredients in the perfect proportions, Voila! We have a tasty stew of happy customers, happy employees and enough profits to go around as well as to invest in the future.

Of course, it can’t be that easy, right? Some of us go wrong by becoming entrenched in traditional marketing strategies. And the rest of us go to the other extreme and become paralyzed by the overwhelming number of tools and Internet applications that seek to bring us together, yet separate us from real face-to-face contact.

Social media has been one of those magical and mysterious technical terms that seemingly everyone under 30 has been all a-twitter about. And those of us over 30 have been curious and more than a little suspicious about.

The challenge that traditional marketers have is in understanding how to use this new “ingredient” in their marketing mix. Is it like a “meat” or just a “spice?” Read the rest of this entry »;

Perhaps you recall the 3-part series I wrote, “Help, My Logo is So 1999!” In that series I invited you to weigh in and vote on your favorite logo designs. (I had used the Logoworks by HP design service and wrote a review of it.)

I am pleased to announce that based on your feedback, we have a winning logo design. It’s logo revision #8:

Revision #8 got almost double the votes of the next closest design, which was #2.

Now the most interesting part about #8 is that it was a throw-in by the Logoworks designer who worked on my account. It goes to show that sometimes giving your designer some creative license can pay off.

I am also thrilled to announce that we have a winner in our giveaway of a Logoworks by HP Gold logo design package valued at $399. Read the rest of this entry ».

Editor’s Note: This is Part 3 in our series about designing a new logo. In the previous installments, I outlined steps in the process of having a professional logo designed through Logoworks by HP. I now have been through three different rounds of of logo design and revisions. (Go here to read Part 1 and Part 2.) With each successive step we kept refining the design concepts. At this point, it is time to make a final choice.

If you recall from the earlier two installments of this series, I commissioned a new logo for another business website I own, called SellingtoSmallBusinesses.com.

I received 8 initial design concepts. Based on reader feedback (thank you!) I settled on this particular design as the one to focus on:

However, the design composition still needed some tweaking. So in my last article I outlined how I went to Logoworks and gave feedback about the design. The feedback I gave was based largely on your feedback last time around.

Fast forward to today: I received back from Logoworks two separate rounds of design tweaks and improvements — 16 revisions in all.

At this point in the process, I have narrowed it down to four revisions. At the end of this article I will present the four variations and ask you to vote for your top choice.  That choice will become the logo I use for my other website.  And I have a surprise for you — woohoo! — you will be entered in a random drawing to receive a Gold Logoworks package to design or overhaul your own logo. Read the rest of this entry ».

One of the myths about starting a business is that “all the good ideas are already taken.”

However, the most compelling businesses may simply involve a new and different take on an established type of business, product or service. A little creativity helps sets them apart.

Just when you think there couldn’t possibly be anything new and unique about a jewelry business or a kids’ party business or children’s clothing, you see some fresh twist. That was the case in a recent small business contest I helped judge. Read the rest of this entry ».

Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 in a 3-part series about designing a new logo for a website I own called Selling to Small Businesses. In Part One I outlined how I went to the Logoworks.com by HP site and commissioned a new logo. I received eight preliminary design concepts. From those eight I narrowed the field to 3 logo designs that I thought had potential. Then I asked for feedback from readers — YOU!

Of the three preliminary design concepts that I wrote about in Part One of this series, Composition number 1 seemed to get the most favorable response from the most readers (thank you all so much!). It was also my own personal favorite. So I decided to narrow my choice down to focus solely on Composition number 1:

However, as your feedback suggested, Composition number 1 is not quite ready for prime time. It still needs some work.

So the next step Read the rest of this entry »p

In Staples stores you can now design a business card and print out a supply in about a half hour. It’s called Business Cards in Minutes. I saw it in action when I was out in San Diego a few weeks back.

I was speaking at an HP marketing workshop held in a local Staples store there. Some of us arrived early and to kill time we wandered around the store. One of the people, Noelle, pointed out the terminal and said, “Need some business cards? You can get some before you leave today.” I thought she was kidding, but she sat right down at the terminal and started working on a business card.

Business Cards in Minutes consists of a special computer kiosk provided by Logoworks by HP, where you can design a business card on the spot. You can then get the cards printed right there at the print center inside the Staples store. Here is the photo we took of the kiosk while Noelle was in the midst of creating a business card: Read the rest of this entry »:

A big THANK YOU, dear readers, for the outstanding marketing tips you contributed to the Best Kept Marketing Secrets roundup. 

As promised, we took 100 submissions and turned them into a downloadable PDF document.  

It’s 33 pages of tips for marketing, including relationship marketing, marketing strategy, selling, messaging, online marketing and social media.  Read the rest of this entry »