SMB Marketing

If you ask the average entrepreneur or small business owner about their typical work day, chances are the answers you might get would be anything but typical.

In a blog post back in March, we talked about how “Success May Be Habit-Forming!” and focused mainly on being prepared and positive thinking to move forward.

Just three months ago a lot of us who live in the northern part of the U.S., along with those in Canada, were left scratching our heads. “Why in the world is it so warm?” January and February, as we all know typically brings sub-zero chills. When winter is pleasant, we have opportunity to ski, snowboard or go sledding.

Let’s say one of your customers wants to promote his or her business.

Some say that the smartest and most profitable businesses are so prosperous — and so much more successful than everyone else — because of one thing. They know their customers, and their future customers, better than everyone else.

Even in venture capital, which is a sector that some might assume is just about writing large checks or chasing the next big tech trend, customer knowledge is a big deal.

Last summer, LinkedIn’s Pulse ran an article stating something that almost everyone in business probably knows: salespeople are very competitive compared to other humans. Business data scientist Ji-A Min wrote that “Popular opinion argues — and research shows — that competitiveness is correlated with selling success.”

Earlier this spring the innovation and business magazine Fast Company ran a series of articles titled “Secrets of the Most Productive People”. The articles tapped onto the wisdom of successful icons such as Oprah Winfrey as well as a few lesser known CEOs and inventors.

Change is a part of corporate life and marketing. You need not be “on fleek” or "perf” to keep up with it, but staying current with trends and tastes should be a priority. When companies merge or change their products, a simple logo tweak may do the trick. Other times, a more comprehensive re-brand can help keep customers engaged, while letting a firm show off its new image.

We’ve been hearing a lot re-brands in the last 12 months. It seems that every sector, from big corporations to non-profits and from government-affiliated institutions to cities big and small are making decisive moves. They are thinking hard about their names, their logos, and ultimately their “brands”. But branding a business of any size should not be done without careful consideration.

It’s the beginning of March, but where is that frigid weather? Whether it’s global warming, or just a lucky burst of warm air that’s got the temperatures up in northern parts of the country, sunnier days make us start to think of spring and summer.