Power To The Small Business | Branding / Marketing Plans & Ideas / Social Media / Customer Experience Design / Digital Market

There's marketing prudence, and then there's marketing foolishness. In this episode of Power to the Small Business, Spike Jones of WCG joins host Jay Ehret to discuss how business get caught up in the wrong marketing. It's a fun, post-holiday look at what not-to-do. Spike Jones is Group Director, Engagement at WCG in Austin, Texas and is author of Brains on Fire. Guest: Spike Jones of WCGHost: Jay Ehret of TheMarketingSpot.com Topics Discussed: Crowd-sourcing misteps Hijacked Hashtags Great Content is Great Advertising Looking for the Next Big Thing Relying only on Free Tools Not having a website.

Brand Advocacy and Word-of-Mouth Marketing Author and Social Media Marketing CEO Rob Fugetta joins host Jay Ehret to talk about your most powerful word-of-mouth marketing weapon: your brand advocates. In this episode you will learn a simple way build a natural and effective word-of-mouth marketing plan. Fugetta is CEO and founder of Zuberance and is author Brand Advocates: Turning Enthusiastic Customers into a Powerful Marketing Force. Guest: Rob Fugetta of ZuberanceHost: Jay Ehret of TheMarketingSpot.com Topics Discussed: How to identify your brand advocates. The ultimate question for customer loyalty. How to use the advocate marketing playbook. How to get advocates to recommend and share.

Business book expert Todd Sattersten joins host Jay Ehret to discuss the trends that are shaping the future of business books. Sattersten also gives his business book recommendations for entrepreneurs and shares how to find a good business book to read. Guest: Todd Sattersten of Biz Book LabHost: Jay Ehret of The Marketing Spot  Topics Discussed: The Business Book e-book Trend The Length of Business Books The Role of the Retail Store The Definition of a Book Top Business Books for Entrepreneurs How to Choose a Good Business Book Complete show notes and links can be found at the podcast website: What's going on with the future of business books?

Local search expert Mike Ramsey joins host Jay Ehret to discuss the shift in the top local search ranking factors. Local SEO continues to evolve and this years rankings have shifted significantly in some areas. Mike Ramsey of Nifty Marketing reviews this year's survey of top local search factors and then gives the results of his own study. Guest: Mike Ramsey of Nifty MarketingHost: Jay Ehret of TheMarketingSpot.com Topics Discussed: The different types of search engine results The top five local search ranking factors Mike Ramsey's study of the correlation and causation of local search factors Google Places pages Inbound links Online citations\ Complete show notes and links can be found at the official websie of the Power to the Small Business website: Local Search Ranking Factors

Conversion Scientist Brian Massey joins Jay Ehret to talk website conversion. How to convert website visitors into customers. He discusses conversion strategy for the five major patterns of business websites. Guest: Brian Massey, The Conversion Scientist Host: Jay Ehret, TheMarketingSpot.com  Topics Discussed: What is conversion? The key to a website conversion strategy. The five major patterns of business websites. Conversion strategies for the five patterns. Complete show notes and links can be found at the official website of the Power to the Small Business website: Website Conversion Science

Author and advertising expert Luke Sullivan joins host Jay Ehret to discuss the role of creativity in advertising, and how to create great advertising. Sullivan also answers the burning question: What is great advertising? Guest: Luke Sullivan, author of Hey Whipple, Squeeze ThisHost: Jay Ehret of TheMarketingSpot.com Topics Discussed: What is great advertising? The advertising creative process The importance of creativity in advertising Rules for creating great advertising Complete show notes and links can be found at the official website of the Power to the Small Business podcast:How to Create Great Advertising 

Social media and branding lessons learned from 140 Characters Conference in NYC, organized by Jeff Pulver. Host: Jay Ehret of TheMarketingSpot.com Topics Discussed: Being trapped in the now by social media. Allowing for differentiation between businesses. Using "Hybrid Higor" to create a "Corridor of Opportunity." Using social media to network instead of marketing. Premium webinar: How to create, write and leverage a blog. Complete show notes and links: Hybrid Vigor and the Corridor of Opportunity   

What should you definitely do and what should you avoid when marketing your business? In this episode of Power to the Small Business I analyze five marketing traps and five marketing treasures for the small business.  Marketing Traps: Discounting Facebook Business Pages Letting a media sales rep handle your marketing. A good idea. An industry specialist Marketing Treasures Google Local Listings Reading marketing books. A tagline or hook. Google Analytics / Webmaster Tools A meaningful brand identity Show Links Complete show notes can be found at: Marketing Traps and Treasures Blogging Webinar: How to Create and Write a Blog  Discount Promo Code: Power40

Author and social theorist John Gerzema joins host Jay Ehret to talk about local business share of local spend. The time is right for local businesses to gain a larger market share. Consumers are losing trust in larger institutions. They want to spend more money with locally owned businesses, but the business must still earn it. Guest: John Gerzema, co-author of the book: Spend Shift.Host: Jay Ehret of TheMarketingSpot.com  Topics Discussed: The virtuous circle between local businesses and the community Why consumers may be willing to pay a premium to local businesses The three keys to earning local business spend shift Complete notes and links: Local Business Market Share

The WordPress for Websites episode. WordPress trainer Bob Dunn joins Jay Ehret to discuss control and content management for small business websites. How much time do you spend managing the content of your website. A typical small business owner either spends too much time or not enough time. That's because managing a website is not easy. But that has changed in the past couple of years with WordPress, the free, open-source software that is a user-friendly content management system. WordPress allows any entrepreneur to take control of their website content. In this episode of Power to the Small Business, WordPress coach and trainer Bob Dunn joins host Jay Ehret to discuss how any small business can use WordPress to manage and control their website, while saving time and money. Guest: Bob Dunn - WordPress Trainer and Coach at BobWp.comHost: Jay Ehret - Small Business Marketing Specialist at The Marketing Spot Topics Discussed: What is a content management system? Can anyone put up their own website? Why shoul

Podcast host and small business marketing specialist Jay Ehret discusses "Marketing Magic," both the good and the bad. The importance of magic moments in the customer experience and why the search for magic marketing pixie dust is fruitless. Topics Discussed: Why quality products, good service and a fair price are not enough. How to become more than just a bullet point to customers What is customer experience magic. Also: What you get from the hyped-up online providers of magic marketing pixie dust Why there are no marketing secrets Success is not determined by a secret, it’s guided by a plan. Host: Jay Ehret of The Marketing Spot Free Recorded Webinar: Creating a Remarkable Customer Experience Complete Show Notes and Links: Power to the Small Business - Magic Marketing

A double shot of word of mouth in this episode with two guests. First Ed Keller of Keller Fay Group joins podcast host Jay Ehret to discuss where most word of mouth conversations are sparked. Then, John Moore of Brand Autopsy discusses his concept of "Deliberate Intention" and how businesses can bake word-of-mouth into their business everyday. Topics Discussed: The roles of social media and advertising in word of mouth. How to use advertising to spark word-of-mouth conversation. Why word of mouth is important to the marketing mix. How to give customers a reason to talk to you. Injecting personality into customer touchpoints. How to use the 4 P's to create conversation. Guests: Ed Keller, CEO of Keller Fay GroupJohn Moore, Marketingologist at Brand Autopsy Host: Jay Ehret of The Marketing Spot Free Recorded Word of Mouth Webinar: Creating Conversation Get Complete Show Notes Here:Power to the Small Business

Former Marines Chief Marketing Officer Andrew Fortunato joins host Jay Ehret to glean branding lessons from one of America's best brands: The Few. The Proud. The Marines. Mr. Fortunato shares how The Marines built, and then maintained a powerful brand. Topics Discussed: The foundations of a strong brand  Brand positioning The rules of branding Taglines Adapting brands to demographic shifts The role of pop culture in branding Logos? Guest: Andrew Fortunato - Marketing Consultant, former Chief Marketing Officer at U.S. MarinesHost: Jay Ehret - of The Marketing Spot.com  Local SEO and Google Analytics Webinar:http://budurl.com/LocalSEOpod See the show notes:www.PowertotheSmallBusiness.com 

Special Marketers Rountable episode: Marketers Tamsen McMahon, Kyle Lacy and Ken Briscoe join host Jay Ehret to discuss the biggest marketing impact of 2010, and what will have the biggest marketing impact in 2011. Topics discussed: The Social Media Barrier Business Operations Mobile Marketing Facebook Pages and Places Guests: Tamsen McMahon of Sametz BlackstoneKyle Lacy of MindframeKen Briscoe of A6 MediaJay Ehret of The Marketing Spot (podcast host) Complete show notes and links are available at:Marketers Roundtable - Marketing Impact Episode

Creative Director and author Tom Altstiel joins host Jay Ehret as they discuss the creative process and the benefits of creativity in your advertising. Jay shares some tips on how you can generate creative ideas. Topics discussed: What is real creativity in advertising Benefits of creativity Creative avenues Creative process Generating creative ideas Creative advertising examples Guest: Tom Altstiel PKA Marketing AgencyHost: Jay Ehret of The Marketing Spot http://www.TheMarketingSpot.com Complete Show Notes: http://www.powertothesmallbusiness.com/?p=447 Facebook for Business Webinar:http://budurl.com/FBbizwebinar

Consumer behavior consultant and author Philip Graves joins Jay Ehret to discuss the psychology of shopping and how customers make purchase decisions. What you think about how consumers decide to buy may be totally wrong. Jay and Philip discuss how you can better tune in to the customer to help them buy. Topics discussed: The role of the conscious and subconscious mind in making purchase decisions. Why customers decide not to buy anything at all. How much information and how many choices customers need. How to get the data you need to make decisions about the future. Guest: Philip GravesHost: Jay Ehret Complete show notes can be found at the podcast website: http://www.powertothesmallbusiness.com/?p=429 

The complete rundown of Facebook tools for business. Mike Whaling of 30 Lines joins Jay Ehret to discuss how businesses can set up and use Facebook Pages, Facebook Places and the new Facebook Deals. Also a discussion on the role of Facebook for business and the relevance of websites. Guest: Mike Whaling - CEO of 30 Lines, Online Marketing - http://www.30lines.com Host:Jay Ehret - The Marketing Spot - www.TheMarketingSpot.com

Three marketers join host Jay Ehret to discuss what the lack of traditional marketing discipine has done to today's generation of marketers. Guests: Stephen Denny, Emanuel Brown and Mike Wagner. Topics Include: Why advertising and marketing is so bad How to test new ideas and products Why good ideas are not the best way to advertise How to build brand value over time The affect of social media on marketing discipline Bad marketing campaigns like Old Spice and Dodge Journey Guests:Stephen Denny of Denny Marketing and author of Killing Giants (April 2011)Emanuel Brown, Creative Technologist, Portland, OregonMike Wagner, CEO of White Rabbit GroupJay Ehret (host), Chief Officer of Awesomeness at The Marketing Spot Complete show notes and links can be found at: The Decline and Fall of Marketing Discipline

Brand-building clinic. Podcast host Jay Ehret delivers a mini-branding seminar. Learn what a brand is, how it works, and how to build a brand for your small business. Included is a brand-building checklist. Topics include: Definition of a brand How a brand gives customers choices Unique selling proposition Inside-out thinking Why you need a brand How you can build a brand for your business. Guest: Podcast host, Jay Ehret goes solo on this one. No guests. Get complete show notes, links and the Brand-Building checklist at the official podcast website of Power to the Small Business: Small Business Branding Clinic

Facebook business page optimization. Host Jay Ehret talks with technology consultant Thomas Umstattd about Facebook best practices and how to optimize your Facebook business page for marketing efectiveness. Topics include: Having a personality on your Facebook page Facebook page optimization Best practices of starting a Facebook page for your business B2B marketing through social media Moderating the online conversation Guest: Thomas Umstattd, Technology Consultant Complete show notes and links can be found at the official Power to the Small Business podcast website: Getting Your Business in the Facebook Game