I know a man named Bill, who has owned his own business for longer than most of us can imagine. He attends a marketing network I belong to in Grand Rapids, Michigan; and always at these meetings, Bill says things that I find myself recording in my notepad. One of the things Bill always repeats is, “Confused people do nothing.” I’ve written this statement down at least three times, because as business owner, it’s something that I never want to forget. The lesson is simple: When you own your own business, you have to give your clients directions. If they don’t have directions, then they won’t act. When you are…

I was recently asked by a client if it was “too salesy” to write a post about their new product and put it on their blog. Immediately and loudly, I answered, “NO! That is exactly what you should be using your blog for!” In fact, 40% of companies are now using their blogs as a means of marketing. This means that if you want to keep up with your competition, then you better start integrating a marketing strategy that features your products on your business blog. But, for some reason a lot of us are afraid of talking about our products on our blogs. I believe that most of that…

Businesses are at a pivotal point to either step up and strengthen their communication or fade out with the changing times. Luckily, business blogs are now a widely accepted means of information and communication, which has helped to bridge the gap between business and buyer. But, in order to maximize our business blogs, we need to recognize their full potential. A lot of people think that business blogs are just another means for collecting sales. And while, yes, blogs help to drive sales, that isn’t their entire job description. Awesome business blogs have the ability to transcend your target audience, guide the course of your company into the future +…