Different types of businesses can use internet promotions to drive traffic to websites and fan page. In today’s video I share a story about a local optometrist.

This example is not limited to the medical profession. The campaign can be adopted to many industries, even yours!

You can divide your time, and marketing resources chases any and all clients, or you can focus your energy on the most profitable clients.

Savvy small business owners track their marketing activity.  They pay attention to which media and vehicles drive the best leads which result in the most profitable client relationships.

When it comes to marketing, I have always believed it is not how much you spend, but how well you spend what you have.

Marketing is all about balance; spending enough money to get noticed, without breaking the bank. And the guidelines are different for every company, even if they are in the same industry. How much you spend is effected by how many customers and referral sources you already have.

This video is part of a series of clips from an interview I did for Rheem manufacturing to be shared with contractors across the US.

If you would like me to learn more about to bring my training programs to your market, please fill out the contact form below or give me a call at 317-569-1396

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Today’s guest post comes from Sara Yelich, the author of Sara Spelled Without an H.

For the last year and a half, I’ve been blessed to work alongside my mom as she builds and develops her dream – a flower shop with a bright pink awning on Main Street of our small town.  In those 18 months, I’ve also conquered a year of college and soon-to-be three half-marathons.  I’ve found running is an outlet for stress on bad days, a quiet time to brainstorm, and a way for me to refresh and refocus on life. I’ve also found that the pieces of advice and encouragement I give to (and learn from) my mom tie directly to my time on the pavement – and I’d love to share some of those lessons with you.

• It’s not easy. In all honesty, running sucks sometimes. Very few days are perfect, when the wind is blowing out of the right direction and it isn’t hot, but it isn’t cold, and your legs don’t hurt, and you find “the zone.”  Whether you’ve owned a business for a day, a year, or a lifetime, you’ve got to remember that it isn’t always going to be easy. Nothing worth having ever is.
• Do it if you love it. I love running; my mom loves flowers.  It’s so much easier to roll out of bed in the morning when you’re getting ready for something you love.  Of course there are days when you want to hit the snooze button six or seven times, but when you’re passionate about what you do, it’s far easier to survive the early morning runs and the mile-long to-do lists.
• Remember to say, “hi.” When I’m at home, I have to share the road with horses, deer, and tractors.  It’s nice to get back to school, because every day I run, I pass someone who is genuinely happy to be out there; someone who smiles, waves, or even says, “hello.”  That kind of genuine joy is hard to find.  Be genuinely happy to be doing what you’re doing.  Say “hello” to everyone – your customers, your wholesalers, your mailman.  Sincerity never goes unnoticed.
• Treat every day like race day. There’s so much energy at the start line of a race – just like your first few months in business.  They’re exciting! After a while though, the fun wears off. Your feet start to ache and you’re bored and out of breath, and the bench on the side of the road looks really, really nice.  Whatever you do, don’t sit down. Quitting can’t be an option.
• Don’t run on empty. Anyone who runs knows the joy of carbo-loading the days before a race, in an attempt to store up extra energy to use on race day.  Leaving the house for a ten-mile run is a terrible idea if your breakfast consisted of a cup of coffee. You’ll get exhausted. End of discussion. The same thing happens if you don’t take a day off every now and then. Leave work at work, turn your Blackberry off (I know, it’s tough!), and take time to restore your energy level. Your body and mind will thank you.

About Sara Yelich, this post’s author: Sara Yelich is currently studying Organizational Leadership & Supervision with a concentration in Sports Management at Purdue University, where she is the Director of Media Relations for Purdue Student Government.  After graduation, she hopes to work in endurance event planning, and eventually start a non-profit organization that places professional and college athletes in inner-city schools as mentors. You can always find her on Twitter as @sarayelich.

Interviewing for a internship or full time position at Roundpeg is like everything else we do; high energy, lots of interaction, a mix of serious and silly and  a series of unusual questions.

When I came in for my first interview at Roundpeg, I had practiced the answers to typical interview questions, but Lorraine asked several questions no one else had ever asked me in an interview.  Reassuring me there was no right answer, she simply wanted to get feel for me as a person, who I was and what I was passionate about. Funny thing is, it only took her four words…

“Words, pictures, or numbers?”

On the surface, it is a simple enough question, but the answer runs much deeper. Depending on which of the three elements you gravitate toward, you see and interact with the world in three completely different ways. For example…

Allison is a classic words person. She reads and writes voraciously giving her such a broad vocabulary, she often sends the rest of us scurrying to a dictionary to keep up.   She’s passionate about words.  It’s precisely her passion which makes her so good at what she does; writing informative and engaging  content and copy for our clients.

Taylor sees the world differently.   With a strong picture-orientation, he intuitively understands what makes compelling visuals. Spending time with Taylor, as he looks for just the right photo, color or font is like seeing the world with a completely different set of glasses. I am routinely amazed at how he takes rough ideas and turns them into images.

People who meet  Lorraine always assume she is a words person.  Her skill  for public speaking, teaching and story telling would  seem 6o make that a safe bet.  However, there is something only those of us who spend a lot of time with Lorraine know, deep down she is a numbers person. She actually enjoys opening up and working on spreadsheets.  It’s a relatively rare find in marketing, but goes a long way toward contributing towards our success.

So what am I? In my first interview, I was absolutely sure I was a words person. Unlike Allison however, I’m a talker rather than a writer. As time has gone on my opinion on myself has changed. I’m starting to think there might be a fourth option: people. I love meeting new people and creating relationships.  While I enjoy the challenge of creating a functional website, I enjoy training our clients and doing seminars.     And I look forward to doing much more of that here as time goes on.

Everyone at Roundpeg is encouraged to do what their passionate about. Do you have the same philosophy at your organization? Before answering that question, make sure you answer this one: words, pictures, or numbers?

I’m currently in the process of preparing my first seminar. As I work through all the things I want to teach my students, I can’t help but look at the ways seminars help small business owners.  Why seminars?

1. Great for learning new processes and perspectives. This is probably the most obvious benefit seminars bring. Attending seminars (like Lorraine is as I write this) establishes a habit of consistently learning. By preventing your knowledge base from remaining stagnant, you improve your ability to adapt to a constantly changing business environment. And it is exactly that ability which separates successful businesses from extinct ones.

2. Engage with other students. Sometimes, the greatest benefit isn’t always the lesson being taught. The most enjoyable (and educational) aspect of the class is often the interaction with other students.  Their viewpoints and opinions give me insight and perspective into business I otherwise have missed.  I end up a more well-rounded business professional as a result. In the room with other business owners you to step outside of your own world; and for a brief moment, instead of working in your business, you get an opportunity to work on your business.

3. Arena in which to demonstrate your expertise. On the other side of the desk or podium, teaching a class or seminar is a great way to display your expertise, communicating  beneficial knowledge to others. Lorraine offers free seminars for small business owners on a regular basis, and will be conducting her first Webinar next week.

And now, local business owners will be able to attend my seminar for free as well. I will be team teaching with Nick Carter of Address Two, on Wednesday, October 13. The opportunity to share my knowledge with others who may be able to use it to their benefit is the greatest driving factor behind my desire to teach seminars.

Seminars and classes aren’t just beneficial to students, but also teachers. The positive aspects truly run both ways. I would encourage all business owners to research educational opportunities throughout Indianapolis. And hey…if that opportunity happens to be the one I’m offering, I’d love to have you there.

At Roundpeg, we’re gearing up for October conference center. We’re excited to be speaking to some great groups of people. If you’re looking to catch a presentation, you can find us:

• 10/6: Lorraine will present “10 Mistakes Business Owners Make” for the Entrepreneurship Advancement Center at the Fishers Train Station, , 11601 Municipal Dr, Fishers, at 8 a.m.

• 10/6: Lorraine’s going to be busy! After her morning presentation, she will be presenting “From Random Strangers to Raving Fans” for the Perfect Wedding Guide at the Omni Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. 12 p.m.
• 10/13: Boy Wonder Jay Mattingly will present “Forget Henry Ford: Easy Tips for a Tough Economy” with Nick Carter of AddressTwo fame. The presentation will be held at 8:30 a.m. at the offices of Trustpointe, 6666 E. 75th St., Indianapolis
• 10/21: Lorraine will be reprieving her “From Random Strangers to Raving Fans” workshop for the Tipton County Chamber of Commerce, 11:00, 1020 W. Jefferson St.

We hope to see you at one of these events!

What is it about lists? Why do bloggers love them?  Write a blog post entitled Five Ways to Do This or Six Steps to More of That and your post is bound to be read, tweeted and retweeted.

1. Is it because we hope the answers are really that simple?  Deep down, do we believe we can find the answer to any problem in five easy steps.?
2. Is it because we like the order or process of a list
3. Or is it because we can only wrap our heads around so many items at once?

While I don’t know why, I do know that lists in your title add traffic to your post.

Bloggers also love another kind of list. The “Top” something list.   From the Ad Age Power 150, to Liz Strauss weekly SOB’s we love to be included on lists.   This fascination with being ranked and ordered is not limited to on line lists, as we also love the  annual Best and Worst Dressed list and here in Indy the IBJ’s 40 under 40.

And now, there is one more list to be included in: The Pro Blogger Social Media 40 over 40.  Compiled by Erik Deckers and Paul Lorinczi the list is an interesting mix of national social media celebrities and local Indy area bloggers.  And one delightful surprise -Laverne Bentle Blasdel of Lawrenceburg, IN -About whom, Erik writes:

Not everyone who makes this list has to be a social media powerhouse. They just have to do something notable. So when Laverne was nominated by Carey Driscoll, I thought she deserved to make it. Laverne is 88 years old, lives with her sister in a retirement home, and apparently totally rocks Facebook keeping up with her friends and family.

Filled with people I know and people I don’t, their twitter handles have been included, so it is easy to pick up some very interesting people to add to my follow list. And, let’s be honest, one of the other reasons I like the list … I am on it!

I’m excited to be team-teaching a course with my sales coach, Matt Nettleton of Sandler Training Trustpointe. The class is called “From Random Strangers to Raving Fans: Using a system to create the right messages for the right people at the right time.”

We’re going to talk about how important it is that your sales and marketing support each other.  After all, the best marketing plan in the world won’t help you if you can’t seal the deal, and the best sales strategy won’t help you if you don’t have leads in the first place!

Check out the details below. Hope to see you there!

September 15, 8:00 – 10:00  a.m.

Sandler Training Trustpointe Offices, 6666 East 75th Street, Indianapolis

Fee: $29.99  Seating is limited, so be sure to  register soon. Click here