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Cidnee Stephen Articles

Written by: Cidnee Stephen

Thinking Outside The Box - Click To Read Article
Do you ever find yourself lacking creativity in your marketing?

Where to focus in 2012 - Click To Read Article
The common tone going into 2012 is cautious optimism.

Sifting Through the Marketing Chaos - Click To Read Article
I was having lunch with a peer the other day and we were talking about how incredibly different today's marketing tactics are from even 5 years ago. Quite frankly all these new shiny objects seem to be overwhelming small businesses instead of helping them grow their client base.

Are You Stuck in the Mediocrity Trap? - Click To Read Article
We find ourselves stuck in the mediocrity trap, frustrated that our businesses aren't making the money we feel they should be for the efforts we are putting in. So how can you shift from blasé to brilliant?

10 Effective Ways To Use 1 Piece of Content - Click To Read Article
Take one piece of content you have already created (this can be stats in your industry, a newsletter article, blog post, case study, etc.) and ACTION each step below as you read them.

Upping Your PR - Click To Read Article
If you are exceptional at what you do, have a ton of experience or are sitting on a leading edge breakthrough it's time to start adding some PR to the mix.

5 Business Reasons to Be on Google+ - Click To Read Article
Google+ might be the newest entry in the social media ring, but it's definitely in the "heavyweight" division. It has created a platform that quite frankly melds the worlds of Facebook, Twitter, and Skype.

Leveraging the Power of Video - Click To Read Article
It's hard to ignore the impact videos and You Tube are having as a marketing tool. As a small business owner, you may want to take a close look at this amazing tool.

Are You A Marketing Control Freak? - Click To Read Article
Which activities do you find you focus on the most?

Does Your Marketing Lack Personality? - Click To Read Article
Sometimes we get so caught up in following the rules with marketing that we forget its entertainment value. However, with marketing becoming more community based than ever (thanks to the onslaught of social media channels), you ‘gotta' inject some personality or you are going to have a much tougher time engaging your prospects.

What is a Prospect Looking for Online - Click To Read Article
Understand your prospects buying pattern and give them what they need at every stage and you will ALWAYS attract and convert more sales.

Creating Your Marketing Routine - Click To Read Article
Think about the last time you made a big change in the way you run your business or perhaps even in your personal life. It’s hard to adjust your day to day habits. Sometimes we are even at a loss where to start. The same tends to happen with our marketing.

My secret spy online - Click To Read Article
What is the ROI for Social Media?

Do You Suffer from Expert Failure? - Click To Read Article
Malcolm Gladwell was talking about a concept he calls "Expert Failure." He was suggesting that once you feel you have mastered your area of expertise, you stop seeing the warning signs of what might be breaking down or what might possibly go wrong.

The REFERRAL Pattern - Who’s REALLY Referring You and Why - Click To Read Article
Have you ever had a really good look at who’s actually referring you and been surprised to find it’s a handful of the same people over and over again, or Have you wondered why more of your customers or strategic partners aren’t referring you at all?

5 Fun Ways to Market Your Business on Facebook - Click To Read Article
If you are using Facebook personally or are still one of those rare people who aren’t part of what compares in size as being the 3rd largest country in the world, you might want to consider “playing” with some fun techniques here to market your business.

5 WAYS TO LOSE A PROSPECT - Click To Read Article
Have you ever wondered how you can LOSE a prospect? Well, here is how!

Converting Online Leads to Offline Sales - Click To Read Article
Websites are no longer an option, they're mandatory. Additionally, social media is no longer its own entity. These sites are simply another place for you to claim your online real estate. For the first time ever, website visits are going down as people rely more on sites like Facebook and blogs to build relationships and check out companies. Additionally, recent trends show that 92% of consumers do their research online for new products and services. So as we enter 2011, it makes sense that online marketing will play even a larger role for SME's to attract more qualified leads. But this is also the year that we are going to see an emergence of old and new techniques to convert these online contacts into offline sales.

Creating a Talking Logo - Click To Read Article
Before any other marketing tools like advertising, direct mail, your website or referrals will have an impact on your business, you've got to uncover and communicate how your business is different from every other business that says they do what you do. You've got to get out of the commodity business. You've got to stake your claim on a simple idea or position in the mind of your prospective clients. In other words, you've got to create and bring to life a powerful personal marketing message.

You Can't Win If You Don't Keep Score - Click To Read Article
Unless you have the DREAM Marketing budget, it's vital that you make every penny count, yet the majority of businesses out there don't really keep score when it comes to the effectiveness of their marketing initiatives. It's no wonder, if you have every cracked a book on marketing metrics. Most are pretty dry and definitely written in "yawn-ese." So, what should you be measuring beyond the obvious (sales revenues and profits)?

Yellow Pages - To Advertise or Not To Advertise - Click To Read Article
With so many other ways to access information today, it should be no surprise that the effectiveness of directory books such as the Yellow Pages is on the decline. However they still are a main source of information for visitors in a hotel room, or users of public telephone booths. Some older age demographics also prefer them to other alternatives. It is expected that we will continue to see these familiar yellow books around for approximately 10 more years. So whether they are right for you really comes down to knowing the search habits of your ideal clients.

Why All Companies Need a Story - Click To Read Article
Stories capture our attention quickly. They are more entertaining than straight facts and allow us to take a complicated topic and explain it in such a way that it is appealing to a listener. So why does a company need to tell a story? Simply put, it gives you control over what and how people talk about you, your products and services.

What is Social Media Marketing? - Click To Read Article
As a marketer, I find this topic overwhelms and confuses many business owners. Quite frankly, even in the marketing world - the jury is still out on the trends. But rest assured - social media is not going away. As our children grow up and take over corporate North America, the names of the tools may change, but the overall usage will only become more and more in use.

Top 5 Tips for Chasing Rainbows - Click To Read Article
Simply put, our discussion was around chasing rainbows. In other words, should you go after those exciting opportunities you are thinking about? Is it worth exerting all that time and energy on something that could very well turn out to evaporate before your eyes? Business experts and books galore, will warn you about relinquishing control to such temptations, and rightfully so. Countless businesses have folded from a lack of focus and from gambling on a big idea. Yet as entrepreneurs this is usually what drives us! We are always looking for that next "big thing" that can drive our business to exponential growth. Unfortunately in its pursuit, we can find ourselves ignoring our core business and watching not only our "big ideas" disappear into thin air, but our regular income as well.

Trade Show Marketing - Part 1 - Click To Read Article
Trade shows are what I like to term a high investment marketing strategy. By this I mean they require a significant amount of money and time to execute. While pricing of the actual space may seem reasonable, once costs for display booths, signage, promotional material and manpower are tallied up - it is a pricier lead generation option to undertake. That being said, I still find it to be a fantastic way to generate a large number of qualified leads.

Trade Show Marketing - Part 2 - Click To Read Article
Trade shows can be a large investment for a company. Once you have added in all the costs of the space, the booth, the promotional material, and the staff, you need to ensure you receive a strong Marketing ROI (return on investment).

Speak for Leads - Click To Read Article
Capture Leads Through Speaking Engagements

Social Bookmarking For Business - Click To Read Article
Social bookmarking is a cool concept that allows you to save bookmarks to websites you find interesting or useful. It's a great idea from a personal standpoint because you can access your favourite bookmarks from any computer. But how can social bookmarking help your business?

Plan for Success - Click To Read Article
The new year is such an exciting time for businesses. Owners normally find themselves rejuvenated after the holidays and ready for an even BETTER new year. The desk gets cleared, the blank pages come out, the pen is poised and the first question that comes to mind is, “where do I start?”

Just How Different Are You - Click To Read Article
So how do you effectively pull your prospects out of the box? In other words, how do you define what makes you TRULY different. Having done many surveys for my clients asking their customers this very pointed questions, I can tell you this. 9 times out of 10 it is in the little things.

Is Radio Advertising Right For You? - Click To Read Article
Is the radio the right medium for you to market your business? It all depends. Many businesses have blossomed from it and others have been burnt badly. While there are always exceptions to the rules (and I LOVE exceptions), here are some good guidelines when it comes to choosing RADIO as a place to promote your business.

Is Your Peak Season Right Around the Corner? - Click To Read Article
Is the upcoming season usually busy for you? If so, what are you doing now to maximize your results? Far too often we leave our promotional efforts until it’s too late. The next thing we know, we find ourselves scrambling at the last minute, rushing our promotions and not maximizing on the time and money we spent.

Follow Through or Foul Up - Click To Read Article
As entrepreneurs, we are usually great at coming up with ideas to promote our business. We know that it's not rocket science, and yet we struggle time and time again getting our ideas off the ground. This isn't really surprising because on top of wearing our marketing hat, we are also wearing our operational, financial, IT and HR hats. Yet when we look at all the different roles we have to play in our businesses, it is truly our sales and marketing hat that can fast track our business to the next level. So how can we ensure that we allocate it the time it deserves? More importantly how do we know that we are fully following through?

Creating Powerful, Promotional Material On A Budget - Click To Read Article
Nothing saddens me more when I'm out at an event or opening my mail than seeing BRUTAL (that's right, BRUTAL) promotional material. Let me describe it. First, like something out of a horror movie, I find myself staring at a home made business card or worse, the tri-fold brochure (start the creepy music).

Customer Intimacy - Click To Read Article
Customer Intimacy is going beyond simply building a stronger relationship with your client base to seeking ways to build solid win-win relationships. It means finding COMPLETE solutions not partial ones, for your ideal clients. It means not reacting to every whim of the customer but becoming an indispensable partner. It means moving from a simple transactional mentality to an investor in the customer's success.

Dating the Trysumer - Click To Read Article
Where lack of choice and distribution channels in the past made it simpler to market and sell to prospects, today small business owners need to EARN the trust and credibility of this new breed of consumer by allowing them to TRY before they BUY.

Business Card Marketing - Click To Read Article
Do you have a box of business cards on your desk that you hardly seem to put a dent in before the information changes and a new box is ordered? Or worse yet...are you still working on that same box of business cards that you printed 3 years ago! Business cards can be a great inexpensive marketing tool for a small business. They say exactly what you do and give people all the contact information they need to get a hold of you. Yet oddly enough we tend to use them only for networking, and even then, we aren't really sure if people are holding on to them.

Beware of the Numbers Game - Click To Read Article
A lot of times with referrals we think that if we have this base of clients and they can refer us, then we will have more clients who will refer us and so on and so on too. But you know this isn't what really happens in your business, does it? If you think about where your referrals have really come from, no doubt a handful of people come to mind (if you are lucky)! So why is it that some people refer us and some people don't? There are many factors that come into play that make someone a good referral source.

Branding the "Branson Way" - Click To Read Article
At one point in his conversation he touched on the importance of having a great name and being able to create a strong brand around it. Richard created his brand in a less conventional manner than most. Instead of spending a ton of money on advertising, he chose the PUBLICITY route.

Are You Guilty of One-Dimensional Marketing? - Click To Read Article
So if all marketing tools can work, how can this be? Far too often people treat their marketing like a one hit wonder. Someone tells them a certain marketing initiative was highly effective for them and off they go to try the marketing idea of the week. But alas, they don’t get the same result. This is because they are practicing one-dimensional marketing.

Are You Giving Up Too Soon - Click To Read Article
He said "Remember, 50% of our results come from the last 10% of our efforts." You would think someone had just given me the hottest new book to read! It was such a powerful way to drive home one of the key reasons companies fail in their marketing efforts.

Are You Delivering? - Click To Read Article
So are you really providing a superior product or service or experience? When is the last time you checked on this? How you do you find out? If you are saying ABSOLUTELY…..then I’m double daring you to prove it. If you aren’t sure, then congratulations, you have a realistic and healthy outlook on your business. If you are pretty sure you DON”T have a good product or service, then it’s time to make some drastic changes NOW or GET OUT of what you are doing.

Balancing Your Marketing Portfolio - Click To Read Article
We all understand the importance of having a balanced financial portfolio, but what about our marketing portfolio? If we invest the bulk of our marketing in limited activities, we are putting ourselves at risk of achieving a less than desirable return on our investment.

Be An Orange - Click To Read Article
When a prospective buyer is looking at your product or service, he or she is really comparing you to the competition. So the question is, are they comparing an apple to an apple or an apple to an orange? It is vitally important in marketing that you find a way to be THE orange! In other words, what is it about you that makes you completely DIFFERENT from your competitor?

Be The Hot Dog Stand - Search Engine Optimization - Click To Read Article
You are far better to relinquish some of your budget to being found than making your website just the prettiest one on the internet. The term commonly used for this is search engine optimization (SEO), meaning your site needs to be created in such a way that it is search engine friendly and laden with the proper key words. Here are a few quick tips to get your rankings up!

Achieving Success - Click To Read Article
So what does it take for you to get your business to the next level, to grow it to where you have reached your definition of success, and/or to leave a legacy or success story that others can tell?

10 Tips to Gain Credibility Online - Click To Read Article
Below, are some key points that may give you a fresh perspective on how to enhance your credibility online.





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