BlogIN, a Blogging Unconference

I have promoter the Smaller indiana site several times but this upcomng conferecne should be of interest to anyone that is interested in blogging.


Take a look: Smaller Indiana presents, BlogIN 2008, a Blogging Unconference.
Bloggers from around the state will share best practices, tips, tools, case studies, and strategies for successful blogging. Whether you are an experienced blogger or a blogging beginner, join us for an afternoon as we explore blogging as a tool to build community, culture and commerce in Indiana. A statewide event, streaming video and multiple blog posts through out the day, will provide a bridge to bloggers everywhere. An interactive program, attendees will be encouraged to suggest topics and lead discussions throughout the program. If you are interested in leading sessions, sponsoring the event or simplify volunteering your time, join the BlogIN Group at Smaller Indiana.



If you have questions, please feel free to contact me, it is listed on my calendad at http://www.indianamarketingcalendar.com/

Tips and Tools

Scott over at the Collective Wisdom blog, like a true blogger, posted several links to articles that contained some good links for us to use. It is worth a quick browse and to save you the redundancy I will not post his comment on each directory. I think you might find some of interest though.


A new download for small business to consider, the name tells you if you have interest:
Manufacturers Marketing Guide

Know the answer before you ask the question

I received this in my joke folder today and though it probably has been circulated for years, I am never first to get these, I thought it have a valuable lesson. How many times have you heard that a lawyer should know the answer to the question before he asks? Well, we do try to our hand at discovery, a lawyer does it before the trial, and maybe research, a lawyer does it before and during a trial. Well should I go on! Think about if you don't do your homework, accept the answers you get.

Now for the Story: Lawyers should never ask a Mississippi grandma a question if they aren't prepared for the answer.

In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly woman to the stand. He approached her and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know me?' She responded, 'Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you'll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you.'

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, 'Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?' She again replied, 'Why yes, I do I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him.' The defense attorney nearly died.

The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, 'If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you both to the electric chair.'

Employe Referral System

Ok, every once in a while I use my blog for outright promotional efforts. This is one of those times. I have prepared another type of program for you besides that of our typical marketing system. I have just released a new product called Employee Referral System which can be found on Amazon. However, before you jump at the opportunity, please download the Employee Referral Guide from our website at www.youremployeereferral.com .

Deploy Employee Referral system and engage your employees by providing effective and inexpensive incentives to increase their interest and participation. This Employee Referral Solution can lower your recruiting costs by 20 to 50 percent. We have a special offer on Amazon this week where we are going to significantly drop the cost for one day. If you sign up for our newsletter or download the Employee referral guide we will tune you into the offer. Believe me, it is substantial.

Even at full price, this package will pay for itself on your first successful hire.

2008 Marketing trends

How does this influence your business in 2008?

• A shift from traditional to alternative media
• A growth spurt for interactive marketing
• More off-line support for online campaigns
  Based on an article by Kim T. Gordon for Entrepreneur.com, expect these trends in 2008:

But don’t jump to quick. Make sure before you ever click on a mouse or upgrade your web presence that you have a solid marketing plan in place and a marketing calendar. Without either you will make costly mistakes. Remember when you do change content you want it change from a static website to a dynamic style. If that is the case, who will be updating it next month?

Showcase your company in a different way

Great tool for posting a resume but the possibilities of using it in your small business as a ...

VisualCV provides a new and powerful way for your company to recruit and showcase its corporate brand and culture online. Your company can create its own branded VisualCV where candidates can learn about the advantages of working at your company, get answers to commonly asked questions about the corporate culture, "what's it like to work there", benefits, events and more.

Using a VisualCV will help you:

• Differentiate your company as an employer of choice
• Put your company in front of thousands of qualified professionals
• Hire capable individuals who fit your culture, improving retention
• Leverage VisualCVs submitted and shared with your company
• Support robust corporate branding and messaging to and between professionals

Microsoft Live Small Business

Mark your calendar. Entering its third year, the Microsoft Small Business Summit, a nationwide, online event that runs for four days is coming. This year it runs from March 24 through March 27. Summit registrants can participate online from home or office.

John Jantsch has been asked to kick the summit off with a session on small business marketing so I hope that lots of Duct Tape Marketing readers will be joining John online on March 24th at 9am PDT!

The summit is free and registration is open now. Make sure to register even if you can’t make the live events as you will get access to the archived recordings months after the event.

The Ultimate Marketing System in 12 Weeks

A Coaching Seminar Based on the Ultimate Marketing System developed by Duct Tape Marketing Author, John Jantsch

I am offering a Beta "one on one" version workshop of the Ultimate Duct Tape Marketing System. This 12 week program will never be offered at this initial price of $475 again. That's the cost of the UMS binder on its own. But in exchange for this price you must give specific feedback after each session. If you are willing to give that, you can be part of the beta test. The retail on this program is $1475. There is a limited amount of spots available and will be filled rather quickly.

The Ultimate Marketing System is a collection of 12 workbooks and 12 audio CDs that make a complete small business marketing program. Each workbook contains a thorough explanation of one critical small business marketing topic, real-life small business examples and worksheets, forms and tools needed to help you implement the information presented. The 4 modules make up The Ultimate Marketing System and with this you receive unlimited e-mail support and 1-hour of DTM Coaching per week for 12-weeks.

Find more info on Duct Tape Marketing Products.

Branding a Product

Branding is one of the more sophisticated forms of marketing communication. The purpose of branding a product establishes an identity that conjures up a positive image and goodwill. For instance, The Coca-Cola Company hopes that you feel good about their products and that you will choose their products from a crowded store shelf because you like the image associated with it. Maybe it works. If you throw a party and you provide a cooler full of Cokes and Sprites, you probably feel pretty good about the image you are portraying. On the other hand, if you stock a cooler full of generic cola, you might feel a little embarrassed.

Branding a product has the same purpose. You are trying to associate an image and a feeling when a person hears of your product. Hopefully, it is a good image and feeling. However, consider the implications that your product will have on the organization. Does it impact a large number of people, or maybe the entire company? Will it require a culture change or a change in the way people do their job?

Will your product make people nervous? For instance, will it result in efficiencies so that less people are required to do the same function? When people hear of your product, do you want them to think of the challenges you are overcoming? Branding helps you proactively build the image you want to portray rather than have one branded on you. Of course, branding takes time to instill and to change, so be careful!

Before you decide your brand, check out the DTM product,

Differentiate and Dominate