Tradeshow marketing or Event marketing is something to seriously consider for your small business. The number of tradeshows that are being held specifically for the benefit of small business exposure is growing in almost every city in America.

One challenge is how to make the decision to add tradeshows to your marketing investment. But maybe most important of all is how to insure they are a successful tool for your business.

Fortunately we have identified an expert in this area and have asked him to explain the ins and outs to you. Robert Levin of the New York Enterprise Report joins us to explore both the opportunities and the pitfalls of tradeshow or event marketing.

Read more and listen to Tradeshow Marketing - Improve Your ROI

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This week’s Podcast Review is about the Podcast HBR Ideacast by Harvard Business Review.

Description: The HBR IdeaCast™ is a free biweekly podcast featuring breakthrough management ideas and commentary from the editors and authors of Harvard Business School Publishing.

Comments: This is a well produced and information-packed podcast. They just made the 8th show available and it discusses leading through conflict and setting priorities effectively. Music is used well at the introduction and the sound quality is very good for listening.

Other covered topics include hiring effectively, sales, decision making, retaining top performers, negotiating, customer satisfaction and more.

Pluses: The information providers are some of the top authors and experts available today. Each show provides valuable information as well as a preview to an authors book or and editors perpective on the named topic.

The topics and discussion level is at a general level, not necessarily small or large business focused but more about the challenges all businesses face, the content ’scales’ well and can serve a broad audience.

If you listen on your PC the audio is streaming so it starts very rapidly — that is very nice. The ability to subscibe via RSS and podcast aggregators is clearly presented.

Minuses: I think the website could provide more information on the length of the podcast and provide a clearer path on how to download for listening at a later time.

If you want to listen on your computer the player is clearly visible, I wish there were more controls so I could rewind and fast forward to a piece of content I want to repeat or jump to.

We recommend that you check out the HBR Ideacast and subscribe!

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A few years ago Your Business Blogger was privileged to introduce Steve Forbes at a fundraising event with 900 of my closest friends. I was tempted to honor him with the most flattering, and shortest intro by saying, “Here’s Steve Forbes, who needs no introduction…”

Steve Forbes, Washington Post

But most of us will. Need an introduction.
So when your big break comes, how do you that know you’ll get that classy intro, with just the right touch?

You know your introduction will be perfect. Because you will write it.

History was very good to Winston Churchill because he wrote it himself. Here’s a history outline:

1) Short. Two minutes, 250 words.

2) Welcome. Say hello as if to a single person. Forget the other 899.

3) Bio. The current gig, then what you are best known for. Credentials and qualifications.

4) Topic. The topic.

5) So What? Review why we are all here and why we should care

6) Clap. Join me in welcoming and start clapping…

Remember, a good introduction serves as a stepping stone, bridge, a segue to the Keynoter to begin for a smooth and exciting transition.

Not a bad introduction. The worst introduction I’ve experienced was a joke. Literally. And I didn’t like not being in on the joke — it wasn’t funny because I swallowed the bait whole.

I was working a trade show and sat in on some breakfast speechifying. The Headliner, Mr. Motivational Speaker, supplied — later, we learned — the introduction remarks. The speaker’s “background” included a series of terminal degrees from Ivy League universities and instructing at medical schools. Very impressive. But I should have know that a Nobel Laureate would not be speaking to this group.

This group being any group in which I was a member.

But, I settled back to enjoy the speech. I know a bit about hospitals, my wife knows a bit about academia – I thought I was going to get some learning.

Instead I got surprised. The speaker was only [gasp] an ordinary business guy. I was duped. Which is, well, nothing new.

My expectations were not managed with me not seeing the ol’ switcheroo. Everyone else thought the guy was a hoot.

I didn’t hear the speech, which I am told, was very good.

But this Keynoter forgot Rule One in public speaking: Only experts should use humor.

Posted by Jack Yoest | Comments (1) | Permalink

In this time of marketing message saturation how does a small business stand out and get its message heard without wasting precious dollars?

How do you communicate your message to the exact set of prospects at just the right time with just the right message to grow new customers?

How do you start and evolve a quality relationship with this target market that will lock you in as their lifetime product and service supplier?

It all starts with a good beginning, good data and a smart approach. Join our guest expert on this topic Michael Plummer of OurTownAmerica as he provides the benefit of his experience and practice of 32 years in business answering the questions above for over 10,000 different businesses.

Read more and listen to this show about how you can Smartly Market Your Small Business

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We had over 35,000 Podcast feed requests in July, that is a 25% increase over June.

Our thanks go out to our listeners and all of our terrific small business expert guests. Thank you for your support!

Here are the Top 5 Shows for July 2006: (in no particular order)

Protect Your Assets and IP
Guest: Michael Dees of Esecurity-Direct
Michael, a seasoned technology professional, explains how to protect your IP from theft.

SEO Success for Small Business
Guest: Steve Kinney
Do SEO right and beat your biggest competitors.
~

Marketing Partnerships for Faster Growth
Guest: Kare Anderson
Get your customers’ attention and grow by partnering smartly.
~

One American Against Sony Music
Guest: Steve Popovich of Cleveland International Records
Steve shares his story of a 40-year history of the music business and why it is important to stand up for your rights. Inspiring.

How to Start a Business With No Money
Guest: Gary Schoeniger of garyschoeniger.com.
Gary Schoeniger started a business dead broke with a borrowed ladder. Soon he had a multi-million dollar business.

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When you talk about your small business, make it right. Always say your talking points framed in the positive. Make only a joyful noise, especially on a radio interview. Move, act, talk positive.

Appearances are always important, but the audible is, of course, what counts on the airwaves.

This is hard to do — even world-class professionals slip into the negative.

Tony Snow at
The White House

For example, Tony Snow once goofed.

Pay attention, because it won’t happen often.

The
Bimbo
Award

The new Presidential Press Secretary Bimbo’ed.

This is the media mistake where the interviewee repeats back the negative content from the interviewer.

Here was the headline on Drudge:

Tony Snow: ‘People blast me because I’m too squishy…‘

Tony’s (rare) mistake was forgetting that the human mind cannot process a negative. Readers will only remember that Tony Snow is squishy.

Fall Hawn 1987

‘Bimbo’ comes from Merrie Spaeth at Spaeth Communications who developed this concept. Based on Fawn Hall’s difficulty while working at Oliver North’s office. And her denial before the press:

Maggot infested press jackal: Are you a bimbo?

Radiant, lovely Fawn Hall: No. I am not a bimbo.

So what does the world remember?

Fawn Hall is a bimbo.

NIXON WAS
not A CROOK

Richard Nixon is another example. Nixon says, “I am not a crook.”

But what does the world remember? Richard Nixon is a crook.

Repeating back a negative?

Methinks the Lady doth protest too much.

Now. A good marketing campaign can turn the Bimbo to advantage. A Reverse Bimbo.

As in Thank You for Not Smoking, by Christopher Buckley.

Buckley, son of William F., parodies the brilliant tobacco marketing minds. They know that the brain will only compute,

THANK YOU FOR

not SMOKING

Smoking, The Movie

That’s not so bad. The words are helpful. And compliant with the dictates of the Surgeon General. But they communicate the opposite of the stated wording. Good marketers know this. See David Sirota on attacked.

Knowing Bimbo’s will help you change your life. Even with your kids.

Remember how your mom would say, “Don’t forget your lunch!!!”

And all your little head could handle was “Forget your lunch!!!”

And obeying mom, you forgot your lunch.

From this post forth, always remember to frame (life!) in the positive.

To, “Remember your lunch.”

And this will keep your small business competitors from eating your lunch.

###

Full Disclosure: Mom used to work for Tony in the White House. It kept mother and daughter out of Nordstroms.

Posted by Jack Yoest | Comments (2) | Permalink

Fewer and fewer small businesses can afford to offer their employees and many times themselves healthcare insurance. The cost of healthcare insurance continues to increase annually at a double digit percentage with no end in sight. Something has to change!

If you are motivated to do something about it then start by increasing your knowledge of the problem and the governments efforts to adress the issue. We have Dawn Rivers Baker of microenterprisejournal.com as our guest on this show and she knows this topic inside and out.

Dawn has followed this problem for years and she knows the political players, the legislation track and inside information on all of the gamesmanship that surrounds this criticial issue.

After listening you might feel better or you might feel worse about the problem, regardless you will be better informed and ready to take action.

Packed with timely information and advice, read more and listen to The Unhealthy State of Small Business Healthcare.

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