Small Business Marketing Talk

"If I had known back then what I do now, I never would have started this business."

This is a true statement, and something I used to say from time to time during the 20 years I operated my landscape contracting business. It's something you tend to say when you are experiencing one of the thousands of challenges that are part of the the fabric of small business culture.  

Then there are those times when you pat yourself on the back for doing something incredibly naive that resulted in a success.

I have just as many of those to share with you as I do regrets.  And I am sure you have experienced the same or more with your business.  This is how we learn, and usually by sharing those experiences with our industry peers.  This got me to thinking.

I cannot think of a better forum for sharing tips, insights, and lessons learned than a blog – like this blog! 

Announcing A New Idea

So, I am starting a series to focus on sharing some of these insights:  Small Business Marketing Talk.

I've decided to cast a wider net to include the entire topic of marketing.   Heck, I may even include a few scenarios that pertain to marketing's first cousin, which of course is sales.  And don't be surprised if we have some interviews with other small business, marketing, or social media pros. 

You be the judge.  I'll give this a try.  If it doesn't get a favorable response, I'll consider it another lesson learned and move on.   It certainly won't be my first failure.  Let's just say that I'm steadily gaining on Thomas Edison. ha, ha.

I'm open to suggestions – about everything.  Tell me what you would like to talk about.  Suggest a format.  Recommend a better name for this perennial series.  I'm thinking this may be a great way for me to get back to recording videos again.  Maybe this could be a weekly event.  What do you think?

You know the drill, just leave a comment below.

Taking a Test Drive

As long as you are here, I may as well share something of value on marketing, and more specifically, the topic of social media marketing.

The Name Game

It has been a sport to invent monikers that help us to be edgier, more unique, more professional, and yes, more of an expert while we are strolling through the social media networks.  That was then.  Now is now, and I really believe you will want to discontinue using appended name descriptors such as expert, maven, and guru.  They just don't fit anymore.

These cute little naming tactics do one thing only – they identify you as an amateur or novice.  But Jeff, you say, weren't you the Green Marketing Guru for a while.  Indeed I was, and I have come to regret that hour at Starbucks when my friend talked me into it.  All I can do is learn and move on.

Personal

The social media platform continues to drive a social economy that is more about people than brands.  Your greatest asset, now more than ever, is your name.  I don't care how strange or common your name is, it is what separates you from the herd. 

 
Seth Godin notes in his new book, Linchpin (affiliate link above), that we all have to be more of who we are, and less of who we have been trained, educated, and conditioned to be.  He calls this being an artist.   In my world, I call this being a small business owner.  There is an art to that.

So here's the question: 

What is the name you want attached to your art? 

Photo Credit:  Vasta