Are you looking for a way to inject some traffic, build word of mouth buzz and boost sales for your small business?

Whether you are a small retail business, restaurant or professional service business, there’s never a bad time to generate an increase in cash flow, especially during the often slower summer months.

Well, have we got some ideas for you!

This Thursday, we’re sharing THIRTY cheap or free, quick to implement marketing ideas that will work for your small business – it’ll all be during our webinar on Thursday, June 3, 2010 at 9 a.m. CDT called “Cheap or Free Small Business Marketing Ideas.” This webinar will be presented by marketing coach and small business expert Marianna Hayes Chapman, with questions and personalized advice being given throughout the webinar by marketing coach and small business expert Andy Chapman.

I’m not messing around here – these are the sorts of ideas that you can learn in the morning and implement by the afternoon. They are quick to implement, no or very little cost, and they are EASY!

Here are some of the categories of ideas we’re going to cover:

1. Getting more from existing customers.
2. Offline ways to get more from your web site & e-mail marketing
3. “Guerilla Marketing” ideas for 2010 – offline, free & easy!
4. How to get more buzz and sales from social media.
5. How to get the media to talk about you and your business.

The ideas presented in “Cheap or Free Small Business Marketing Ideas” are so easy that even those of you who are still shying away from social media or who can’t update your own web site will LOVE this webinar and the ideas it holds. The marketing ideas are smart and affordable marketing angles that will move the needle for your small business. They are practical, do-it-yourself, and realistic for the busy small business owner.

We know marketing is only one piece of your day, so yes, these will be REAL ideas. This isn’t really a strategy session – it’s an idea session. No theory – just specific explanations of thirty – yes, that’s right – THIRTY marketing tactics that you can use to grow your business THIS WEEK!!!

Around here, Andy often tells me that “activity brings sales.” What he means is that when we are ACTIVELY marketing our business, we notice an increase in sales. And we notice that same thing with our clients. Sometimes the smallest changes lead to enormous results. And that’s what we’re all about – RESULTS!!

This webinar is perfect for small businesses of all sizes including retail, hospitality, restaurant and professional service businesses. These ideas will work in any environment – no matter how small or large your community.

And let’s face it, this is me trying to sell you something in a blog post, but c’mon…for only $29, you really should show up. If you get ONE idea that generates a sales boost for you, you’ll more than pay for the cost of the webinar in about half a day… I’d say your odds of winning at this investment are better than nearly anything else out there right now, so go ahead, register… because space is limited, so don’t miss out!

Join the Results Revolution and our founders for this hard-hitting hour of amazing small business marketing ideas that will get you REAL RESULTS for your small business – THIRTY marketing ideas presented by Marianna Hayes Chapman! In addition, while Marianna teaches the session, attendees can submit their questions, and Andy Chapman will monitor the question and answer forum, so unlike most webinars, you’ll have the benefit of constant interaction and personalized ideas for your business.

Join us this Thursday, June 3 for Cheap or Free Small Business Marketing Ideas (only $29!!)… You’ll be glad you did!

I’m a car person. Or at least I aspire to be. I usually get a new-to-me car/mobile office every couple of years, mostly by necessity. In my mind, I make practical car-buying decisions – like never buying new. That practicality, of course, balances out my tendency to want to “look good” in my car. I justify my choices by telling myself that I need to feel comfortable in my car because I spend so much time in it – upwards of 50,000 miles a year between work and play. My car is quite literally my mobile office in many respects, and it also needs to make a good first impression (note to self: maybe I should remember that and try to keep my interiors more orderly).

In my short professional life, I’ve driven a very nice limited edition Ford Explorer, some sort of sporty Lincoln 4-door, a mommy wagon for the baby years, and now a sporty Volvo SUV.

In my opinion, however, it’s definitely getting time for an upgrade… it’s been over three years, after all.

When thinking about a new(er) car/mobile office upgrade, there are a lot of features that are out there now that would make our life soooooo much better/easier/more convenient/efficient. All of which lead to an improved bottom line and happier, more sane business partners/married people/parents (in our case since we do all of that together).

Here are a few of the features I have in mind:

1.    Extra “power” outlets for our various equipment, so that we can practice the standard traveler’s motto: ABC – always be charging.
2.    Audio input for iPod/MP3 player.
3.    Fuel efficiency. At 50K miles a year, a couple of miles per gallon improvement in fuel efficiency means a lot.
4.    Handsfree Bluetooth phone capability – the safety and convenience of this feature multiplies itself with the miles, in my opinion.

Enter Patty Peck Honda. We got an e-mail back in March from Bob Aubrey (@bobaubrey1) over at Patty Peck Honda (@pattypeckhonda) wanting to setup an initial consultation with us through HALO Business Advisors (our business marketing consulting business that specializes in new media/social media marketing). Through a series of consequent conversations, we ended up on a Spring Break test drive of the Honda Pilot (fantastic, but more on that later).

When we returned and gave our feedback, Bob Aubrey, the GM at Patty Peck Honda, recommended that we try out the new Honda Accord Crosstour for a while. It was a car he had been driving for a few days, and he asked us to drive it and give him some feedback.

Bob, here’s your feedback. (And I think Andy will be supplementing with his own feedback shortly.)

To be honest, I was slow to the party. I loved the Pilot – and I like an SUV for kiddie-hauling. But more than that,  I’m a skeptic by nature, so I was looking for all of the problems in this new model – sure that its newness would surface problems, mistakes, functionality flaws, etc.

After two months in this car, I can’t imagine a better long-term solution for the mobile-office folks out there, or for me. I have claimed the car as my own, and relegate Andy to the old car.

This car has everything that I mentioned above as important features for the mobile office/car. It has great fuel efficiency, it’s amazingly roomy, it has power outlets everywhere and the hands free phone and voice command features keep my eyes on the road. Even more, it’s sporty, nimble, stable and fun to drive. It makes a great first impression. The cargo space looks big, and it functions even bigger – it’s got a LOT OF ROOM BACK THERE! It’s got the best seats ever placed in a Honda – although I definitely recommend the leather on the Crosstour. It’s a supportive, luxurious seat that passes muster, even on long trips, even with my very sensitive back issues. Bonus: the reverse view camera, warning sounds and mirrors that adjust to help me not back into anything while moving in reverse are the answer to all of Andy’s prayers for me to never hit anything while backing up ever again.

If you’re looking for something different – yet reliable – take a look at the Honda Crosstour for your mobile office, commuter car or SUV alternative. Yep, I said it: it’s an SUV alternative. With a backseat big enough to hold two car seats and a third happy camper – or three adults comfortably, this car is a winner all around. And since it’s based on the Accord, you know it’ll be reliable for a LONG time…

Thanks to Patty Peck Honda for believing in their product enough to wait for me to come around – that’s the stuff real relationships are built upon. And thanks to Honda for building vehicles that are immensely practical – and fun – for the workshifters, digital nomads and mobile office mavens of the world. We also just happen to be a pretty savvy group of influencers on social media that can share your products with lots of other people, too. I’m so glad I was encouraged to try a vehicle I never would have before – makes it easy to talk about it.

Disclaimer: Make sure you also say thanks to Patty Peck Honda for sponsoring the Results Revolution, which makes all of this great information available to you.

Another disclaimer: While I like frequent car upgrades, Andy drove the same 1992 Honda Accord until February of this year when we finally sold it to someone who asked to buy it basically once a month for three months. So, here’s to wishful thinking that I’ll ever get a new car………

With your target objective (mission) and goals in clearly defined, it's time to start planning, researching and taking action. With our planning for the National Main Street Conference, we really only had about two weeks of firm planning time.

Here is how I broke down the planning: logistics, action items tied to goals, contacts and packing.

For me, the list proved to be a bit daunting. I am a perfectionist, and on occasion bite off more than I can chew. This conference wasn't the only thing on my plate after all. I have small business owners that I consult each week and projects and other speaking engagements to manage. Knowing all of this, I must say I did a fine job of making my lists, then editing myself.

I cannot state this any more strongly for those planners among you: there are plans that will save the world – but require the moon's sacrifice in order to happen. And there are the plans that work, that achieve real, measurable results – because, quite simply, the plan was edited into reality.

I am a journalism student by training, so with list in hand, I took out my trusty red pen. I found it helpful to actually categorize my action items by those tactics that would produce the most bang for my buck with no regard to my personal comfort level. Some of the items would require me to get outside of my actual personality in order to produce the greatest results for the least effort. (Now that is what I call LEAN THINKING.) The categories led me to basically edit into oblivion every tactic that wasn't an all-star. What we ended up with, I believe (and I may be wrong), we've ended up with a more flexible schedule that will allow us to take advantage of opportunities as they present themselves while securing PRE-conference certain appointments and plans that have us well on our way to achieving our target objective.

Let me explain:

Tactic that got the red ink:
- Drinks and appetizers for a large group of folks, many of whom we don't know. Would have required a fair amount of planning, organization and time spent inviting, etc.

Instead…
- Made lunch appointment with a state coordinator to discuss upcoming opportunity to speak for the first time in this state.

We did set some meet-ups and lunch dates in advance of the conference, all scheduled for the first two days. This leaves us time to build new relationships over a meal, coffee or drinks later in the conference schedule, if needed. We used the list that the conference provided of registered attendees as well as our existing contacts in order to schedule valuable encounters.

We also took the time pre-conference to promote our attendance at the conference on social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, and Twitter. We also offered some valuable information and information of our attendance via the Main Street members only listserv to which we are members. Even now, you can follow the conference at the Twitter hashtag we created at #MainStreet09.

We have an on-site goodie in store, too… stay tuned, so you don't miss valuable small business owner survey results that will be available to conference goes FIRST, before we post it on our web site.

Small business tip: Making plans BEFORE you get to the event in order to maximize your time AT the event.

P.S. For real live blogging of the actual conference sessions, etc.
check out the official conference blog which is very well done so far
at Main Street Live 09. You can get an insider's perspective as the staff of Michigan Main Street live blogs the conference on their blog (What can we say? They are our star student!). And you can follow the conference on Twitter at #MainStreet09.

Andy and I arrived in Chicago this morning to mix and mingle among the conference goers at the National Main Streets Conference happening now through Wednesday of next week. Notice, I didn't say that we came here to attend the conference. Because we really didn't.

Hopefully, that statement doesn't highly offend those of you reading this, but this is a key point to attending a conference, trade show, market, etc. where lots of folks you know or need to know are also attending. As we (Team HALO) live blog this event throughout the next few days, you'll hear us talk a bit about the content of the conference – mostly from interviews conducted from attendee viewpoints, some of our own application (it is our blog after all), and possibly some speaker interviews. However, most importantly – and of most value to you – our small business constituency – will be our play-by-play application of our success and failures as we seek to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves this week. It is our goal to do all we can to meet, greet, find follow-up opportunities, etc. so that we can most efficiently and effectively help you, the small businesses across America that call Main Street your home. Our live blogging will mostly consist of the steps we've taken to achieve our goals – and the steps you can also take to achieve yours in similar circumstances.

So, let's dive right in… what are our goals for this conference, after all? As with any business venture, great or small, we will never know if we've arrived or how best to get to our goals if we have no road map. Goals are specific and measurable and targeted – when accomplished, they add up to success. Let me put our strategic planning in perspective for you:

Context: For the first time in three years of attending this conference (I know, we're young tikes still at this Main Street stuff), we are not presenting. We originally had a scheduling conflict and were not planning to attend this year at all. Then, at the last minute, plans changed and opportunity availed itself. We had approximately two weeks to plan our trip and set our goals.

We could not set goals without admitting that for one year concluding about six months ago, our business suffered periods of inconsistency in service stemming from personal matters that are now resolved. Having taken steps to protect our business from these sorts of issues again, then restructuring our business entirely to meet the demands of a new economy and the budgets of small business owners, re-defining our mission with laser sharp precision and marking the past six months as evidence of the measurable results we provide (not to mention the other eight great years prior to the fumble), Andy and I confidently went about the business of setting goals and a budget for attending this conference. With no presentation to prepare and no scheduling limitations (I must admit this left me feeling quite liberated), we set a primary objective and five goals for our conference attendance.

Target objective (basically the same as our 2009 mission statement): Open doors that allow us to encourage and equip hundreds of Main Street businesses towards success and profitability in 2009-2010.

Here are a couple of our goals for achieving that outcome through conference attendance (we can't give away all our secrets, can we? Maybe later.):
1. Meet and secure follow-up opportunities for further discussion (relationships are all we are looking for – not business deals) with three targeted people of influence (we identified them and set a plan for meeting them).
2. Leverage our attendance at the conference to raise awareness for our work with Main Street businesses across social media networks and at the conference in general.

Small business tip: Both budget and goals should be well researched and
well defined prior to making any firm commitments like registration
fees, hotel reservations, etc. Wise business owners (and non-profit execs) test the waters as
much as possible PRIOR to spending any money. A target objective with 3-5 measurable goals sets the framework for success.

Stay Tuned: Next post will give you a sneak peak into our pre-conference planning.

P.S. For real live blogging of the actual conference sessions, etc. check out the official conference blog which is very well done so far at Main Street Live 09. You can get an insider's perspective as the staff of Michigan Main Street live blogs the conference on their blog (What can we say? They are our star student!). And you can follow the conference on Twitter at #MainStreet09.

We get this question a lot, so I thought I would post the question and answer here.

Question:
Which Facebook option is better for my business or organization? A PAGE or a GROUP?

Answer:
Facebook defines groups and pages differently, and upon reading their definition – and having intimately used both – our official position is to follow the Facebook rules for best success.

This means that if you are the official representative of your Main Street program or the owner of your business or the executive director of a non-profit organization, etc. then it is advisable that you start a PAGE that allows others to become FANS of your organization or business.

If you are a volunteer or individual seeking to raise awareness and support for an organization, topic, issue, etc., then you should start a GROUP page and invite folks to join your group if they are like minded.

To give an example of how to properly use GROUPS, a group of businesses or citizens could band together, name a leader and promote a GROUP on Facebook to rally citizens to participate in ongoing efforts to hold local officials accountable. This group of citizens is an UNofficial collection of like-minded people pursuing a goal. There could be many of the same sorts of GROUPS pop up, even within the same community, and that is allowable under Facebook rules. GROUPS are basically a free speech forum to meet and gather likeminded individuals.

As for PAGES, Facebook contends that they must be "official." Therefore, there will only be ONE Facebook PAGE for the Michigan Main Street Center, for instance, because they are the official organization and promoter for Michigan Main Street programs at the state level. Similarly, Swagger Gifts' Facebook PAGE will be the one and only because she is the official owner and promoter of Swagger Gifts in Cary, North Carolina. And there will only be one Team HALO Facebook PAGE, and we will administer it, because it is our official presence on Facebook.

Facebook PAGES provide a lot of promotional flexibility, professional image and communication features handy for those pursuing strategic marketing vs. the GROUPS option. But never fear, if you've made a GROUPS page but would now choose the PAGES option, Facebook will help you convert it, just ask them.

More information is available on this Facebook Help page under PAGES. (You will likely need to be logged in to Facebook to view any Facebook content including this and the links shown above.)

Small Business Marketing Tip: The bottom line is that you should be on Facebook with a personal profile and a PAGE for your official business or organization. Just get on there and start to learn the ropes. You should participate and encourage your employees to do the same (within reason of course). Your business will be better for it.

Soon, we'll address specific Facebook marketing tactics and strategies to give you an edge in your Facebook network. We also present this information in our small business seminar called Marketing Tactics that Will Work Right Now. 

Ok, I know. It's January 16. Aren't I a bit late to this "new year's" party?

Well, I suppose that's up to you to decide. However, I will tell you that sometimes its better to not say anything at all than to say the WRONG thing. And that's what's been simmering in my head lately. Many other business experts, most of whom I personally respect very much, opened their mouths immediately to save the world from the economic crisis – and the predicted recession. How can the world's economic problems be solved so quickly? Of course, like everyone else, I had lots of ideas immediately… I wanted to run out and save all of you small businesses of the world, too. But what good would it do you or me long-term if I gave poor advice or poorly thought advice? Not too much I'd imagine.

So, I stepped back and gave it some thought. I've been visiting with our clients one on one. Having a lot of strategic planning sessions and spending a lot of time watching the marketplace to see what really is working and is not working. I don't suggest that I am prepared to save the world just yet – but I do feel ready to save one small business or social entrepreneur effort at a time. But having given due diligence to our current affairs, I feel a clarity on the new year that has me excited more than ever before in my career.

Of course, the world has changed. Probably, this isn't a correction. It's a new world, a new economic and business environment in which we will all operate until the next era emerges…hopefully when I'm in retirement.

We, as small business owners and not for profit operators are dealt a fresh hand of cards. And the brutal truth is that some businesses will simply fold. But for others, the opportunity and potential to win – and win bigger than ever imagined before – is as real as that fresh new set of playing cards.

While speaking to a coaching client just this week, Andy and I took a serious tone and said the following to this young entrepreneur: "We can sit here and talk about it and talk about it some more until we're blue in the face. But the bottom line is clear: talking will do no one any good. There are many who will become jobless this year – some in a long-term way. And there are those who will find great success this year. Wild, unbelievable success. We don't think there will be a lot of middle ground. Either you quit talking – and start doing what it takes to win. Or you'll fail. It's as simple as that. 2009 is a black and white year, my friend."

So, which will you be in 2009? Will you do whatever it takes to succeed – and succeed big? Or will you fail? It's scary – but it's the truth.

Here's our position on the year:

Our primary mission at HALO Business Advisors remains the same. HALO Business Advisors will continue to equip business owners and social entrepreneurs with the tools you need to succeed – and we will encourage and train you every step of the way. We will be laser intense in our equipping YOU to practically, economically, fanatically, passionately, confidently and zealously execute the steps to achieve phenomenal success.

• We must get this information outlining exactly what to DO to succeed in front of as many small businesses and organizations as possible. Our seminar pricing model and seminar topics will reflect this mission.
• Our web site will grow by sharing more and more practical, doable content with each passing week. Our blog will do the same.
• Our e-newsletter will be an e-newsletter of checklists – what to DO this week to win.
• Our coaching system and sessions will avoid theory and long business philosophy sessions altogether. Every session will cover items to DO to grow a business. Every session will propel the business forward.
• And most exciting of all, our sister company, Fox Web Company, will be offering a small business toolbox that is unbelievable and so affordable to make marketing on-line and off more efficient and effective than ever before.
• And there's more in the works over here at our creative, success factory… so stay tuned.

Can you tell I'm excited? I'll tell you something folks – this year is the year for you. This is the year for your Results Revolution.

Walt Disney once said, "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing."

Let's get to the doing.

“The way to get started is
to quit talking and begin doing.”
- Walt Disney

I went shopping this weekend.

Gasp.

Seriously, I set out Saturday about 2 p.m. for a little time alone. Me, my trusty bag, and some retail therapy. We're moving soon, so I thought I'd go in search of inspiration and possibly make a few preliminary selections for the new living room/dining room/playroom combo that will be at the new abode. After hearing such abysmal media reports all week about retail sales. I assumed a few things about the shopping conditions I'd find – in fact, I didn't even wear my coat because I was so confident. Here goes:

1. I assumed there would be empty parking lots and I would get a front-door parking spot. (Therefore the no-jacket policy.)
2. I assumed, that I would shop in peace and solitude.
3. I assumed that shop owners would be so happy to see my face that they would throw the good deals my way.
4. I assumed that all signs of life I encountered would be shop owners mourning the loss of their livelihood.

WRONG!  It just isn't like that. The parking lots are full. The aisles and sidewalks and check-out lines (most importantly) are bustling. Shop owners are happy – and they're selling full price in many cases – although the less wise among us are listening to the news and having sales. And shop owners are thrilled, appreciative, and in my opinion, seem more dedicated and passionate about their businesses than ever before.

Ok, so I didn't really assume all of those things. I mean, I do earn a living helping folks thrive. I do believe in what I do. And I do believe that even if the averages are abysmal – there are lots of success stories out there that will pave the way to the successful business practices of the future. And for me and my clientele – we are above average baby! We are a thriving bunch of mavericks (to borrow a recently coined term)… With that in mind, and my own retail therapy fresh on my mind, I thought I'd share some glimpses of reality out there – and encourage you to press on and to be one of those thriving success stories that beat all odds and win in today's economy… Here are some that are doing just that:

Last week, I talked to Cheryl Fletcher, owner of Forrest Paper Company and Forrest Bridal Company, in historic downtown Hattiesburg, Miss. Cheryl reported her best year out of three at the Jackson Junior League's famous holiday market, Mistletoe Marketplace.

Shan Miller, co-owner of Magnolia Honey Jelly, a client of ours from Woodville, Mississippi, is reporting that they too had a fabulous Mistletoe experience this year. Their gourmet jelly and pickles, sweetened exclusively with honey, are selling well at this early point in the holiday shopping season.

At Interior Fabrics in Ridgeland, Miss., shop owners reported better than usual sales volume for this time of the year, and our client Gaye Pepper, at the Linen Shop in Canton, Miss. says that this has been a great year for them overall – they have continued to grow and do well, "rather unaffected" she says by the economic downturn. And in my experience Saturday, at furniture stores all over my local metro area, people weren't just looking – they were buying. I watched in awe as one young couple barely blinked at spending $5000 for a single sofa! (I would AT LEAST blink I think…??)

And to look at points outside of Mississippi – Kathy Parsons of Portland, Michigan, offered this perspective to me today: 

So, there you have it – the report from the front lines of Main Street America. Struggles and challenges are real. But all is not lost. There are success stories – and we need to be telling more of them. Send me your success story – and I'll post it here…

And stay tuned for a BIG HALO announcement about our new project that will celebrate your success stories. Coming soon!