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Thinking

A local small-business owner recently asked me, "Do I need to be on Facebook?" Well, it depends. Nearly one out of five small business owners are actively using social media in their business.

We're feeling a little uninspired by the invariable New Year's resolutions that are popping up these days. Lose weight. Quit smoking. Drink less. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?

Like fruitcake and ugly sweaters, it's becoming a tradition for many companies to wrangle over whether their seasonal messaging should include "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays."

In honor of Halloween, we've assembled some of the most spine-chilling, hair-raising, blood-curdling marketing tactics we've come across. Bottom line? This kind of marketing is scary. Scary, because of the damage this can do to a companies' brand.

We live in a buzz culture, where the best kind of exposure often comes from word of mouth. Word of mouth is the type of publicity that will fire up your sales and ignite brand recognition.

A solid brand can be the difference between business success and failure - especially in this economy. A strong brand helps you stand out from your competitors, adds value to your product or services, and helps you connect with your consumers.

The traditional marketing and branding model is changing. The standard model was a "one-to-many" proposition, where you try to get your message to as many people as possible.

Did you know that 85% of all purchases are made by women? That doesn't mean you need to create a separate brand or marketing campaign to reach women. What you need is a smarter marketing strategy.