Happy New Year from Blue Dog Marketing!!!

If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. – Zig Ziglar

Do or do not; there is no try. – Yoda

Merry Christmas from Blue Dog Marketing! Wishing you peace, love and a wonderful day with your family!

The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake – you can’t learn anything from being perfect. – Adam Osborne

Quick Facebook Update Ideas

I know it takes time to keep your social media posts current. Would you like some short cuts you can use for your business Facebook page?

Great! Here are three quick and easy ways to write a Facebook update.

1. Start or end your update with a question. Questions encourage your fans to respond and that is the start of the ‘social’ conversations you want have with your fans.
2. Use an image with a quote. Find a really great quote and picture that goes with it. Put the text over the picture and use that as your post. Quotes are a great way to inspire your fans and to share what motivates you.
3. Share a link. I don’t recommend sharing all the time but sometimes it works. If you find a really great article or post that you want to share with your fans, share the link to the article but also write something about the article. Let your fans know why you’re sharing an article and what you think about it.

Today is the first day of winter. Enjoy the snow and cold!!

Start Your New Year with Marketing Tips That Will Revive Your Small Business

Do you want to start the New Year out by trying some new marketing ideas? If you’ve found yourself in a business dry spell, we have some marketing tips and ideas that can take you from stuck to productive in no time.

Remember the 80/20 Rule

80% of your business comes from 20% of your customers. What are you doing to remarket to your current and past customers? Add them to your newsletter list or just send out an email blast offering a discount on a specific product or service. By touching your current and past customers in this way you can stay top of mind with them.

Ask for Referrals

Referrals can help your business grow. People are more likely to trust a friend or business associate over an advertisement. Ask your family, friends and customers for referrals…don’t be shy about it either!

Use Social Media

Social media is free to use, the only cost is your time, so use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter on a regular basis. If your business has products that can be photographed, take good quality pictures and post them on Pinterest and Instagram.

Ask for Testimonials

Testimonials are a great way to influence potential customers to use your services or buy your products. Ask your current and past customers for testimonials. Not all testimonials have to be written. You can create a video of a client testimonial for use on your website and social media sites. Videos are also a great way for your customers to demonstrate how easily your product works.

You are the Expert

Position yourself and your business as the expert in your industry. Look for opportunities to speak to area Chambers or other business groups. Write articles for your local newspaper and don’t forget to blog. If you get your name out there, people will remember you when they need your products or services.

Give one or all of these ideas a try. Make 2016 your best year ever!

Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere. – Albert Einstein

Marketing on a Shoestring Budget

Are you starting your small business and your marketing budget is small or non-existent? Don’t think you can’t do any marketing, because you can. Here are three great ways to start marketing your new business while on a shoestring budget.

Network

Go where your potential customers are and talk about what you do. Networking opportunities are everywhere. Check out Meet-Up groups and local Chamber events. Every week, look in your local Sunday newspaper for a listing of networking events happening that week and attend as many as you can.

Use Email Marketing

Using email is a fairly low-cost marketing effort. MailChimp is a great, and free, email service you can use. MailChimp allows you to have up to 2,000 subscribers and send out 12,000 emails a month. They have templates you can use to easily design a great looking email or newsletter.

Use Social Media

Social media is a free way to reach your current and potential customers. Use LinkedIn to search for and connect with a vast number of people that can help grow your business or become customers. Other social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, can be used to develop relationships with potential customers. Social media can be used to talk about your products or services. It is a great way to share information, educate your target market and set yourself up as an expert in your industry.

As a small business owner, you will eventually have to invest in your business by spending money on marketing. Until you have the funds to invest, use these ideas that won’t bust your budget. 

Effective Marketing Materials

Have you ever been handed a business card or brochure that is cheaply printed? Where did they end up…in the trash? Professionally designed marketing materials can capture your potential clients’ attention.

Here are four tips to ensure that your printed marketing materials turn prospects into customers.

Keep it simple

Your brochures, sales sheets and flyers should have plenty of white space, bullet points and short paragraphs on the basics you need to cover. Remember, in-depth information can be covered during your face-to-face meetings.  With bullet points and some headers, your marketing materials will be easy to read.

Be true to your brand

Be consistent in your branding. The color, design, content and your voice must be the same for everything you do for your business…from your website to your business cards and brochures. Put your logo on all your marketing materials and focus on what differentiates your from your competition and why customers should do business with you.

Use pictures

Having nice pictures in your marketing materials will make you look professional. Invest in professional photos of your staff and your offices. Pictures tell a story and the story must be yours.

Use testimonials

Testimonials provide ‘real person’ authenticity to your story. Having customers say how great you are is much more believable than if you say it about yourself. Ask your customers for testimonials and use them on your website and in your printed marketing materials.

Often, your marketing materials are the first impression a potential customer will see. Marketing materials are an investment in your business.

Do you need help designing the perfect brochure or flyer for your business? Let Blue Dog Marketing create your spot-on marketing materials for you.

Happy Hanukkah from Blue Dog Marketing!

Pantone 2016 Color of the Year

For the first time, Pantone has picked two colors for their “Color of the Year.” For 2016, their color choices are Rose Quartz and Serenity. Look for a lovely blend of pastel roses and blues in everything from clothing and makeup to furniture accessories next year.

Read more about it at Pantone's website: Pantone Color of the Year 

Do one thing every day that scares you. – Eleanor Roosevelt

Common Marketing Mistakes

Having been in marketing for many years, I have observed some common marketing mistakes that small businesses often make. These mistakes can cost the business lost income and unnecessary expense. If your small business is on a tight budget, you don’t want to make any marketing mistakes that will cost you money.

Here are four common mistakes that many small business owners make:

No Marketing Plan

Do you have a written plan of how you are going to market your business over the next six to twelve months? Are you failing to plan or planning to fail?

A marketing plan allows your business to define its marketing objectives and clearly communicate your product or service to your team and your customers.

You Don’t Know Your Target Market

Can you clearly describe who your target audience is for each of your products or services?

All of your marketing decisions should be based on knowing and understanding your target market. If you haven’t determined your target audience, take the time to discover who they really are.

No One Is Assigned to Marketing

Is there one person in your business that is responsible for your marketing? If everyone is, then no one actually is.

As a small business owner, you may not have the finances available to hire a full-time marketing person. But it is important that a knowledgeable marketing person be responsible for your marketing, even if you have to outsource it.

You Don’t Track Marketing Results

Do you track each of your marketing campaign results? Do you track your website visits?

In today’s digital world, it’s easy for you to track your results. Google Analytics, for instance, can help you see who is visiting your website, how long they stay and what pages they looked at. This information can assist you in seeing if your home page content and call-to-action are working properly.

If you work to correct these four areas, even on a tight budget, you will position your small business favorably for 2016. 

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. – Bill Gates

Happy Thanksgiving!

How to Create a Simple Marketing Plan

You do have a marketing plan in place, don’t you? If you don’t, here are some tips that will help you easily create a marketing plan.

Target Market

You first must determine who your ideal client is. Do some simple research to find out more about your target market. What do they like/dislike? What are their pain points? What do they want/need?

Your Products and Services

Your next step is to figure out what products and/or services you can offer to your target market to solve their problems and address their pain points. What will differentiate you from your competition? What is your pricing strategy?

Geographical Features of Your Target Market

Where are your potential customers located? Where will you position yourself so they can find you? How will you channel your marketing message to them? Will you write a blog, write articles for trade journals/magazines, hold seminars and webinars or speak to certain groups?

Your Unique Selling Proposition

Develop your unique selling proposition. This proposition states your promise and sets you apart from your competition.

How Can Your Customers Purchase Your Product or Service

Next, determine how your potential customers can purchase your product or service. How are you going to get the information your prospective clients need to make their purchasing decisions?

Have a Budget

Establish your marketing budget for the year. And stick to it! You really do have to spend money to make money. Spend what you are comfortable spending. As your business grows, you’ll want to invest more into your marketing to continue growing your business.

If you need help creating or implementing a market plan, contact Blue Dog Marketing. We’re here to help you grow your business. 

The best way to predict the future is to create it. – Peter Drucker

Bring Back Your Former Clients

It’s happened to every business owner….a client stops working with you and you don’t know why. For small business owners and solo entrepreneurs who have a small client base, this loss can be distressing.  Not only can this client loss be financially painful, but a small business owner often takes the loss personally.

The good news is that if this customer purchased from you once, they are likely to purchase from you again. It is much easier to sell a former client who has already has a positive experience working with you than it is to earn the trust of a prospective client.

To regain your former clients, you must implement an organized strategy to encourage them to return and do business with you again.  Here are some steps you can take to bring them back.

End the Working Relationship on a Good Note

Your client may stop working with you simply because the project ended. Or they may just cancel your contract without giving you a reason. However your working relationship ends, ask for a meeting or send a survey where you can get some feedback on your work. Use this meeting or survey to find out the reason your client is leaving.

If you discover that they are unhappy with your work, this is the time for you to apologize and fix the problem. This may be enough to keep your client happy and have them remain with you. If your client is leaving for reasons outside of your control, respect their decision.

Send a thank you note to each client that leaves and thank them for their business and encourage them to return in the future.

Continue Reaching Out

Keep in touch with your former clients on a regular basis. Send them your quarterly newsletter. Put them on your holiday card list. Emailing and snail mailing things to your former customers on a regularly is a gentle way of reminding them that you are still there and available to help them.

Invite Them Back

Invite your former clients back. We suggest you try a direct mail campaign urging former clients to come back.  Your mail campaign could offer them a discount for a specific product or service.

Putting a plan in place to say goodbye to clients and staying in touch with them is a way to stay top of mind with them so they’ll return to you when they need your services. 

Why Are People Leaving Your Website?

You’re getting traffic to your website, but people are not staying. Why is it that so few visitors are converting into leads?

If you’re having trouble getting visitors to stay on your site and convert into leads, maybe your website needs some fixes.

Here are some reasons we have found that people leave a website:

Your Site Design is Out-of-Date

Yes, it true…people still judge a book by its cover. If your website looks like it was designed in the 1990’s, it’s time for a professional rehab.

Your Content is Not Easy to Read

The font you use, in conjunction with your background color, may not be easy for your visitors to read. If they can’t easily read your content, they are not going to stick around to learn more.

Your font should be clean and easy to read. Use high contrast color combinations to make it easy for your visitors to read your amazing content.

Your Videos are on Auto-play

Today’s digital savvy customers prefer to choose when they want to watch a video, so don’t have your videos set to auto-play. Blasting your videos at potential customers is a sure way to have them leave your website quickly.

Your Navigation is Vague

When you are setting up your website, think through how your users will actually use your site. No one wants to waste their time trying to find a specific piece of information. If your visitors have to dig through a jumble of poorly laid out navigation choices, they will leave your site.

Your Site is Boring

A bland and boring website will turn off potential customers. Show off your persona in your brand. Add your personality to your content. Use colors, backgrounds and images that catch the eye.

Your Product Benefits are not Distinct

If your product benefits are not featured clearly on your website, you will not compel potential customers to stay and convert into leads. Promoting your product benefits, rather than your product features, will increase your conversions.

You Don’t Have a Call to Action

You have to ask for the sale. A call to action (CTA) tells your website visitors what their next step should be. Your visitors probably won’t take any action unless your prompt them to. Include your call to action on your home page, any sales pages and your blog.

Does your website need professional help? Contact Blue Dog Marketing for help!

4 Easy Steps to Create Great Website Content

Your website will be easier for visitors to read if you have a clear message throughout your site. How can you achieve that clear message? Here are four easy steps you can follow to write great content for your website:

Know Your Audience

You have ‘homework’ to do before you can start writing. You must figure out who your target audience is and what their pain points are. What are they looking for on your website?

Address Their Pain Points

You website content should be all about your customer and how you can solve their pain points. They already know you might be able to help them; that’s why they’re at you website. What your site needs to do is show them that you understand their pain points better than your competition and that you can take away their pain.

You can address specific challenges or pain points you know your target audience suffers from. You can certainly address how you solved those challenges….just don’t give away all your information….you want them to hire you.

Put yourself in your potential customer’s shoes when you start writing your website content. Write as you speak because your website should sound like you.

Keep It Short

No one wants to read huge, long paragraphs on a website. You should keep your website content brief.

• Use bullet points to break down a long list of ideas
• Break paragraphs into short sections and use brief title that will draw attention to the section
• Keep to one message for each section
• Use short, focused sentences

Solicit Help

Once you’ve finished your website content, sent it to a trusted friend and ask them to review it. Ask them for honest feedback. Tell them you’re aiming for clear and interesting content. Having a person outside your business give you their perspective is a great way to get a unique second opinion on what you’ve written.

Now you’re ready to write that amazing website content that will draw potential customers in and have them hire you to solve their pain points!

Happy Veterans Day!

A leader who exercises power with honor will work from the inside out. Starting with himself. – Blaine Lee

Reasons Why Your Blog Posts are NOT Getting Read

What is it about some blog posts that make you NOT want to read them? We’ve all been there….you click on a blog post you want to read and faster than a speeding bullet, you leave.

So many blogger make the same mistakes, so I’d like to give you easy fixes to these mistakes so you stop losing readers.

Not Enough Whitespace

Whitespace is the empty space on the page. It allows your readers’ eyes to rest and it helps them focus on your content. Be sure to include space between each paragraph. Also, your lines within each paragraph should have spaces. You don’t need, or want, to bunch everything up. Studies have shown that using whitespace between paragraphs and margins increase your reader’s comprehension by 20%.

Allow for space around your images too so your readers’ attention is drawn to them.

You Didn’t Incorporate Section Headers

Breaking your writing up into sections allows you to present each idea on its own and keeps your writing organized. By using section headers, your readers can easily understand your main points and they want to read more. Studies have shown that your readers’ comprehension increases by 12% when bloggers use section headers.

Your Paragraphs are Too Long

Nothing makes you not want to read a blog post more than seeing a sea of text with no whitespace. Heck, you don’t even have sections! You will send your readers running in the opposite direction if your blog is nothing but long paragraphs.

Long paragraphs make your information look hard to read. Several short paragraphs will get more attention from your readers.

You’re Using a Difficult to Read Font

A tiny or fancy font may look cute, but it can cause headaches for your readers, especially if they are trying to read your blog post on a mobile device which already has a small screen. Pick an easy to read font and use a size that is large enough for your visitors to read on any device. My recommendation is a sans-serif font where your letters are plain (no embellishments), straight and clear. Sans-serif fonts, such as Arial and Verdana, are easy to read online.

You Didn’t Use Bullet Points

79% of readers scan a blog post instead of reading every word. Since they don’t have the time to read everything, use bullet points:

•  Bullet points make it easy for readers to digest your informatio 
•  Bullet points are easy for you to use
• Keep your bullet points brief

You Didn’t Bold Anything

By bolding words, you help your readers quickly understand the key takeaways from your blog post. Your blog visitors read approximately 20% of the text in your blog, so make sure your most important information is bolded. This way, if a reader is skimming your post, they will most likely remember the information you put in bold.

You Did Not Include Images

Images visually break up your text and make it easy for your readers to scan your post. They also allow your reader to understand, at a glance, what your post is about.

To best utilize pictures, place one photo at the top of your blog post to grab your reader’s attention and make them want to read more. Your pictures need to relate to your post, so choose wisely.

Now, you’re ready to start writing blog posts that will be read…and remembered!

It's Election Day! Remember to vote!!!

The fastest way to succeed is to look as if you’re playing by somebody else’s rules, while quietly playing by your own. – Michael Korda

Using Instagram to Promote Your Small Business

One of the great things about social media is that it allows businesses to communicate with their target audience on a platform where they always are. Instagram is one of the platforms that a small business can use to reach their target market.

Instagram is a popular photo-sharing app that businesses can use to increase awareness of a specific campaign or to boost sales.

Let Pictures Tell a Story

The key to using Instagram is creating the proper balance between pictures that are interesting and fun with photos that are somewhat hard-sell. Check out what other successful Instagram users are doing and try to copy (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!) what they are doing to create this balance.

Populate Your Account

To start on Instagram, you can cross post content to Facebook or ride on popular and trending hashtags. Once you have a good number of followers, you can become more assertive in your ways to increase your followers, such as holding a promotion.

Follow Back

When you follow some of your followers, you are telling them that you give importance to what they have to say. This will build attraction to your brand and it also give you’re the opportunity to repost, or “regram” a post from them that might be related to your business or industry. You might even come across photos of your products with good reviews in the caption.

Use Hastags

Take time to create hashtags that your small business can own and use these hashtags to connect with your followers. You can build the story of your content around a specific hashtag and track posts about your business.

Create a Different Offer

Don’t let your Instagram content mirror what you are posting to your other social media accounts. There should be added value to following your business for each social media platform.

Instagram can tell the story of your business in photos. Post behind-the-scene stories and let your customers get to know you and your business.

Creating great social media content

Blue Dog Marketing gives you some tips for creating great social media content. Get out there and start working on your social media strategy!

Navigating Social Media to Promote Your Small Business

Today’s small business owner knows that they have to be on social media to promote their business and brand. It can get confusing about which sites to use and how to best use them to market your business. Here are some tips to help you navigate the major social media networks.

Know Your Target Audience

First, and I feel I’m always saying this, but know your target audience. Here are some areas you can use to identify your target audience’s demographics:

·        Age

·        Gender

·        Occupation

·        Income level

·        Educational level

·        Type of Industry

·        Number of Employees

·        Type of Business

·        Revenue

Focus your blog content and posts on information that is relevant to your target audience.

Create Sharable Content

When you are posting to any social media network, limit your posts to 300-500 words. Anything longer and people won’t read it. Include images because people are more likely to read a post with a picture than one without.

Include a Call-to-Action. This is what action you want your readers to take. Do you want them to visit your website or buy your book? Include links that will take your readers to the correct webpage where they can perform the action you want them to.

Address your audience’s pain points and answer frequently asked questions about your products or services.

Social media is all about the sharing, so include a sharing button so your readers can share your post with their friends. It’s a great way to get more exposure for your posts.

Facebook

If you are going to use Facebook, you need to figure out how many times a day will want to post. Remember to respond to your fans if they make comments.

Use Facebook’s paid ads to promote your business, increase awareness and offer discounts.

Twitter

On Twitter, you need to know how many tweets you want to send out daily.

Your tweets could include links to your blog posts and product offers and discounts. 

Your tweets should include an image and a Call-to-Action.

Retweet influencers tweets. Follow new people. Respond to tweets.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is different. It’s really a business only social network.

Be sure to update your status a few times a week. Join and participate in industry groups. Create and update a company page. And be sure to use LinkedIn to research your prospects.

Google+

Google+ is Google’s attempt at a social network, so why not join this too. You can share your content a few times a week. Post your blog here too along with any product offers and discounts. Promote posts from industry influencers. Circle new people every day. Make sure your posts are public.

Pinterest

Pinterest is not for every business. It’s great for businesses such as wedding planners, custom jewelry designers, interior designers and businesses that sell women’s fashions. As you can guess, Pinterest is very visual so your business better be too.

If you are on Pinterest, be sure to add your keywords to your pins and make sure your pins link back to your website.

Create boards your clients might be interested in and follow new boards each week to get inspired.

YouTube

When you are marketing on YouTube, keep in mind that you should create videos that showcase your expertise. Have fun when you are creating your videos. Gather questions from your fans and create videos to address them. 

Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Blue Dog Marketing is participating in the American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk today. The walk raises money for breast cancer research and is also a great way for us to give back to our community!

Cause Marketing

       

We’ve written, and even v-logged, about cause marketing before. In October, you can see Blue Dog Marketing’s cause marketing involvement with the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer everywhere. We turn our website pink; our Blue Dog wears a pink ribbon in her hair; Laurie and Mary wear pink streaks in their hair; we participate in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk on October 18. We raise money and enlist friends, family and clients to walk with us. It’s all about awareness and raising money for a good cause.

For us, this cause is near and dear to our hearts because Laurie is a breast cancer survivor. We raise money and walk so other women won’t have to go through what she has.

Cause marketing will give your business greater visibility when you associate yourself with a local charity. People like to do business with companies that give back to their communities and that support the causes they believe in too.

Cause marketing can range from actively being involved in a charity to sponsoring an event. Not-for-profit organizations can be anything in your community from a little league team to the American Cancer Society. Pick one and get involved. You’ll be doing good for your community and your business.

By the way, if you’re around Frontier Field on Sunday, October 18, join Blue Dog Marketing’s ‘Team Blue Dog’ for a fun and inspirational morning walk through downtown Rochester!

What we actually learn, from any given set of circumstances, determines whether we become increasingly powerless or more powerful. – Blaine Lee

Happy Columbus Day from Blue Dog Marketing!

 

3 Smart Ways to Market Your Small Business

As a small business owner, you know that you need to market your business effectively in order to stay in business. You need to attract new customers and retain current customers to continue a healthy level of business growth.

There are many ways to market your business but it is important to focus on the marketing pieces that will bring you the most revenue and best results.

Know Where Your Target Market Is

You need to know who your target market is so you can craft the proper message. You also need to know where to reach your target audience. For example, if you are a personal fitness trainer, you would advertise at a gym or a store that sells exercise equipment, not at a bakery or book store. Focus on where you can reach the largest number of your target audience as possible.

Delegate Responsibilities

If you have a team, learn how to delegate some business responsibilities to them so you can free up your time to focus on the most important business matters. As the face of your company, you should be out networking and building strong relationships with potential customers and vendors. Generating leads is a vital part of running a business so let the less important tasks fall to other team members.

Hand Over Marketing Undertakings

If you are busy running your business, perhaps marketing is not your strong point. Concentrate on what you do best, running your business, and hire a marketing firm to assist you with some of your marketing tasks. This way you will have the benefit of experts, doing what they do best, helping you grow your small business.

By effectively marketing your small business, you will ensure that it survives and grows.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Every day, the American Cancer Society helps people take steps to reduce their risk of breast cancer or find it early when it is easiest to treat. Today 1 of every 2 women newly diagnosed with breast cancer reaches out to them for help and support. They provide free information and services when and where women need it throughout their journey to get well. They are investing in groundbreaking research to find, prevent, treat, and cure breast cancer, and are working to ensure access to mammograms for women who need them. 

Because Blue Dog Marketing knows we can make a difference in the fight to end breast cancer. We know that by raising funds and walking in the American Cancer Society Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event, we will help save lives from breast cancer. 

We believe that one day breast cancer will never steal another year from anyone's life. Making Strides is not only our opportunity to join our community to fight back against breast cancer, but it is also a way to inspire hope by raising funds and awareness to help those facing the disease. That's why Team Blue Dog is walking on Sunday, October 18^th. 

Join us or donate to a great cause at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/TeamBlueDog

Together, we can make strides to end breast cancer!

Brand Strategy

Learn about two components of brand strategy so you can build a strong brand for your small business.

It’s called a pen. It’s like a printer, hooked straight to my brain. – Dale Dauten

5 Web Design Mistakes Small Businesses Often Make

Your website is a crucial piece of your online marketing and branding efforts so that is why getting it right from the start so is important. Unfortunately, many small businesses don’t get the right website or content up when they start out.

Here are the 5 most common mistakes you can avoid when starting out and creating your website:

1. Know Your Target Audience

You’ve decided to start your own business, so you hurry up and purchase a domain name and set up an easy (or free) website. If you don’t take the time to research who your target audience is and what their pain points are, any efforts you make can be in vain.

What information should you know before you start building your website? Ask yourself some questions about your target audience. For example, are your customers older? Then you may want to use a larger font size on your website.

Know their pain points. What problems are they coming to you to solve.

2

     2. Keep Your Website Easy to Navigate and Read

A flashy or busy website will turn off visitors. When someone lands on your home page, they want to easily and quickly see what you do and how you can help them. It’s that simple!

3.  Make Your Website Mobile-friendly

With Google’s new (started in April 2015) search algorithm, if you want your site to rank high on search pages, your site must be mobile-friendly. Think about it…many people search for websites from their smart phones and tables every day. Your site must look good, be easy to read and simple to navigate on these smaller screens.

4. Keep Your Content Current

Many small businesses fail to update the content on their websites on a regular basis. If your product information and pricing have changed, your website should reflect those changes. Also, a site that has consistently new information will rank higher in searches.

There is nothing worse than going to a website and not seeing any new information or only seeing outdated information. Visitors will think you are out of business.

5. Doing Everything Yourself

Yes, you can build your own website and you can update your site yourself. But do you have the time to do this? Many ‘build-it-yourself’ websites don’t look professional and won’t impress your visitors. Also, updating your site can take time away from running your business.

An experienced marketing company, such as Blue Dog Marketing, can help you create a custom website that will help you stand out from your competition. We can also update your site for you. Remember, you never get a second chance to make a great first impression!

Use these tips to reach your target audience and establish a strong online presence for your small business.

In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later. - Harold S. Geneen

International Coffee Day!!!!

Coffee in the morning to wake up; grab a cup of coffee and catch up with friends; stop for coffee with clients – we drink coffee morning, noon and night. There are coffee shops on nearly every street. Today is International Coffee Day! Enjoy!!!!