Notes from Jeff York Small business marketing thoughts from a marketing small business owner

I was once attached to a company that actively sought out to put themselves into the following trap: Generate a suite of business solutions that we can hang our hat on. These solutions will serve the majority of businesses regardless of their market position and valuation. By generating a suite of “

This blog has been chock full of ideas and concepts on how you can increase awareness of your product. We’ve talked about on-air advertising (television and radio), print, outdoor, Internet, direct response, economic challenges, the power of social media, and Guerilla Marketing. We’ve even talked ab

When I was young, I remember a TV commercial where someone stopped for directions to Bar Harbor, Maine. The reply came in a very thick Maine accent: “You can’t git therah from hereh.” The phrase has popped up in my life from time to time. It’s when it pops up in my professional life when [...]

You know how important good employees are to your organization. In fact, before you started your own business, it’s likely that you were a good employee to someone yourself. On the flip side, adding a staff, or even starting a staff, is a very scary and expensive proposition. The employee sees the n

There is no shortage of ways in which you can get your name and brand out in the public eye. Between straight spot buys on TV, radio, placement within print and outdoor, you can carve out your own slice of the medium and craft your message for maximum impact. But that doesn’t prevent those who [...]

Not that I necessarily advocate this type of marketing, but it’s likely you may have heard about it so I thought I would spend this week’s post educating you about it. It’s called Guerilla Marketing. Depending on the type of business you are, this might be a viable option for you as long as you unde

This is kind of an extension of earlier idea on having a cheering section and using testimonials. I live in Connecticut where the sports allegiances are sharply divided. In baseball, Yankees and Red Sox fans are forced to co-exist (and where Mets fans are third class citizens). Patriots fans co-ming

I love electronics. Like oh-so-many other guys, I like going into my local electronics retailer and picking up and playing with the gadgets. I may not buy them, but they’re fun to play with. I remember one year telling my wife that I was going to take my birthday as a vacation day from work [...]

As I write this, today is one of the major national holidays: Independence Day. Around many of the holidays, many retailers (and other small businesses) decide to take the opportunity to go into sale mode. On a fundamental level, just what is a sale? It’s when you take your goods and/or services and

You walk into the office on Monday. You know that there’s a project due soon so you check in with key employees that have been assigned parts to find out their status and expected delivery time. You meet with other employees that you need to join the process and give them the appropriate materials a