As a small business owner the first thing you need to realize is that you can’t and should not even try to compete with big business. Because, when you do that the first thought you have is to try to lower prices. This will never work and you’ll end up out of business. Instead you need to compete in other areas, such as service, value and reputation. As a small business you’re in a unique position to be able to do that. After all, you don’t need to earn billions of dollars to stay in the game like a big…

Did you know that Instagram is beginning to surpass Pinterest in popularity? It’s become increasingly important for business owners to learn how to use Instagram effectively. However, you don’t have to hire anyone to help you. It’s fun and easy to learn. This helpful article will give you some simple tips and ideas to showcase your Instagram account, keep the interest going as well as attracting new followers.

Every blogger or online entrepreneur should understand the importance of branding and learn how to develop a brand that is relevant to their audience. It’s important to set yourself apart from your competition.  By finding your niche, telling your story and developing a consistent image, you will communicate a brand identity that your customers will trust and relate to. And developing that trust will keep those customers coming back to you in the future. Don’t know where to start? This article will show you the action steps you need to take to develop your brand in just five days.

Have you ever wondered what the history was behind the brands that remain household names after decades of being in business? This fascinating article will tell you the story and history of the people are behind the company, the times that they lived in and how they got their start in business. Even though the stories are old, there are still lessons to be learned for modern day entrepreneurs.

In the world of promotion, branding has been called anything from a logo, to putting a logo on things, to a general image. If I may be so humble to speak for those those of us who specialize in branding, a brand could replace the word “reputation.” How a customer perceives you, your town , your product, experience, or organization etc. is your brand. Most marketing people I come into contact with simply don’t get it and arrogantly think that sales promotion is 100% of what branding encompasses. Now, granted the end game in branding is to bring more dollars…

Have you noticed that visual content has become increasingly important in blog posts and across social media?  Knowing how to find use great images has become an essential part of your social strategy. Great images and particularly quote images are far more likely to get shared in the form of retweets, regrammed, pins, and on Facebook. But how can you be sure you’re using the best quotes for your brand? This helpful article will help you evaluate the emotional impact of the quotes that you’re considering as well as helpful tips on fonts, layout and branding.  

With most small businesses running all of their sensitive information through the internet there is a greater need to keep it as secure as possible. See the statistics below as to where the greatest risks have been over the last several years. University of Alabama at Birmingham Online

A few years ago I pitched my branding process to a mid-size Canadian City mayor. Suffice to say he loved the presentation and the opportunities it would open up. The one item that buried the project was his short-sightedness. Knowing upfront that there were deficiencies in the brand, he didn’t appreciate my comment that those deficiencies would have to be fixed so that their brand had a better chance of being authentic to it’s target audience. The fastest route to failure is to tout something powerful and then have your buyer discover it was all just advertising spin. The city…

Your brand is this – your brand is that. Some would have you believe that your brand is this OR that. The fact is your brand is everything. I enjoy speaking with businesses on branding and helping them to understand the what their focus should be in branding. It is almost without exception that business people assume that a brand doesn’t extend much beyond the visual elements. Most think your brand is your logo and marketing materials. When you think of it, that’s a lot of pretty heavy lifting for something visual. If that perception were true, brand problems would…