There’s much talk online these days about what your small business can or should do during a crisis. Over the last weeks I’ve sat in on more than a dozen webinars and podcasts, read myriad blog posts and countless articles. And again this week, I was invited to at least three more Zoom and Instagram live sessions.

While I appreciate all the good intentions out there, the tsunami of advice itself can start to feel overwhelming. How are we supposed to sort through it all and make good choices?

In a word: breathe.

Are you planning a new website or other marketing materials, content or advertising? Do you plan to hire a graphic designer or writer to help? Then you’ll need a creative brief. Without it, you run the risk of disappointment – or worse, making expensive mistakes.

We're excited to announce a new free workshop, this time in sunny Malaga, Spain!
We're teaming up with the Innovation Campus Malaga, a brilliant provider of coworking, learning and networking in the heart of Andalusia, to offer a session on "knowing your customer."

The Feb. 27 session, co-presented by sales training expert Martin Wright, will also be an opportunity for attendees to learn about the new Academy of courses being planned for i-Campus beginning this Spring. Martin and I both will be teaching sales and marketing courses there, along with experts in a variety of other important disciplines including finance, legal, technology and leadership.

Going to be in the area? Sign up here.

Looking forward to a great evening (and year) of learning!

There's no shortage of 'round-up' articles this time of year on the "business year in review" or "the marketing year ahead." We won't bother you today with a "hot or not" list of our own, but instead here's a quick few links to to give you some food for thought going into the new year.

It’s planning season for many businesses. That’s why over seven weeks we’re posing seven questions you should ask yourself and your team that will inform your marketing planning for 2020.

This week we explore our seventh and final essential question: "What will you measure – and how?" Our recent posts covered setting business goals, defining audience, marketing goal-setting, strategy development, choosing tactics and determining a budget.

It’s planning season for many businesses. That’s why over seven weeks we’re posing seven questions you should ask yourself and your team that will inform your marketing planning for 2020.

This week we explore our sixth vital question: "What's this all going to cost?" Our recent posts covered setting business goals, defining audience, marketing goal-setting, strategy development and choosing tactics. Now it's time to get out the calculator and start sketching out your marketing budget.

It’s planning season for many businesses. That’s why over seven weeks we’re posing seven questions you should ask yourself and your team that will inform your marketing planning for 2020.

This week we explore our fifth vital question: "Which tactics will work – and why?" Our recent posts covered setting business goals, defining audience, marketing goal-setting and strategy development. Now that you have a handle on these, it's time to decide on your tactics – those specific activities on which you will spend actual time and money to reach your customers.

 It’s planning season for many businesses. That’s why over seven weeks we’re posing seven questions you should ask yourself and your team that will inform your marketing planning for 2020.

This week we explore the fourth of our 7 Essential Questions: "What strategies should you pursue?" Our recent posts covered business goals, audience development and goal-setting. Now that you have a handle on these, it's time to develop these into your marketing strategies.

It's been so great being back in London this week spreading the word about LoveSmallBiz.com. So great (and busy) in fact we're pushing our blog post (Week 4 of the 7 Essential Questions series) to next week.

See you here again next week! In the mean time remembrer to check out our Facebook and  Twitter feeds for loads of great tips and ideas, posted daily.

It’s planning season for many businesses. That’s why over seven weeks we’re posing seven questions you should ask yourself and your team that will inform your marketing planning for 2020.

This week we explore our third vital question: "What are your marketing goals?" Our recent posts covered business goals and audience. Now that you have a handle on these, it's time to develop this information into distinct marketing objectives.