Are You Annoying Your Email Prospects?

Even though email marketing has higher conversion rates than social media and search engine marketing combined (Wordstream), it isn’t a panacea marketing channel. It has pros and cons like any other tactic. Email Marketing Pros It’s relatively inexpensive. Some email service providers (ESPs) offer free services if you have fewer than their maximum limit. And,…

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11 Common Mistakes in a Startup’s First Year

Getting a company up and running is an exciting time. You likely have a strong passion for what you’re doing and a vision for where you’d like to go in the next few years. Everything is new, fresh and exciting. Unfortunately, you’re also inexperienced in running a new business and may make mistakes before you…

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6 Reasons Franchise Businesses Fail and How to Avoid Them

As an investment and a point of personal pride, you want your franchise business to succeed. So does your franchisor, your customers, and your employees. So, as you begin your franchise journey, let’s look at some reasons franchises fail and what you can do to avoid them. 1) Lack of Capital We’re putting this right…

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Why I Refuse to Read Your Digital Content

Do you ever wonder whether your audiences read your digital content? The content for which you painstakingly brainstorm, research, write, and edit? Sure, you can track email open and click-through rates, unique and returning website visitors, session duration, bounce rates, and other metrics. But do your audiences really read it? One way to find out is…

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How a Rapper Cost the Finance Industry Millions

Thank you to everyone who attended our webinar on how to leverage your existing data to uncover SEO + PPC opportunities within the Search space. Teresa Lopez & Jordan Strauss walked us through how irrelevant references are sneaking into the SERPS and unexpectedly stealing our spend. We learned: How to catch pop culture and news…

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The Biggest Business Mistakes New Business Owners Make

New business owners are naturally excited about getting up and running. If you’re a new business owner, then kudos to you. You’re doing the hard work necessary to put yourself and your family on better financial footing. But along with the enthusiasm for your new business comes the possibility that you will make mistakes. Minimizing…

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Avoid These 5 Common Mistakes on Your Loan Application

Lack of preparation and poor planning can sink your chances of getting approved for a small business loan. Your loan application is an opportunity to present your business in the best light. In other words, it’s your chance to minimize the risk you represent and maximize a lender’s confidence in your ability to repay the…

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How to Say “I’m Sorry”

Previously, we examined the reasons why more brands are feeling the need to say they are sorry in a very public and expensive fashion these days. I want to take a minute and dissect one brand’s attempt to offer a “mea culpa” that will resonate with their audience and smooth over the wave of negative…

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7 Whirlwind New Venture Partner Marriages to Avoid

Most entrepreneurs who start a company alone soon come to the conclusion that two heads are better than one—someone to share the workload, the hard decisions, and the costs. In a moment of crisis, you may be tempted to take on the first person expressing interest as a co-founder. This would be a mistake, and…

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The Era of “We’re Sorry” Advertising

There’s an interesting trend that speaks to a significant change in how brands are evaluated and how quickly they can go from hero to goat. I want to explore the origins of the trend and next time we’ll look at some examples and best practices in response to this new normal and the best way…

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