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Why keep up marketing and PR in down times?

Why maintain marketing and public relations budgets during down times? Simply put: Because you can’t afford not to. At least, that’s the message coming from the experts.

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How do I recruit great employees?

One of the silver linings of this recession for businesses is that it’s a good time to recruit new talent. The rising unemployment rate is easing the labour squeeze — for now.

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Mom’s the word for Canada’s new business owners

Throw a load of clothes in the washer. Put new pricing and client testimonials on website. Pay the hydro bill. Submit final proposal. Pick up the kids from school. Schedule conference call with new customer. Make dinner.

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Tipping the scales in favour of small business

Two experts weigh in on how you can get financing during a recession and what are the biggest mistakes owners often make.

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There’s nothing quite like the power of community involvement to build a close team. If you and your staff can volunteer together and do good in your community, it will not only help your community, but your staff’s satisfaction as well. 

Earlier this fall, our Fredericton staff entered in a team into the McInness Cooper Dragon Boat Festival, which helps to raise money for Kids Sports New Brunswick and New Brunswick Amateur Athletes.

Our team had to raise over $1,000 to enter a team, which we did through different fundraising events at the store this past summer. Then our team of 20 rowers participated in two training sessions, and then race day. This event was ideal for us because it showed the importance of working in unison to achieve the maximum results.

It was an amazing event and loads of fun for everyone involved. Take time to empower your team by giving back to your community.  It’s a win-win situation.

Business Thrives on Change

“This summer a group of people on Twitter sharing their negative reaction to GM’s latest SUV helped nix the release of that vehicle just weeks after it had been announced. A few well-placed tweets to a global audience and the still unnamed hybrid was gone before it even made it to market. That’s the kind of power the Internet and social networking sites wield and that’s why the marketplace is changing at lightning speed. Any business that wants to stay relevant has to respond in kind. They have to shift disturb: to create a culture of innovation.”

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How Do I Find An Overseas Manufacturer?

Three years ago, Hylton Karon, president of Coconut Grove Pads Inc., an intimate apparel and accessories manufacturer, had 70 employees and did all of his manufacturing in Canada. “Now, I’m down to 25 employees and I have a lot of machines collecting dust,” Mr. Karon says.

Still, 2007 proved to be his most successful year in 15 years of business. Mr. Karon credits that success to a decision made 18 months ago to look beyond Canada’s borders and outsource manufacturing to Asia and Turkey. A single Coconut Grove garment may now have touched hands in as many as 10 countries before reaching its destination.

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TFSAs a BIG help to small business

While Canadian investors are flocking to tax-free savings accounts, many small business owners are still not aware of all the benefits that these registered accounts have to offer, for themselves and for their employees, experts say.

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How to Freshen Your Brand Without Wasting Dollars

Clearly, traditional media aren’t dead. But increasingly, the bold new ideas are coming from marketers who are working with their ad agencies and media partners to combine new technologies with traditional media approaches.

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Draw attention and promote your business by creating reasons to celebrate with customers, staff and media

Want to draw attention to something? Make it a reason to celebrate.

This fall, our company launched the premier issue of our Green Village Home & Garden Magazine. To celebrate, we had a large cake and an official ribbon cutting on the opening day of our Fall Open House.

We did invite the press out for pictures, but the main reason we wanted to have an official launch was to simply draw attention to our magazine. Even if very few people actually came out for the launch, it gave us a reason to celebrate with our staff and customers.

With a large poster and cake, it gave us a reason to stop everyone walking into the store that morning to offer them a piece of cake and to talk up our magazine.

Great excitement and fun for all staff and customers, plus it’s an easy way to draw attention to something that you want to promote. Celebrating with your customers makes them part of your community and your store a part of theirs.

Take time, and look for reasons you and your business can celebrate.

Optimize your marketing tactics and understand the lingo your customers speak.

I heard a presenter the other day speak about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) marketing. He reminded us to always speak to your customers. Duh! No kidding! Shouldn’t we always speak to our customers?

What he was trying to drive home is that when searching for mattresses, most people will not search for Sealy Mattresses in Calgary. Instead they’ll search for what they’re looking for; Mattresses in Calgary.

Most customers don’t know or care what brand name they’re looking for, they simply looking for what they want; a comfortable mattress that is priced right and can be delivered before the weekend.

Whether you’re communicating with customers through a website, e-mail campaign, print marketing, radio, person to person sales, informing of benefits, keep the information relevant to what they’re looking for in the terms that they can easily understand. Don’t make things complicated by using of jargon or brand names that no one recognizes or cares about.

Keep your messages short, to the point and relevant to what your customers are looking for. Nothing more.

When it comes to marketing, less is usually better.