by Ken Mueller on May 22, 2013 ·
The other day my friend Amber vented a little on Facebook, and posted the following update which very politely expressed her displeasure with a local business that she had contacted, and which failed to get back to her:

Her update sparked quite a discussion, and while I don’t know the particular business in question, Amber could have been talking about any number of small, local businesses. In fact, no matter where you are, you could probably name quite a few from your area as well. And Amber brings up a few important issues in her update, ranging from the business’s digital presence, their email marketing, and their overall customer service.
Despite the constant changes, marketing in the online space has grown up and matured quite a bit over the past few years. There are so many different online platforms available to us, and new ones going on line every day. Hundreds of social networks, all sorts of marketing programs and philosophies, and it can get awfully confusing. As a small business, you have to spend your money and your time wisely, while maximizing your results. So of all the options out there, which are the most important? [click to continue…]
by Ken Mueller on May 21, 2013 ·

When I decided to try my month of experimenting with posts that were all lists of five things, I reached out to a number of the people I know online and asked them to consider contributing a guest post. One of those who responded was my friend Laura Petrolino of Flying Pig Consulting down in Florida. When Laura responded, she said she wanted to do her list post as a video, because a) she likes doing videos, and b) I recently recorded a video post for her blog, and c) she recently had me as a guest on her Call a Biz Hero podcast.
Now a few things before you watch the video, as I attempt to answer any questions you might have up front:
1) Yes, tequila might be an odd choice for my blog since I don’t drink, but as it turns out, neither does Laura. But that doesn’t diminish the lessons she has to impart.
2) Yes, this is typical Laura. While we’ve never met, I can tell you that she is, in fact, certifiably nuts. After all, she’s the only person I know who consistently likes her own status updates and posts on Facebook, and no one questions her. But, she is also very smart and good at what she does as a marketer.
3) Yes, I do believe she dresses like that normally. She lives in Florida, and marches to the beat of her own drummer. [click to continue…]