Small Business Blog from Atlantic Canada

Everyone links to “A-list” blogs. However, there are good blogs who do not get their due. Their content is well written - their analysis sound. But they are relegated to the deep recesses of the blog world. It is our attempt to highlight them in our resources page. Considering the number of blogs out there, [...]

I just read American Airlines’ press release on the 9th regarding their launch of their website targeted to women. American Airlines is positioning itself to support women travelers. Strategically, I think focusing on women travelers is a brilliant move. They saw a niche that no other airline saw. And they are the first to create [...]

Over the course of the last two years, I have seen small businesses throw their precious marketing dollars in website design, content and promotion. Apart from a good graphics designer, you do not have to spend on web-site promotion. Given good quality content, you can appear in the top 20 search results without spending a [...]

“To err is human, to forgive is divine”, so goes the saying. But customers are not divine beings. They are as human as you and me, and their forgiveness tolerance - low. There will be times when your small business screws up big time. Inspite of the best intentions screw-ups happen. It happens in the [...]

To differentiate in a crowded marketplace, you need to think outside the “core-benefits” perception. The best part is no one will try to imitate them since what you do differently is not perceived as a core-benefit. Perhaps such an approach will make your customers root for you. FedEx decided to create another core-benefit: overnight delivery - and it succeeded. Volvo, Starbucks, Nike and all such successful organizations have expanded what the term “core-benefits” mean.

Unless you have been living under the rock for the last decade, you know what a blog is. If you have a business, you need a blog. A blog can help position you as an expert in the minds of your consumers. If your business does not have a blog, here are some of the reasons you may want to consider.

Your market position is determined by a number of factors: your product or service, quality of your product or service, after-sales customer service, value the customer perceives, marketing, etc. Your market position is a function of how the external-facing units of your organization interact with the customer. You do not position yourself - your market does; your customers do; your prospects do. They do this based on their experiences after dealing with you or after seeing your message in a marketing medium

Recently I was having a conversation with a small business owner about their organization’s marketing strategy. I was shown a copy of the report and was not surprised to find many tactical items within the strategy. It contained topics like where to place ads, value proposition, competition pricing, etc. Having worked for more than seven [...]

Strategy is something that your organization has to act on every day. And strategic plan is nothing but a bunch of objectives you want your organization to achieve. (You also hope that reaching those objectives will help you obtain or sustain your competitive advantage.) The decisions your front line staff makes when dealing with customers impact your organization. If you have been unable to connect the actions of these individuals to your strategy, your organization is going to flounder from one initiative to the next - without success.

Marketing a non-profit organization is quite a challenge in today’s competitive environment. The success of your non-profit depends on many factors: What does your program do? Where & how do you rise the funds? And how do you generate awareness about your programs? You need to bear in mind that your services are not only consumed by your customers (i.e. people who use your service), but you must also satisfy your donors needs. - Small business marketing and strategy services in Halifax Nova Scotia