Listen to this interview with Cheryl Lawson, an event planner and social media consultant, and you’ll find out how small business owners can create events to meet Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter contacts face-to-face.

Key points you’ll learn:

• How to use events and social media for better lead generation
• How to use events to reach large corporate prospects
• How to get your company seen as a larger player in your community
• Converting Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn connections to customers
• Inexpensive ways to create powerful events for your business

Click on the arrow below to listen:

Or to download the interview to your computer, click here >

ABOUT CHERYL LAWSON:

Cheryl Lawson is the owner and founder of an event planning and marketing firm, Party Aficionado. Party Aficionado helps companies develop social marketing strategies both online and Face to Face, using full event coordinating capabilities, and coaching to help companies cultivate their audience before, during, and after events.

I met Cheryl through the Tulsa, Oklahoma Social Media meetups. I encourage anyone in the Tulsa area interested in social media to attend one of our events. You’re able to find out more here, http://www.meetup.com/Social-Media-Tulsa

RESOURCES

Website and Blog:

• http://www.partyaficionado.com/
• http://partyaficionado.blogspot.com/

Facebook and Twitter:

• http://www.facebook.com/PartyAficionado
• http://twitter.com/partyaficionado

Did you like this interview? Tell us. Have questions about creating events for your small business? Ask. We want to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

More Interviews on How to Dominate Your Space on the Web:

• Blogging for Your Business: An Interview with Ann Handley
• Printer Uses Blog to Generate More Leads for His Business: Interview with Blase Ciabaton
• Professional Photographer Grows Business with Blog and No Budget. Find Out How
• Interview with Troy Vossoller: Example of a Small Business Using Twitter Right
• How a NY Trailer Dealer’s Website Grew from 300 Visitors per Day to 1,096 Daily Visitors Last Month

Today we’re talking about blogging for your small business with Ann Handley. Ann is the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs, a rich and trusted resource that helps businesses market their products and services smarter and better. Entrepreneurs, small-business owners and marketers in the world’s largest corporations make up its 361,000 subscribers, making it the largest in its category.

She is an 12-year veteran of creating and managing digital content to build relationships for organizations and individuals. Also, she’s a writer who blogs at her personal blog,  A n n a r c h y, as well as American Express OPEN Forum, Mashable, and The Huffington Post.

Previously, Ann was the co-founder of ClickZ, one of the first sources of interactive marketing news and commentary.

QUESTION: If you were a small business owner committed to being the dominant business in your niche or category online, would you have a blog? 

ANSWER: Since you asked whether *I* would have a blog… then the answer is unequivocally yes. Among other things, I think it’s a great way to connect more deeply with your existing or would-be customers, build a community around your business, give a human personality and “voice” to an organization, evolve your business and relationships in sometimes unexpected or surprising ways, and yes, drive sales. 

The bottom line is that a blog is among the most straightforward and simplest ways to create a steady flow of interesting, valuable and personable content to connect with customers, boost your search ranking, and help build your business. (Or my hypothetical business, since we are talking about me. Hypothetically, of course.)

QUESTION: Is there any reason why you think a small business shouldn’t have a blog?

ANSWER: There are lots of compelling reasons to blog — see my answer above — but if you need something succinctly quantifiable: My favorite stat for demonstrating the value of a small businesses blog is the one from Hubspot that shows that small businesses with corporate blogs receive 55 percent more traffic than small businesses that don’t blog.

That said, it’s a bit risky to start suggesting that EVERY company out there needs a blog, because that’s just silly, right?  

You shouldn’t have a company blog if you really aren’t on board with investing the time, energy, and resources it will take to have a successful blog.  

You also shouldn’t blog if you are a bore — and by that I mean, if you really only want to talk about yourself. The most successful small business blogs are focused on creating value for the reader, not on crowing about your own company’s achievements, or an endless drumbeat 

You shouldn’t blog If you aren’t willing or able to create a unique point of view and perspective, an interesting voice, you lack a consistent schedule to post (or can’t stick to it), and you’re impatient. Like a lot of things, a blog requires patience, attention, consistency, and a long-term commitment to succeed. Does that sound like too much work? It is. 

And finally, you shouldn’t blog if the very idea of it doesn’t excite you. Starting a blog is like getting married — and you’ll never be as emotionally intoxicated as you are at the start of your life together. You might grow to appreciate the blog (or your relationship!) in other, more ripe and lasting ways — for example, you might grow to appreciate the depth of the relationship, you might grow to depend on it, it will feed you on some fundamental level, and so on. And all that is wonderful, of course. But it’s hard to create a lasting bond with something that doesn’t fundamentally interest and excite you.

QUESTION: If you were a small business owner and you were planning to create a blog, what are the first steps you would take?

ANSWER: I would do two things: First, I would define my goals. Why am I blogging? What do I want to get out of it? Do I want to drive sales? Connect with customers? Increase my search rankings? Up my site traffic? Find out how my customers react to things, or how I do? You don’t have to define it too specifically, but you have to have something of a goal or two behind it. (Even if that might change, over time.)  

Second, I’d think long and hard about my brand’s unique perspective: Who am I? What do we stand for? What makes my business unique? What’s my take, point of view, or perspective? Once you start defining what’s most unique and interesting about you, you can begin to create a general approach, personality and theme of the blog. Literary types and writers would call this your blog’s “voice,” and I think it applies equally well to businesses who are publishing blogs as much as a novelist.

QUESTION: In your opinion, what is the most important thing a small business blog should do? 

ANSWER: As I said above, I think having a unique perspective and point of view is critical. It’s what’ll give you personality, and it’ll make what you produce interesting. Don’t be afraid to take a stand and have a point of view. Tell people who you are.  

The biggest snore is a blog that has no discernible point of view or no clear voice. That’s practically tragic to me, because blogs (and social media generally) offer businesses an unprecedented opportunity to create deeper and more interesting relationships with a wide number of customers: Don’t squander it! (Or to quote the Spider-Man franchise: “With great power comes great responsibility.”)

QUESTION: Do you think employees or customers should create blog posts? 

ANSWER: I’m a fan of blogs that include multiple perspectives and voices, if the people you do business with or work with have a passion for creating content. But that’s purely at a company’s discretion, and you need to make these decisions in the context your goals and approach. In other words, there’s no clear answer; so much depends on your approach: Is yours a group blog, incorporating many voices within the organization, like the blogs at Kodak or Indium Corporation? Then it might be great to include employees. Is your blog a “thought leadership” blog highlighting industry trends and perspectives? Then it might be appropriate to include customers, too.  

Of course, another way to incorporate customers without asking them to actually blog for you is to regularly answer customer questions as part of your editorial calendar. You can respond to their direct questions (asked through customer services, or a feedback form, or some other customer-facing mechanism), or you can actively monitor what customers search your site for, to get an indication of the kind of questions they have and you can answer.

Of course, you can also include other special guest posts, whatever the approach you ultimately take.

QUESTION: What do you think about hiring a ghost writer to blog for a small business?

ANSWER: I don’t really like the word “ghost” in that sentence. Hiring a writer to help with blogging, or to blog exclusively for your brand, is definitely a wise move, especially if you are not a writer — or you don’t have a passion for creating other kinds of content for the blog, but you still see the wisdom in what it can do for your company. Gary Vaynerchuk (winelibrarytv.com) isn’t much of a writer, either, but he built an incredibly successful video blog. So I’m a fan of hiring content creators, but I’m less of a fan of cloaking their identify, or passing off social media content as the work of the CEO or another executive or whoever. In some situations, ghost-writing makes total sense, but social media content requires a certain straightforward honesty.  

I know plenty of people using ghosts successfully, but I’m just not a fan.

QUESTION: If a friend of yours owned a small business, what are some examples of good business blogs you would recommend they model or learn from?

 ANSWER: The two I mentioned above are good — Kodak and Indium Corp. Kodak is not a small business, but you can learn a lot from its approach to capturing the spirit and stories of the people who work at Kodak in its Thousand Words blog: http://1000words.kodak.com/ I also like The Future of Real Estate Marketing (http://www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com/) for its focus on the reader, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art (http://www.imamuseum.org/blog/) for the way it incorporates video, photos, and has a fun, funky personality with a clear voice in its community. 

QUESTION: Could you give some examples of the kind of goals you recommend a small business owner set for their blog?

ANSWER: I think keeping it simple is a great way to start: Perhaps set goals for yourself around posting frequency (say, 2xs per week), traffic percent increase (perhaps 10 percent increase in traffic to your blog/site per month), revenue (perhaps a 10 percent growth in income), and perhaps a search ranking bump. You can set whatever exact goals you want to set, but I’d start with some basic things that are relatively easy to assess. Again, these are goals, or targets, to shoot for. 

QUESTION: You’re working on a new book, Content Rules. What is the most important thing a small business owner will learn from your new book?

ANSWER: Yes! I am! I am the co-author, with C.C. Chapman, of an awsome book, Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business, to be published by Wiley in late November of this year. The book is written for any size business, but I have a special place in my heart for small business, so the truth is that it’s more aligned with the likes of you more than anyone else. To say I’m excited about it wouldn’t begin to express the depth of my giddiness, because it’s a perfect mashup of what I’ve been doing for the past 15 years (creating online content) and the place in which we currently do business, on the social web. 

As for what small businesses will learn, I think the subtitle pretty much spells it out! And did I mention it’s going to be an awesome book?

QUESTION: Where can people get more information about your new book?

You can order it directly from Amazon. You can also read all about how it’s coming together (and the lessons it will hold) at our own blog, ContentRulesBook.com.

Commenting and asking questions are an important part of successful blogs

I hope you enjoyed today’s interview. Have a question about blogging for your business? Ask away. Have a comment or something to add to what Ann said? Let us know by commenting below. 

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

More Articles You Might Like:

• How to Blog Effectively for Your Busines
• Retail Jeweler Grows Business With Blog and Social Media: Interview with Daniel Gordon
• Printer Uses Blog to Generate More Leads for His Business: Interview with Blase Ciabaton
• Professional Photographer Grows Business with Blog and No Budget. Find Out How

Listen to this interview and you’ll find out how a fourth generation retail jeweler uses a blog to grow their business.

Key points you’ll learn:

• How face-to-face selling compares to marketing with Twitter and Facebook
• Find out how a contest got over 5000 visits to their small business blog

Click on the arrow below to listen:

Or to download the interview to your computer, click here >

ABOUT DANIEL GORDON:

Daniel Gordon, 37, is a fourth generation jeweler and President of Samuel Gordon Jewelers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Born in Oklahoma City, and raised there for most of his life, Daniel attended John Marshall High School and the University of Central Oklahoma. In addition, Daniel holds his Diamond Certificate from the Gemological Institute of America.

Now in his 15th year with the firm, Daniel has made many important changes for Samuel Gordon Jewelers: he’s virtually changed its’ entire business model and corporate culture, thereby insuring the continuation of the firms’ reputation as a leader in both the jewelry industry and the Oklahoma City market.

Some of Daniel’s many initiatives include: changes in product mixes & buying techniques; major changes in personnel (both in sales and administrative staff); creation of the firm’s website and a massive change in the firm’s marketing strategies, and the implementation of revolutionary & creative usage of social media/networking websites in which thousands of people are communicated with constantly. Daniel has created over 20 different presences on the Internet including: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Digg, Flickr, Linkedin, plus a highly viewed personal blog, all of which have been recognized as cutting edge by every major jewelry trade magazine in the industry.

As humble as he is creative, his favorite expression, when receiving any compliment, award, or accolade, is to simply say, “I’m just a jewelry salesman.”

RESOURCES

Find out about WordPress and WordPress Themes (affiliate links included):

• WordPress
• Thesis
• Headway
• WooThemes

Samuel Gordon Jewelers Website and Blog:

• http://www.samuelgordons.com/
• http://blog.sgj.com/

Facebook and Twitter:

• http://www.facebook.com/SamuelGordons
• http://twitter.com/SamuelGordons

Did you like this interview? Tell us. Have questions about your small business blog? Ask. We want to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

More Interviews on How to Dominate Your Space on the Web:

• Printer Uses Blog to Generate More Leads for His Business: Interview with Blase Ciabaton
• Professional Photographer Grows Business with Blog and No Budget. Find Out How
• Interview with Troy Vossoller: Example of a Small Business Using Twitter Right
• How a NY Trailer Dealer’s Website Grew from 300 Visitors per Day to 1,096 Daily Visitors Last Month

Listen to this interview and you’ll find out how a local printing company in Naples, Florida uses a blog to generate more leads.

Key points you’ll learn:

• How prospective clients find your business better with a blog
• What to put on your small business blog
• How to establish yourself as the trusted expert in your niche
• How to repurpose your blog materials for other marketing materials

Click on the arrow below to listen:

Or to download the interview to your computer, click here >

ABOUT BLASE CIABATON:

Blase is VP of Sales & Marketing for Naples PrintSource. Blase has established himself as an expert in the field of direct mail & mailing list procurement. His passion for these topics led him to establish the company blog, www.TheDirectMailMan.com, which is devoted to addressing the most commonly asked questions by PR & Marketing professionals, nonprofits and small businesses.

Blase is sought after as a speaker for the topics of printing, direct mail marketing, and fundraising for nonprofits; he has presented to audiences at the Community Foundation of Collier County, the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, and the local chapter of PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), among others.  Blase also writes for The Bloggers’ Bulletin.

Did you like this interview? Tell us. Do you have questions about generating more leads with your small business blog? Ask. We want to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

More Interviews on How to Dominate Your Space on the Web:

• Growing Your Small Town Business on the Web: Interview with Becky McCray
• The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business: Interview with Bob Phibbs
• Growing Your Small Business Using Social Media and PR: Interview with Mandy Vavrinak
• Interview with Troy Vossoller: Example of a Small Business Using Twitter Right
• How a NY Trailer Dealer’s Website Grew from 300 Visitors per Day to 1,096 Daily Visitors Last Month

TOPICS: August Interviews Are About Blogging for Your Business

Interview with Ann Handley

Ann is the Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs, a rich and trusted resource that helps businesses market their products and services smarter and better. Entrepreneurs, small-business owners and marketers in the world’s largest corporations make up its 361,000 subscribers, making it the largest in its category. (Does that sound like marketing-speak? It’s not; it’s just true.)

She is an 12-year veteran of creating and managing digital content to build relationships for organizations and individuals. Also, she’s a writer who blogs at her personal blog,  A n n a r c h y, as well as American Express OPEN Forum, Mashable, and The Huffington Post.

Previously, Ann was the co-founder of ClickZ, one of the first sources of interactive marketing news and commentary.

She lives near Boston in a slightly creaky, comfortable house with 2 kids, 4 dogs, good coffee in the kitchen, decent wine in the cellar, a stack of New Yorkers by the bed, and an occasional field mouse in the laundry room. 

Ann is working on her new book, Content Rules. For more information, go to http://www.contentrulesbook.com/

Interview Scheduled for Thursday, August 19th

Blase Ciabaton - Photo Courtesy GulfshoreBusiness.com

Blase is VP of Sales & Marketing for Naples PrintSource. Blase has established himself as an expert in the field of direct mail & mailing list procurement. His passion for these topics led him to establish the company blog, www.TheDirectMailMan.com, which is devoted to addressing the most commonly asked questions by PR & Marketing professionals, nonprofits and small businesses.

Blase is sought after as a speaker for the topics of printing, direct mail marketing, and fundraising for nonprofits; he has presented to audiences at the Community Foundation of Collier County, the Greater Naples Chamber of Commerce, and the local chapter of PRSA (Public Relations Society of America), among others.  Blase also writes for The Bloggers’ Bulletin.

Preview of the interview:

Listen to the Complete Interview, Click Here >

Interview with Dan Gordon

Daniel Gordon, 37, is a fourth generation jeweler and President of Samuel Gordon Jewelers in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Born in Oklahoma City, and raised there for most of his life, Daniel attended John Marshall High School and the University of Central Oklahoma. In addition, Daniel holds his Diamond Certificate from the Gemological Institute of America.

Now in his 15th year with the firm, Daniel has made many important changes for Samuel Gordon Jewelers: he’s virtually changed its’ entire business model and corporate culture, thereby insuring the continuation of the firms’ reputation as a leader in both the jewelry industry and the Oklahoma City market.

Some of Daniel’s many initiatives include: changes in product mixes & buying techniques; major changes in personnel (both in sales and administrative staff); creation of the firm’s website and a massive change in the firm’s marketing strategies, and the implementation of revolutionary & creative usage of social media/networking websites in which thousands of people are communicated with constantly. Daniel has created over 20 different presences on the Internet including: Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Digg, Flickr, Linkedin, plus a highly viewed personal blog, all of which have been recognized as cutting edge by every major jewelry trade magazine in the industry.

As humble as he is creative, his favorite expression, when receiving any compliment, award, or accolade, is to simply say, “I’m just a jewelry salesman.”

Preview of interview is here:

To listen to the complete interview, click here >

Listen to this interview and you’ll find out how small town businesses are growing using YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and more.

Key points you’ll learn:

• How a linen rental service is using YouTube to grow their business
• Find out about a trade show promotion that drove booth visitors to the company website
• How to use video to promote your business online

Click on the arrow below to listen:

Or to download the interview to your computer, click here >

ABOUT BECKY MCCRAY:

Becky McCray says that small businesses and small towns matter. She is a small town business owner, with a retail store and a cattle ranch in Woods County, Oklahoma. Through her consulting firm she helps small town governments, and promotes entrepreneurship and tourism in small towns. Her blog is smallbizsurvival.com

She’s been featured in The New York Times, BusinessWeek, and Entrepreneur Magazine. She is also the author of 20 Small Business Ideas for Small Towns and Shop Local Campaigns for Small Towns. Her home is in the thriving metropolis known as Hopeton, Oklahoma, a community of fewer than 30 people.

RESOURCES

Find out about QR codes:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_Code
• http://www.google.com/help/maps/favoriteplaces/business/barcode.html

United Linen’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages:

• http://www.youtube.com/user/unitedlinen
• http://www.facebook.com/unitedlinen
• http://twitter.com/unitedlinen

Becky McCray’s blog about small town business and ebooks:

• http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/
• http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/2009/05/shop-local-campaigns-for-small-towns.html
• http://www.smallbizsurvival.com/2008/05/small-business-ideas-for-small-towns.html
• http://www.twitter.com/BeckyMcCray

Did you like this interview? Tell us. Have questions about promoting your small town business? Ask. We want to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

More Interviews on How to Dominate Your Space on the Web:

• Professional Photographer Grows Business with Blog and No Budget. Find Out How
• Interview with Troy Vossoller: Example of a Small Business Using Twitter Right
• How a NY Trailer Dealer’s Website Grew from 300 Visitors per Day to 1,096 Daily Visitors Last Month

Listen and you’ll find out how independent retailers are growing their businesses on the web and off.

Key points you’ll learn:

• How to use video for your small business
• How to use free tools to market your business online
• What smart small businesses are doing right online now

Click on the arrow below to listen:

Or to download the interview to your computer, click here >

ABOUT BOB PHIBBS:

Bob Phibbs (AKA: The Retail Doctor) is the author of The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business and You Can Compete: Double Sales Without Discounting. Bob is also a frequent guest on MSNBC’s Your Business, he and his work have been featured in Entrepreneur magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. 

Did you like this interview? Tell us. Have questions about this interview? Ask. We want to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

More Interviews on How to Dominate Your Space on the Web:

• Professional Photographer Grows Business with Blog and No Budget. Find Out How
• Interview with Troy Vossoller: Example of a Small Business Using Twitter Right
• How a NY Trailer Dealer’s Website Grew from 300 Visitors per Day to 1,096 Daily Visitors Last Month

In this interview you’ll find out how Mandy Vavrinak, a PR professional, helps small businesses get press coverage.

Key points you’ll learn:

• How to get reporters to listen to you
• How a start-up grew to the point that their subscriber base was so large that a news station acquired them within 2 years 
• How an author successfully marketed their book with no advertising budget

Click on the arrow below to listen:

Or to download the interview to your computer, click here >

ABOUT MANDY VAVRINAK:

Mandy Vavrinak is a PR professional based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mandy has spoken or hosted panel discussions at several local Get Social conferences. She is also the owner of Crossroads Communication. She blogs for the Journal Record and http://www.mandyvavrinak.com.

Did you like this interview? Tell us. Have questions about PR and social media? Ask. We want to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

More Interviews on How to Dominate Your Space on the Web:

• Professional Photographer Grows Business with Blog and No Budget. Find Out How
• Interview with Troy Vossoller: Example of a Small Business Using Twitter Right
• How a NY Trailer Dealer’s Website Grew from 300 Visitors per Day to 1,096 Daily Visitors Last Month
• Holiday Facebook Ad Doubles Traffic to Website. Listen to the Interview Here

“We enjoy this blog for its excellent case studies and brilliant guest blogger interviews on online marketing and PR” – Michelle Salater

July 8

Interview with Mandy Vavrinak of Crossroads Communication. Mandy is a PR professional based out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mandy has spoken or hosted panel discussions at several local Get Social conferences. She is also the owner of Crossroads Communication. She blogs for the Journal Record and http://MandyVavrinak.com.

Here’s a preview of the interview:

To listen to the complete discussion about PR and social media, click here.

July 15

Interview with Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor. In this interview we discuss Bob’s most recent book and what small businesses are doing right online. Bob is the author of The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business and You Can Compete: Double Sales Without Discounting. Bob is also a frequent guest on MSNBC’s Your Business, he and his work have been featured in Entrepreneur magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. 

To listen to the full interview, click here >

July 22

Interview with Becky McCray on promoting your small town business online. Becky was a featured speaker at the 140Conference/London, BlogWorld Expo, South by Southwest Interactive, Michigan Small Town and Rural Development Conference, Keynote, 2009 and the Oklahoma Entrepreneurs Conference, 2009 and 2010.

Becky was also featured in The New York Times, BusinessWeek, and Entrepreneur Magazine. You’re able to find Becky’s blog posts on Small Biz Survival, a blog about small town small business. Becky is passionate about helping small town businesses grow. She also teaches social media for destination marketing and tourism. Find out more about Tourism Currents here.

Here is a preview:

To listen to the complete interview about growing your small town business, click here >

Want to always know when the next interview is online? Subscribe to our RSS.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

Photograph by Erin Conrad

Find out how Erin Conrad, a professional photographer, grows her business armed with only a blog and no budget. 

Key points you’ll learn from this interview:

• How Erin gets new clients without worrying about competitors’ prices
• How Erin gets repeat business
• Why Erin doesn’t have to use traditional selling tactics to “close” the sale

Click on the arrow below to listen:

Or to download the interview to your computer, click here >

RESOURCES:

Erin’s blog:

http://www.erinconrad.com

Get started blogging:

• http://www.blogger.com
• http://www.wordpress.com
• http://www.typepad.com

Did you like this interview? Tell us. Have questions about starting your own blog? Ask. We want to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

More Interviews on How to Dominate Your Space on the Web:

• Interview with Troy Vossoller: Example of a Small Business Using Twitter Right
• How a NY Trailer Dealer’s Website Grew from 300 Visitors per Day to 1,096 Daily Visitors Last Month
• Holiday Facebook Ad Doubles Traffic to Website. Listen to the Interview Here

Today’s interview is with Troy Vossoller, owner of Sconnie.com. As you listen to today’s interview you’ll hear Troy’s answers to the following:

• How much time do you need to spend on Twitter to be successful?
• What does a successful business owner tweet about?
• How to use Facebook and Twitter together for better results
• What is a good tool for managing tweets on Twitter?
• What is the most important thing you should do when you get started with Twitter?

To listen to today’s interview, click on the arrow below.

Let me know what you think of today’s interview. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

RESOURCES:

To download today’s interview to your computer, click here.

Mashable Twitter guide:

http://mashable.com/guidebook/twitter/

Sconnie Nation’s website:

http://www.sconnie.com/

Tweetdeck:

http://www.tweetdeck.com/

Sconnie’s Twitter page:

http://twitter.com/sconnie

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys”

Interview with Joe Cardinale, owner of  HeavyHaulerTrailers.com. Joe tells you how he dominates the search engines in his market. Listen to the interview here:

To download the interview to your computer, click here >

Links & Resources Mentioned in Interview:

Joe Cardinale’s main website:

Heavy Hauler Trailers

Hiniker snow plows mini website:

http://hhiniker.com/

Shopping Cart Software:

Fast Cat Carts E-Commerce

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

Yesterday I interviewed Nicole Nascenzi, journalist and PR coordinator for Rogers State University. In the interview Nicole talks about how she doubled traffic to Rogers State’s website during the 2008 holiday season. 

If you’re a small business owner, stop what you’re doing now. Grab a pen and paper. Listen to the interview below and write down the ideas you can use now to increase your business by the end of the year. I guarantee you’ll be glad you did.

To download the interview to your computer, click here >

More About Nicole Nascenzi

You’re able to find out more about Nicole or contact her through her website:

http://www.nicolenascenzi.com/

Information About Startup Weekend in Tulsa, OK. November 13th – 15th

If you’ve ever wanted to experience the excitement of starting a new business, here’s your chance. On Friday the 13th of November ad hoc teams will assemble and create business startup ideas and present them to venture capitalist.

Special Discount for Power to Fight the Big Boys Readers

This is the easiest, cheapest way to get your ideas and your face in front of the right people to launch your start-up. It’s only $75 per person. Because you’re reading this blog, Nicole Nascenzi has offered our readers a $25 discount off the entry fee. The “Power to Fight the Big Boys” discount code is: “swvip”.

Learn more & sign-up here:

http://tulsa.startupweekend.org/about/

I’ll see you at Startup Weekend!

Sincerely,

Doug Stewart

“Giving You the Power to Fight the Big Boys!”

Last week I interviewed Michelle Salater, owner of Sumer LLC. She talks about how the web is changing public relations. This is an information packed 16 minutes and 20 second interview. Enjoy!

To download the interview to your computer, click here >

Michelle’s Oct 6 Teleconference Recording

The audio recording of Michelle’s Oct. 6 phone call is here:

http://marketingonlinebootcamp.com/PRcall-audio.html

Information About PR 2.0 Virtual Bootcamp

This is a reminder the $99.99 early bird special for Michelle’s 4-week virtual bootcamp is only good through 11:59 EST, October 14, 2009. “The Secrets to Influencing Your Online Market” includes four, 60-minute info packed calls where you’ll learn how to create and implement an integrated PR strategy that produces results.

Learn more here: http://www.marketingonlinebootcamp.com/teleconference/