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Duct Tape Marketing Blog
Small business marketing blog
- Cheap Gas Makes You Lazy
With skyrocketing gas prices in the US people seem to be doing what they can to save a little gas here and there. My wife and I are hopping on our bikes for grocery runs and walking to the nearby coffee shop. Returning to good, wholesome basics is what we’re doing. Stuff we should be [...]
- Learn Word of Mouth Marketing from the Guy Who Wrote the Book
Seriously, my friend Andy Sernovitz did write a great book called Word of Mouth Marketing. Now he’s hosting a small-group word of mouth marketing seminar. Usually he only does private training for companies at a very large price, so this is a rare chance for 50 people to get the best introduction to word of mouth [...]
- Is Marketing Hard or Easy, Both or Neither?
I wonder if you could help me an experiment by answering the following in comments. 1) What’s the hardest part about marketing for you? 2) What’s the easiest part about marketing for you? I’m curious how often the same thing will be one for some and the other for another. I’ll go first Hardest - 1) Remembering it’s always about [...]
- Coaching Excellence Series Rolls On
My monthly expert interview series continues in July with a live session with David Meerman Scott on Wednesday, July 16th Noon CDT. David is an online thought leadership and viral marketing strategist and author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to use news releases, blogs, podcasts, viral marketing and online media to reach [...]
- Mobility Tools with Tom Wilson
Tom Wilson, Executive Director of AT&T’s Small Business Group, is my guest this week on the Duct Tape Marketing podcast. I’m a big fan of technology for the small business because I think it’s one of the great ways to level the playing field. In this show we spend time talking about tools the small business [...]
- The Best City for Entrepreneurs
I am doing an interview today with a journalist writing a story about entrepreneurial cities. You’ve probably seen these kinds of articles before, but to me this is such a tough question. What’s the best place to be an entrepreneur? Most of these types of polls take a look at tangible things like access to capital, [...]
- Lifetime Value of a Customer is Unlimited
Maybe you’ve heard of this term that some marketers use called “Lifetime Value.” The idea is to calculate what a customer might be worth over the course of doing business with you perhaps for years as opposed to a single transaction. The determination of this number might change the way you look at how much [...]
- The Most Expensive Way to Grow a Business
There are really only four ways to grow a business ? Get more leads, close more deals, increase your average transaction or add products and services to your offerings. Of the lot, trying to generate increasing numbers of leads is the most expensive. Now, don?t get me wrong, I?m not suggesting that you drop your lead [...]
FREE marketing ideas
FREE alert reveals proven marketing strategies, tips, and methods to grow your business...
- Beat Adwords Quality Score penalty
Access dozens of pay per click strategy discussions revealing suggestions on how to skip the Google Adwords Quality Score penalty.
- How to get loyal customers
Attracting and retaining long-term clients is a powerful strategy for growing your business.
Long-term clients are likely to feel more satisfied, are more likely to refer others, and are more likely to purchase additional services from you.
Here are 10 retention marketing strategies any business can use to turn average customers into loyal clients...
- Moneymaking phone numbers
Napoleon Barrigan, founder of 1-800 MATTRESS, finds his easy-to-remember toll free number generates calls even after his advertising stops.
See for yourself if an unforgettable toll-free number makes dollars and cents for your business at...
- Picture perfect printing
While snapping digital pictures is super easy, getting them "print-ready" requires a bit of tweaking...
... Before you zap your layout to your favorite printshop, check your file against my prepress workflow checklist at...
- Inside the Innovation Factory at Google
Maybe you've heard how Google encourages its engineers to invest 20 percent of their work schedule on "something of the engineer's own choosing."
According to Google's top executive, by focusing on resources that aren't directly related to Google's core business, it ultimately leads to new discoveries.
Find out how Google continues to pump out nifty products employing innovation and creativity at...
- This cricket writes great salesletters
Useless trivia fact: Did you know the number of cricket chirps you hear within 15 seconds (plus 37) reveals the current air temperature?
Are you thinking, "Wow, that's pretty cool -- but what does that have to do with writing a great salesletter?"
Legendary copywriter Gary Halbert reveals how to combine useless trivia facts as your "opener" in salesletters to engage your prospects into buying just about anything...
- Turn shy prospects into chatty buyers
Fact: It's tougher than ever to strike up a conversation with new people these days.
Even those with the gift for gab often have a hard time continuing the conversation after running out of cliches.
Author Scott Ginsberg suggests these 6 creative questions to strike up a lasting conversation with every new person you meet at...
- Boost sales 25% with this upgrade
One of the fastest, easiest, and low-cost ways to sell more to customers is to offer add ons...
... Add-on expert Jim Domanski reveals 10 profitable upselling techniques to help you get the extra sales you're missing every time you talk to your customers at...
- Dialing for search engine bucks
In addition to the interesting patterns of search words and phrases used to trigger search engine referrals, I'm starting to see phone numbers used as lookups, too.
Lately, I've noticed a growing pattern in my keyword tracking logs of phone numbers used to trigger website visitors from top search engines.
Come with me as I reveal how to dial for online profits at...
- Ethical marketing or evil genius?
Whether you love him or hate him, you've got to admire Bill Gates of Microsoft®.
In less time than it takes to wear out your family room sofa, Mr. Gates dropped out of Harvard and now controls more than 9 out of every 10 desktop PCs on the planet. That's an awesome amount of power left in the hands of just one company...
... Especially when you consider news that the software giant plans to test an $80.00 a year subscription service to fix the very same Microsoft software responsible for the overwhelming epidemic of malicious spyware and viruses gripping your computer.
Is this audacity to the max or just savvy marketing?
See what others say about Microsoft's business ethics at...
- Profiting from disorganization
Normally, being organized has its benefits.
But when it comes to search engine optimization, I find that's not the case... storing your Web pages in subdirectories might work against you...
.... Find out exactly where to store your web pages to attract the attention of the most popular search engines at...
- How to push prospect's buy buttons
Every wonder why you're asked to affix those silly postage stamps in order to buy something through the mail?
Copywriters refer to this as an "involvement device."
Just as it sounds, involvement devices get your prospect involved in your promotions. And by involving your prospects into your promotion, they actually feel closer to you... more trusting of you... and even more comfortable to give you money at the same time.
The King of Copy reveals how to push your prospect's buy buttons (often without them ever knowing it) at...
- Thomas Edison's million dollar strategies
With thousands of patents to his name, we all know Thomas Edison is one of the greatest geniuses of all time.
Here's a low-down on his top 10 tips for brain brilliance...
- Revenge of the scalped
Ever wonder why anyone would pay hundreds, or even thousands of dollars to watch pro sports or concerts?
Bargain finder (and telephone selling expert) Art Sobczak reveals how to use everyday effective negotiating skills to get even with scalpers at...
- Freebie content pays you big
Savvy internet marketers tap into article databanks... copying and pasting prewritten copyright free content as "bait" for getting listed tops at Google(TM) and Yahoo(R).
Heck, I do the same from time to time... republishing content from well-known authors experts like Bob Bly and Yanik Silver.
But now there's a better way... I've got a friend who recruits book authors and experts to custom write content to your exact specification...
... And the best part is there's absolutely no charge for this new amazing service.
You're just one email away from attracting an endless parade of authors virtually begging you to copy and paste their search engine friendly free content onto your site at...
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